Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Cheshire East

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.2

The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 Young people are flourishing in this exceptionally nurturing and supportive home. The outstandingly high quality of care they receive is meeting their individual needs and making an important difference to all of their lives. They enjoy extremely positive experiences and make very significant progress across all aspects of their development.  Young people have very trusting and meaningful relationships with the staff. They feel cared for and are always treated with dignity and respect. They know that staff always make sure that they get the best possible support and opportunities.  Exceptionally strong safeguarding culture and practice in the home ensure that young people are increasingly safe, and are protected from bullying, aggression, abuse and exploitation. Young people are always listened to, taken seriously, feel extremely safe and have a strong sense of belonging.  The manager’s and staff’s extremely consistent and well-informed approach

p.3

The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

to helping young people manage their feelings is making a positive difference to their emotional well-being. The strong emphasis on promoting and rewarding positive behaviour, and talking through problems, has significantly reduced aggressive and self-harming behaviour and the need to use restraint.  The highly effective registered manager and duty manager lead a strong, stable, highly skilled, experienced and cohesive staff team. The managers and staff have created a culture that provides children with a high quality of care in a positive and exceptionally supportive environment. They have high aspirations for every young person to enjoy the same opportunities and experiences of other children.  The leaders and managers have an extremely detailed and well-informed understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas for development. They accurately measure the effectiveness of the home’s impact on young

p.3

The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

people’s lives and use this information to improve the quality of care. An independent visitor provides rigorous and impartial scrutiny of the running of the home and how effectively young people’s welfare is promoted and safeguarded.

p.3

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

p.4

Recommendations

 Continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, keep under review the use of alarms on children’s bedroom doors, to assess if the measure is necessary and proportionate, based on each child’s individual needs and stage of development, with the aim of bringing about the circumstances when its continued use will no longer be required. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that following the use of control, discipline and restraint, the child’s risk assessment and behaviour management plan is revised and amended to identify effective practice and make sure that practice consistently meets the needs of the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

p.4

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company and is registered to accommodate three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is also registered as a school and provides education on the premises.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/07/2015 Full Good 10/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/11/2014 Full Good

p.5

Outstanding

Young people enjoy exceptionally positive experiences in this nurturing, supportive and safe home. They receive an exceptional quality of care that is making an important difference to their lives. A young person said, ‘I think it is an outstanding place to live. It’s helped me and I can see how much it has helped other children. It has made a massive change to their lives.’

p.6

Outstanding

Since young people moved in, they have become happier, healthier, safer and less likely to be at risk of abuse, exploitation or using drugs. They are settled, achieving in education and seeing more of their families. They have a better understanding of their previous experiences and have aspirations for the future. A young person reflected maturely on her experiences, ‘I’m embarrassed about how I was when I first came here. I wasn’t in school, they got me back into school and have helped to give me social skills.’

p.6

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff have created a warm family atmosphere where young people quickly develop a strong sense of belonging. A social worker said that this is: ‘A great placement, fab staff team – who are very supportive to my young person. She described it today as a family environment – what more could you ask for.’ Young people enjoy very positive and trusting relationships with staff. They know that staff enjoy spending time with them, are interested in their well- being and want what is best for them. Staff provide young people with clear and consistent boundaries in the context of a nurturing relationship: young people know what is expected of them and how they will be treated. A young person said, ‘I feel safe. I have a good relationship with staff and I feel trusted.’

p.6

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff always take young people’s wishes and feelings into account in all the decisions about their lives and the running of the home. This is done as a natural part of young people’s daily lives. Young people feel able to talk to staff at any time and know that staff are interested in their ideas and opinions. They make decisions about the food they eat, the clothes they wear, how they spend their spare time, how their home is decorated, where they go to college, and where they live in the future and the support they will need. The staff are very good at helping young people think about the implications of their decisions and what is best for them.

p.6

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff are ambitious for every young person to be happy and to enjoy life to their potential, regardless of the complexity of their needs or experiences. They provide young people with an outstanding standard of care tailored to meet their individual needs. Young people make excellent progress and improve their chances of achieving significantly better outcomes. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘A fantastic placement for the young person. She is blossoming due to consistent care and positive regard. I’m impressed.’ A social worker said, ‘The staff have worked wonders with him. He is more confident and able, expressing himself better and managing his feelings better. They put a lot of time and effort in with him.’ The high standard of reliable and consistent support means that young people are becoming more confident, sociable and emotionally resilient. Young people manage new experiences and challenges

p.6

Outstanding

successfully, including moving into a new home, starting a new school and going to college for the first time. A social worker said, ‘The staff were very much on board with the plan to move him. They were very supportive and involved in introductions to new carers. They did a lot of work with him around fitting in with a new family and starting a new school. This really contributed to him having a positive outcome: he settled in very well and quickly, at home and at school.’

p.7

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff fully take into account the particular needs of young people living a long way from their family home. Young people’s moves into the home are carefully planned to ensure that they have access to local education and health services that meet their assessed needs. The registered manager also makes sure that these young people maintain important links with their families.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people see and speak regularly to their families and some young people routinely stay overnight with their families. This is helping them to improve important relationships and to spend time with people they have not seen for some time. Their friends and families receive a warm welcome when they visit the home. Staff provide young people with a great deal of excellent emotional and practical support around seeing their families. They understand that it can be a difficult time for young people, and take every effort to make sure that it is a safe and positive experience for everyone.

p.7

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff provide structure, stability, encouragement and opportunities for young people to take part in education and to learn and develop their knowledge and skills. Young people enjoy learning, work hard and have excellent attendance at college. They have plenty of books, computers, art materials, toys, games and other educational resources. The staff have an excellent understanding of young people’s educational needs, plans, progress, achievements and aspirations. They have worked flexibly and closely with a young person’s social worker, virtual school headteacher and the school to introduce him to a new school. The staff supported him to get into a good daily routine that promoted learning, and provided him with structured educational activities appropriate to his needs and abilities, in order to build his confidence. This included working creatively with him to develop his skills in English and mathematics, including

p.7

Outstanding

playing fun word and number games and using the resources of the local library. The young person enjoyed working with staff, but was looking forward to starting school soon. The virtual school headteacher said that one of the reasons for choosing the home for this young person was because it had worked successfully for another young person with similar needs.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people have gained qualifications, including GCSEs and a BTEC national diploma with a distinction. They are at college now working hard to achieve higher qualifications in their chosen careers, including art and public services. The staff support and encourage young people’s preferences and aspirations as good parents do. They have supported young people with work experience with local voluntary agencies and the police, which has helped to build young people’s confidence. In addition, a young person, who is old enough to work, has a part- time job with a local business.

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff have strong working relationships with schools and colleges, and these promote young people’s learning effectively and tackle any barriers to their participation in education. For example, staff are working very closely with a young person’s tutor, learning mentor and therapist to help her settle into college life. They recognised that starting college was a significant step for her, especially moving from having education at home to a large college. They have worked effectively to help her to make a good start at the college, to be able to find her way around the campus and to have an interesting timetable that meets her needs. She appears to have settled in well and has made friends.

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff ensure that young people live in a healthy environment that actively promotes their physical health and emotional well-being. Young people enjoy very healthy and varied diets and get plenty of physical exercise. They understand about healthy lifestyles and take responsibility for their own health, appropriate to their ages. Young people are able to identify when they need extra help, for example around drug use, to improve their health. Staff ensure that they have access to suitable support services, including child and adolescent mental health services. Staff have an excellent understanding of young people’s specific health needs and manage their health with sensitivity and confidence. They closely monitor young people’s health to make sure that they are healthy and that they always get suitable medical advice and treatment when they are feeling unwell or they are concerned about their health. They make sure that treatment

p.8

Outstanding

plans are consistently followed and the arrangements for dealing with medication are safe. Young people are actively involved in decisions about their treatment plans and medication.

p.8

Outstanding

Young people get the right support and guidance to help them to develop their life skills. They are confident with practical life skills, including shopping, cooking, managing money and learning to drive. The staff clearly understand that becoming an adult is both an exciting and a worrying time for young people. They provide them with lots of opportunities, reassurance, guidance and emotional support to help them negotiate this significant change.

p.8

Outstanding

Young people live in a suitably designed and located family house. They have easy access to all the community facilities and services required to meet their needs. It is a homely, pleasant and comfortable house, which is furnished and decorated to a high standard. The young people have plenty of personal space and their bedrooms are decorated to reflect their characters and interests.

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff have built an exceptionally strong safeguarding culture in the home. Young people are always listened to, taken seriously, valued, and treated with dignity and respect. Consequently, they feel extremely safe, loved, cared for and have a strong sense of belonging. The staff’s exceptional safeguarding practice ensures that young people are protected from bullying, aggression, abuse and exploitation. Young people do not go missing from home and are safe in the community. They have become significantly and increasingly safer after moving in.

p.9

Outstanding

Young people’s safety is given the highest priority. The regular manager and staff always take decisive action to protect children and promptly report any concerns about their welfare to the appropriate safeguarding agencies. They work collaboratively with families, social workers, the police and the local authority to understand and manage risk and protect children. This includes the deputy manager attending regular meetings with the police, safeguarding and support services, and other children’s homes providers to identify and assess the risks to young people in the local area.

p.9

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff have a comprehensive understanding of the risks to individual young people’s safety, including the risks associated with their age, experiences and levels of understanding. They take action to protect young people from the risk of harm. They are well trained and knowledgeable in safeguarding. They recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse, neglect and sexual exploitation. They work exceptionally well with the young people to help them understand and reduce risks. This includes high-quality, direct work with young people about managing their feelings, personal safety, identifying dangers and risks, sexual exploitation and recognising healthy relationships. The registered manager and staff carefully balance risk against the need for protection, and enable young people to take risks as part of their development, to make choices and become more independent. For example, to enjoy the same experiences as other young

p.9

Outstanding

people, such as going to the cinema with friends and staying overnight at friends’ houses.

p.9

Outstanding

Young people live in a safe physical environment that protects them from the risk of harm. Their freedom of movement around the house is not restricted. Alarms on their bedroom doors alert staff at night when young people may need assistance. A young person said that: ‘The alarm helps me feel safe at night because I know staff know I need help.’ The use of the door alarms needs to be continually reviewed to assess if they are necessary and proportionate based on each young person’s individual needs and stage of development, with the aim of bringing about the circumstances when their continued use will no longer be required. The home will then have the security arrangements usually found in a family home.

p.9

Outstanding

The staff’s clear and consistent approach when young people feel upset, anxious or frustrated has contributed to a significant reduction in potentially harmful behaviour. They help young people to learn to manage their emotions, for example gently helping a young person to feel calmer when he became very excited and frustrated playing a board game. They support young people effectively by using strong communication and interpersonal skills to develop trusting and nurturing relationships. Staff see beyond the behaviour to try to understand underlying problems. They work sensitively with young people individually to find out the best ways to help them. A young person said that: ‘When I feel upset or worried I need to talk to staff.’ He confirmed that this helped him feel calm. Staff work with young people, social workers, teachers and health services to make sure that the young person gets the right support at the right time, to help them deal with their feelings

p.10

Outstanding

and experiences. Staff have a strong and effective working relationship with the child and adolescent mental health service.

p.10

Outstanding

Staff use restraint with young people only when young people are at risk of harm. They make good use of their training, professional judgement and knowledge of the young person’s needs and plans to intervene appropriately and safely. Young people’s plans take into account their age and their physical and emotional development to ensure that the restraint used is suitable for the needs of the individual. The plans clearly set out the appropriate methods to use in different situations. Young people have responded positively to being held. Staff have resolved the situation quickly and continue to provide the young person with reassurance and the necessary level of support. A virtual headteacher said, ‘The staff cope well with the young person. They have not been fazed by his behaviour. Their calm, confident and nurturing approach has helped him feel safe.’

p.10

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff always ensure that young people have the opportunity to talk about what happened and express their feelings about the situation. Restraint and other behaviour management records provide a detailed and reflective account of each incident, including what happened, the action staff took to try to avoid the use of restraint, the young person’s behaviour, views and mood following the restraint, and an in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of the whole incident. This analysis clearly identifies what measures helped the young person. For example, it was noted that the use of humour at times did not work, but giving the young person space using planned ignoring did’. However, young people’s plans are not always updated following the use of restraint to identify effective practice and to make sure that practice consistently meets the needs of the young person.

p.10

Outstanding

The registered manager has been in charge of the home since 2011. She is a very experienced and suitably qualified manager. She provides extremely effective leadership that unmistakably prioritises young people’s welfare and focuses on improving their lives. She gives the staff team clear direction and has embedded a culture of providing young people with an exceedingly high quality of care. Consequently, young people flourish living in this very positive and exceptionally nurturing environment.

p.11

Outstanding

A very experienced deputy manager, with the relevant management qualification, runs the home when the registered manager is on leave. This clear and suitable arrangement maintains the effective and consistent leadership of the home and the high standard of care.

p.11

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff have high aspirations for every young person to enjoy the same opportunities and experiences as other young people. They fight for the young people to have their voice heard, influence the decisions affecting their lives, and get the best possible support to ensure that they achieve improved social, economic, emotional, health and education outcomes. They have excellent communication and professional relationships with young people’s families, placing authorities, independent reviewing officers, police, schools, colleges and health services. They actively and assertively challenge partners to deliver the best possible support to young people. They work together collaboratively to ensure that they make sustained progress across all aspects of their development.

p.11

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff have a detailed understanding of the progress each young person has made since they first moved in. Comprehensive records provide a clear picture of young people’s progress and experience over time. In addition, young people’s plans and the effectiveness of the support they receive are routinely reviewed and adapted to ensure that the children are getting the right help. Staff use this information to build a detailed understanding of the young person’s life, identify the help and support they need, respond to changing needs and inform the plans for their futures. This also enables them to see how their work has had a positive impact and is making a meaningful difference to young people’s lives. The leaders and registered manager have a detailed understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas for development. An independent visitor provides rigorous and impartial scrutiny of the running of the home and how

p.11

Outstanding

effectively children’s welfare is promoted and safeguarded. He talks to the children, their families and social workers to help him make judgements. The registered manager always acts promptly on his recommendations to improve practice, including strengthening the arrangements for medication and ensuring that young people have suitable access to the internet to help with their education. The registered manager completes detailed and informative reviews of the quality of care. She evaluates critically how effectively they are applying the quality standards, young people’s progress and reflects on the success of the strategies staff are using to support young people. She uses this information to prioritise areas for development and drive improvement.

p.12

Outstanding

The registered manager leads a strong, settled and cohesive team. The staffing arrangements ensure that enough suitable staff are always available to meet the assessed needs of the young people and achieve a high level of continuity of care. This means that young people have developed meaningful relationships with the people looking after them. It does not take young people long after they first move in to feel comfortable and to build positive attachments with their staff.

p.12

Outstanding

The staff are warm, enthusiastic and highly competent people. They are focused on working to promote young people’s best interests. They are strongly committed to helping young people and have high aspirations for young people to reach their full potential. They are calm and confident, and show patience, perseverance and resilience when dealing with complex and challenging situations. The staff team is suitably qualified and has plenty of opportunities for continual professional development through training, which is relevant to the assessed needs of the young people, and through gaining additional qualifications in working with young people and in management.

p.12

Outstanding

Strong and effective employment practice, including the recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff, safeguards young people and reduces potential risks to them. People wishing to work at the home go through a rigorous selection procedure and are carefully vetted. The registered manager makes sure that they have the right experience, skills, personal qualities, values and motivation to work with vulnerable young people. New staff follow comprehensive induction programmes that enable them to develop the necessary skills and knowledge they need, to reflect on their learning and experiences, and to have their performance thoroughly assessed by a manager. The staff are extremely well supported by effective professional supervision. It takes place regularly and gives staff the chance to reflect on their performance, young people’s progress, and to discuss and work through the emotional impact of their work. The registered manager and

p.12

Outstanding

staff use supervision constructively to develop staff’s practice, performance and ability to take on different responsibilities. The staff’s systematic and effective use of handover meetings promotes a consistent approach to working with the young people. They share all the information that is needed to plan the day efficiently to ensure that staff are available to support young people with going to school and college, attending appointments, seeing their families and enjoying activities. In addition, extremely well-attended team meetings enhance staff’s understanding of young people’s needs, experiences and plans of support. The meetings share ideas, and develop staff’s skills and knowledge through training, such as building staff’s awareness and expertise around young people’s emotional well-being and self-harming behaviour.

p.12

What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

p.14

What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children’s home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children’s home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

p.14

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.14

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children’s home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s

p.15

Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.15

Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.16

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.16

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.16

Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.16