Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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

 Young people’s risk-taking behaviour, such as self-harming, going missing and drug and alcohol misuse significantly reduces.  Young people engage and achieve in their education.  Young people’s health needs, both physically and emotionally, are met.  Young people are happy, feel safe and recognise the progress that they have made.  Managers and staff are aspirational for all young people.  Managers will challenge partnership agencies appropriately.  The home is well decorated and maintained, and young people’s bedrooms are personalised to their own taste.  One incident occurred when staff did not follow policies and procedures for a young person.  The fire risk assessment does not account for any incidence, albeit rare, of young people smoking in the home.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. 29/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

(2) If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—: (a) paragraph (1) does not apply; and (b) the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. 08/11/2016

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home operated by a large national provider. The home accommodates up to four children or young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It specialises in care for young people who have experienced child sexual exploitation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/09/2015 Full Requires improvement 03/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/11/2014 Full Good

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Good

Young people love living in this home. Relationships between staff and young people are very good. Young people’s relationships with each other are also good. Staff are attentive to the young people’s needs and their desire for attention. Spontaneous affection and humour are evident. Young people feel that staff have a genuine interest in them. The views of young people are gained and inform the development of the home. As a result, young people develop attachments to staff that help them to improve their self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Good

All young people are extremely positive about living in the home. One young person says she enjoys her time at home. She said, ‘[I] feel safer and [staff] have helped [me] a lot. Best thing is everything, the people and the job that I have got and there is nothing bad about living here.’ Another young person stated, ‘This is the best care home because it actually feels like a home and not like a children’s home. The best thing is the atmosphere because I get on with all the staff and all the girls, which is unusual.’ Another young person enjoys a settling-in time prior to going to bed, when a member of staff reads a Roald Dahl book to her for 15 minutes. She noted that she has made progress in this home as she is not allowed to smoke, and can now have unsupervised contact with her family. Consequently, young people’s self-esteem and confidence is growing. Young people have a sense of belonging and invest in their placement making progress in all areas of their

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Good

Young people benefit directly from the services of a psychologist. An in-house therapy team is always available to offer advice and assistance, whether in a crisis or through planned discussions. Consultation for staff provides the potential for a shared understanding of the young person’s internal world, coupled with a holistic approach of working with the young people. All routine health appointments are completed, ensuring that young people are as fit and healthy as possible.

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Good

Young people of school age attend and engage in education. They are studying for their GCSEs and have ambitions in their chosen careers. Other young people enjoy and are doing well in apprenticeships within the local community. The manager of one of the young people’s apprenticeships said, ‘She is an asset to [the staff]. As a result, young people are enjoying their work and the experience and skills this gives them.

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Good

The home’s independence framework for young people is effective. Initially, it has a strong focus on keeping young people safe, for example learning about child sexual exploitation, going missing, social media and social skills. Following the safeguarding aspect of independence, young people will engage in the more practical skills that will help them in their transition into adulthood. When young people reach the age of seventeen, they are supported and facilitated to take driving lessons. As a result, young people are confident and prepared for their move into independent living.

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Good

Young people enjoy a range of activities. Staff are always involved, and participate, in activities with young people. This gives young people a sense of self-esteem and confidence until they feel able to engage in the activities on their own. This includes walking dogs for a local charity, swimming, horse-riding and going to the cinema. Some young people have enjoyed a holiday to Paris and Disneyland Paris.

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Good

Young people enjoy contact with their families. Some young people are now safely able to catch trains on their own to enjoy contact with their families. This makes sure that young people maintain their sense of identity, even when they live a long way from the home.

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Good

Staff take the time to understand individual young people and their risks. All the young people are highly vulnerable to engaging in damaging and exploitative relationships. They are all at risk of child sexual exploitation. Staff keep young people safe by building strong relationships with them, coupled with clear boundaries and guidance. Managers and staff make sure individual risk assessments are bespoke to each young person, identifying all of their risks and effective strategies.

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Good

Young people seldom go missing, with only one having absconded since the previous inspection. High levels of supervision and plenty of opportunity for young people to engage are factors in achieving this. However, the one incident occurred because staff did not follow the correct protocols and risk assessments. Learning from this one incident has further strengthened risk assessments and safeguarding knowledge throughout the staff team.

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Good

Young people have good relationships with each other, and as a result bullying is not an issue in the home. Staff recruitment is rigorous. Consequently, adults who have been appropriately vetted care for young people.

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Good

Some young people have been smoking in a bathroom. Appropriate measures in respect of behaviour management were undertaken. The young person designed a no smoking poster that is hanging up in the home. However, the fire risk assessment does not fully detail risks around smoking in the home. As a result, young people’s, staff’s and visitors’ personal safety are at risk.

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Good

An appropriately qualified, experienced and enthusiastic registered manager manages the home. She is currently enrolled on the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. An equally experienced deputy manager supports her. The management team is ambitious and aspirational for all young people. The managers provide a positive culture of improvement. Staff adhere to high standards for their role and a professional code of conduct. As a result, all young people receive a good quality of care and enjoy excellent relationships with staff. They make good progress from their starting points.

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Good

Staff say managers support them well. They receive good quality supervision and annual appraisals. They express pride in the team, working together and supporting each other. Training is geared to meet the needs of all young people. Staff are trained in child sexual exploitation, first aid and going missing from care. Staff are appropriately qualified. As a result, young people benefit from a staff team which is trained appropriately to meet their needs and has regular opportunities to discuss young people’s progress and welfare.

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Good

Managers and staff are passionate that young people should receive the service that they need and deserve from external agencies. Managers actively challenge other professionals on behalf of, and in the best interests of, young people. There are examples of good practice working closely with other professionals. A police officer said, ‘Pure and simple as far as this home is concerned, it is probably the best home that I visit… What makes this home very special is the staff, very welcoming and cooperative. The home is so well decorated and clean. What they do is encourage the young people to speak to police officers, which is a big thing and is half the battle for young people to like and engage with police.’ Managers break down barriers that young people may have experienced in their lives to ensure that young people continue to make progress that will benefit them now and in their future lives.

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Good

Managers make sure that young people are central to their own care plans. Plans are individualised to each young person’s needs. Managers understand the needs of young people and prioritise them. Staff have all the relevant documentation that enables them to provide appropriate care for young people. Staff work in collaboration with psychologists, an occupational therapist, childcare professionals and education staff to identify the holistic needs of all young people. Home records contain up-to-date information that fully reflects each young person’s events, experiences and individual needs. Young people benefit from an all-inclusive approach from the adults involved in their care.

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Good

Progress is kept under constant observation. Plans are adjusted as necessary and new aims are set. Managers ensure that the quality of care is reviewed regularly from internal and external audits. This allows managers to identify any patterns and trends that will improve the home and the experiences of young people. However, in one instance, managers have not followed up on actions identified at a looked after child review in a timely manner. This has the potential to delay the plan for this young person.

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Good

Managers and staff are meeting the aims and objectives of their statement of purpose and providing a good quality of care to young people.

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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’.

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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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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

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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

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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 .

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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,

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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