Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Oldham

Good

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

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people are supported to settle within the home and, for the vast majority of young people, their placement provides them with stability. This minimises potential moves, enabling them to form positive attachments with staff and peers.  Education is encouraged and promoted, enabling young people to gain qualifications and vocational skills to enhance their future opportunities.  Young people are fully involved and contribute to their individual plans. They have input into how the home runs, and this provides them with further security and empowerment.  Young people gain a variety of independence skills and experiences which support and prepare them for their future stages as they move on to adulthood.  Staff work in partnership with other professionals and agencies to provide continuity of support for young people.  Contact arrangements between young people and their families are well supported. This enables them to maintain family links and contributes to

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The children’s home provision is good because:

promoting positive relationships.  The new manager is developing effective monitoring systems to ensure that all documentation is maintained to a consistent and comprehensive standard.  Staff receive regular supervision, annual appraisals and access a range of training. This supports them to deliver the day-to-day care of young people, develop their knowledge and reflect on their own practice.  As a result of this inspection, three requirements and two recommendations have been made. These are in relation to robust impact assessments prior to admission, young people’s risk assessments, notifications and consistent promotion of positive behaviours.

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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) In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that children are protected from harm. (2) In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure: (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in particular relation to robust impact risk assessment prior to each admission, taking into account the needs of the young person to be admitted and those of the young people currently living at the home. 14/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

(1) In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that children are protected from harm. (2) In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure: (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in particular reference to ensuring robust risk management plans, in relation to supporting and monitoring young people who return to the home under the influence of alcohol or suspected substance misuse. 14/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HNCI and each relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 05/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Expectations of standards of behaviours should be high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. When there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s

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Recommendations

homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a private company. It is contracted by the local authority in which it is situated to provide placements for young people for whom the authority has a statutory duty. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to seven young people who may need support with their emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/12/2015 Full Outstanding 05/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/10/2014 Full Good

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Good

Young people spoken to during the inspection said that they have good relationships with the members of staff, most of the time, and feel that they are able to discuss things with them. One young person said: ‘I have settled in here really well and this is the best place home that there is. It sometimes gets a bit noisy, but I can go out with friends or go spend time in my room if I want to have a bit of time to myself.’

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Good

Young people have developed some positive relationships with each other. Staff are aware of the potential for bullying. They remain vigilant to signs of this and act quickly in the event of it occurring. There has been some behaviour by young people which has impacted on the others. Staff have supported young people to address this and taken action with the placing authority to resolve the issue. Young people say that this has made them feel listened to, and that their opinions and views are valued.

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Good

Staff encourage and support young people to engage in a range of activities, although some young people decline to engage on a consistent basis. However, staff continue to help young people to identify what they would like to participate in and promote this well. Healthcare needs are supported, enabling young people to have a greater understanding of the impact that negative actions, such as smoking, drugs and alcohol misuse, has on their overall health. However, some young people continue to engage in these risk-taking behaviours and do not consistently access the agencies which the home works in partnership with to minimise these behaviours. This includes drug and alcohol services and smoking cessation clinics.

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Good

Engagement in education has increased for a number of young people who have a history of exclusions and non-attendance. One young person has recently commenced college, four attend an alternative school provision which supports them with their education and life skills, and another attends a local school. One young person is currently excluded from school. However, a tutor supports them with school work in the morning, and additional staff support attendance at educational activities to supplement education until an agreed alternative placement is sourced. The manager is proactive in following this up with the appropriate professionals.

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Good

Young people gain skills to support them when they move onto independence and adulthood. They learn to budget, shop and cook independently, as well as to keep their rooms tidy and wash their clothing. This is in accordance with their individual age and abilities. Staff provide encouragement when young people are reticent or decline to complete tasks, and focus on positive praise to engage them with these tasks.

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Good

Admissions to and discharges from the home are in line with the home’s statement of purpose. The needs of the young people are highly complex, with extremely challenging behaviours. Although impact assessments are undertaken, they are not sufficiently robust to make sure that effective matching of individual need is evaluated. The home is contracted to provide placements for the placing authority in which it is situated.

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Requires improvement

Young people say that they feel safe at the home. However, some young people comment that the home is a very busy home, and that sometimes there have been incidents when they have encountered bullying. Staff remain vigilant to any signs of this and regularly discuss the importance of respecting individuals with all of the young people through key-working sessions and in regular children’s house meetings. Young people have recently raised concerns about some behaviours of another resident through children’s rights advocacy service, which has provided independent support for them. The manager has addressed the concerns with the placing authority.

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Requires improvement

Most of the young people have previously had significant issues regarding being missing from home and non-engagement with education or healthcare. Overall, there has been a slight decrease in young people being missing from the home, although overall this number remains high. Staff have made positive progress in encouraging young people to keep in touch to enable them to confirm their whereabouts and safety. They follow agreed procedures in contacting the police within agreed timeframes to request assistance. Local police comment that they think that the home works well with them. They visit the home on a drop-in basis, as well as when called, and this helps to raise their profile with young people in a positive manner. When young people have returned to the home following a period of missing, independent return interviews are held to enable the young people to raise any reason for their being missing. If it is connected with something that is

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Requires improvement

happening at the home, this is shared to enable the manager to address it. Multi- agency strategy meetings are held if a young person continues to be reported as missing, to agree future risk management strategies to promote their safety and well-being.

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Requires improvement

Young people are encouraged to behave in an acceptable manner. This is through incentive and reward schemes, along with positive praise and encouragement. Consequences and sanctions, although rarely used, are discussed and agreed with the young people. However, there have been some incidents when negative behaviours have not been addressed consistently by staff. This could result in young people’s behaviour deteriorating due to their receiving differing messages. Physical intervention is rarely used and there has been none in the past year. Staff are fully aware that it is only to be used as a last resort to prevent risk of harm to self or others. Safeguarding and behaviour management training provide staff with alternative strategies to use to de-escalate behaviours.

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Requires improvement

Staff have a good understanding of managing risk to maintain young people’s safety. They understand the complexities of the young people’s behaviours, completing a range of risk assessments that reflect individual areas of risk and the course of action to take to minimise these. However, risk assessments are not in place to outline the support, care and observation required in the event of a young person returning to the home under the influence of alcohol or drug misuse. Discussions with staff during the inspection confirmed that they do monitor when this is the case, but that there is some inconsistency in the level of monitoring undertaken. It could impact on the health and welfare of the young person if the appropriate level of monitoring is not clear or followed appropriately.

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Requires improvement

Robust recruitment and selection practice ensures that staff commence work at the home only if they are suitable to work with vulnerable young people. Health and safety checks are in place to ensure that the home provides a safe environment for the young people to live in. When there is damage or repair needed to the home, maintenance is undertaken in a timely manner. The home is showing some signs of wear and tear, and there is a programme of refurbishment in place.

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Good

Since the last inspection, the previous registered manager of the home has left, along with the deputy manager and two staff. This had an impact on the staff. They filled the vacant shifts from within the team to minimise the effect on young people, yet understood that their attachments were disrupted and therefore provided sensitive support.

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Good

A new manager has been appointed, who is in the process of submitting an application to be the registered manager. She has previous experience as a registered manager with this organisation and has a level 4 qualification in health and social care. She has a good understanding of the complex needs of the young people and demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring that they receive good levels of care and support to meet their current and future needs. She encourages the staff and, while understanding the potential impact of the change in management style, has ensured continuity to minimise the impact on the young people. As such, when there has been a shortfall in staffing the manager has also contributed to working on the rota. This has enabled her to have a good understanding of the young people, and knowledge of the care required and provided. Recruitment is currently ongoing for a deputy manager and a further two

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Good

Newly appointed staff have received a strong induction to equip them with knowledge to fulfil their role. Of the staff, seven hold appropriate qualifications. There are clear plans in place for the remaining staff to obtain this qualification within the next 12 months. All mandatory training is kept up to date, including safeguarding and child protection. Regular team meetings and individual supervision also offer opportunity for reflection on practice. This means that young people are supported by staff who access training and guidance to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.

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Good

Staff are committed to providing young people with care which nurtures and enhances their lives. They have high aspirations for them, and work in partnership with other professionals, including social workers, police, specialist child sexual exploitation teams and the local authority designated officer. As a result, young people benefit from strong, consistent multi-agency working to promote good outcomes. One social worker said: ‘Staff really support the young people well. I have no concerns about the quality of care provided.’ Another social worker said: ‘despite many challenges, the care provided has made a significant difference to the young person I have placed here and has provided a strong foundation for their future.’

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Good

The manager ensures that any significant event is shared with the social worker, local authority designated officer and relevant people. However, during the inspection, it was highlighted that a significant event had not been notified in relation to a young person being missing for a week. Although this was prior to her appointment, the manager is aware that the regulator needs to be aware of significant events to enable oversight of the service and the actions of the home.

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Good

Young people’s individual care records are stored securely to ensure confidentiality. The home offers the opportunity for young people to view their records, encouraging them to be fully involved in their care and decision making. Their plans are reviewed regularly and the manager is undertaking an audit of all plans to ensure that they demonstrate the progress that young people have made and are continuing to make. Views of other professionals and parents are gathered and contribute further to these plans.

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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’. 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 looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 0300 123 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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children 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

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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