Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Torbay

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:

 The registered manager is highly motivated and committed to providing good quality care. She has high aspirations for young people and staff alike.  The young person currently living in the home has made excellent progress since moving in. She said that she felt fully prepared to move on to semi- independent living accommodation, and was highly complimentary of the manager and the care team.  The manager and staff have a very sound knowledge of safeguarding procedures. They work effectively with other professionals in the best interests of young people in their care.  Young people benefit from a very child-focused approach to care. Really good attention is given to balancing a nurturing approach with allowing young people to take age-appropriate risks.  The home is very well presented. It is warm, homely and welcoming. There is good evidence of a young person living there, whose personality and tastes have influenced its decor.

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

 Two recommendations were made as a result of this inspection. One relates to the importance of ensuring that young people have independent return home interviews when they have been missing. The second recommendation clarifies the need for managers to audit the files of staff who transfer to their home, to satisfy themselves that safer recruiting procedures have been followed.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the local authority provides opportunity for children and young people to have an independent return home interview when they have been missing. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. If such independent return home interviews are not provided, the registered person should escalate their concerns to the Local Safeguarding Children Board (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraphs 9.23-9.30).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that, as set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, if staff transfer to their home, the registered manager must satisfy themselves that safer recruitment procedures have been followed and can be evidenced for inspection (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1).

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a national provider of children’s services. The home is registered for one young person with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager of this home is also responsible for managing another single occupancy children’s home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/12/2015 Full Good 15/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/06/2014 Full Good

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Good

The young person currently living in the home has received highly individualised care and support and has made excellent progress. She has enjoyed very positive relationships with staff. Together, they have successfully built trust and worked well towards agreed targets. This has meant that the plan for the young person to move on to more independent living arrangements has been achievable. The young person told the inspectors that she, ‘had done really well’ since living here and that she felt, ‘fully prepared’ to move on. Her social worker and leaving care worker were also very complimentary about the young person’s experience and progress since living in the home. Their comments include: ‘Staff have supported the young person 100%’, and ‘Staff have been consistent and effective in their care and they have helped the young person achieve a great outcome.’ The inspectors were impressed with the commitment the manager and staff have

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Good

shown to the young person in their care. They have acted as good parents throughout, listening to the young person, building confidence and self-esteem, helping her to develop strategies to keep herself safe as well as being prepared to allow the young person to take age-appropriate risks. They have been mindful of the core objective of the placement, which was to prepare her for a successful transition to semi-independent living. In doing so, they have taken an holistic approach by supporting the young person to develop essential skills, but also to build emotional resilience and feel optimistic about her future. Care planning, including specific plans to help young people as they become young adults, is thorough. The progress young people are making and the outcomes they are achieving is clearly evidenced and celebrated. The current young person is making good progress in her education. A bespoke educational package has been

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Good

created, which will help her to achieve further studies at college and employment opportunities in the future in her chosen career. Staff are also effective in supporting young people to build and sustain positive relationships with family members. The manager and staff have placed the well-being of the current young person at the centre of their practice. They have worked effectively with other professionals and have thought creatively about how they can best support young people to benefit from living in the home. The manager and staff have reflected extensively on the experiences of another young person who previously lived at the home. He was asked to leave as the staff team was not able to keep him safe or improve his school attendance. The manager and staff say that they learned a lot from this experience and feel that this has contributed to their focus on the type of needs they can meet in the future.

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Good

The manager and staff team have a sound knowledge of safeguarding procedures. They have a range of training that informs their knowledge and their responsibilities to protect children in their care. Staff work on a one-to-one basis with young people. All staff are aware of lone working risk assessments and are clear how to access help in an emergency. Risks regarding young people are appropriately identified, understood and managed by staff. Good attention is given to helping young people to become increasingly safe. The manager and staff team are robust and proactive in their practices. They involve a range of professionals, the young person and family members, when appropriate, in decision-making. The manager and staff team are very much aware of the importance of preparing young people to keep themselves safe when they leave the protection of the children’s home. They have developed strategies with young people that they can

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Good

continue to use after they have left the home. For example, good work has taken place in respect of young people managing their own medication and also accessing help when they are feeling vulnerable. Behaviour is really well managed. Physical restraint is rarely used and only in a ‘last resort’ scenario. A positive approach is used to encourage good behaviour and a restorative method is taken to managing inappropriate behaviour. Careful child- centred decision-making takes place to help young people to learn from their experiences and make positive choices in the future. On the rare occasion that a complaint is made, it is taken seriously and addressed thoroughly and swiftly. A recent medication error, which did not have harmful consequences, was also thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken to reduce the likelihood of a reoccurrence. In the past, when a young person who previously lived at the home went missing,

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Good

they did not always have the opportunity to speak to an independent person. This is important so that young people can express any concerns or worries they may have about the home. A senior manager within the company raised this with the placing authority at the time and has since escalated this to ensure that appropriate arrangements are put in place for the future. Judgement grade

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Good

The registered manager is highly regarded by the current young person, staff team and professionals. She leads by example and is aspirational for both young people and staff alike. The manager and staff team receive regular supervision and attend frequent team meetings. Each member of staff has a personal development plan, which outlines agreed targets and progress made to achieve these and which feeds into their annual appraisal. Young people have the opportunity to contribute to staff appraisals and their views are valued in this process. The manager is part way through achieving a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. She divides her time effectively between the two children’s homes she is responsible for managing, and is contactable throughout the week by staff from either setting. Two of the three staff have achieved a level 3 diploma for residential childcare and the other is currently part-

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Good

way through achieving this qualification. Sometimes, within the company, staff are transferred to work in a different children’s home. The inspector clarified the importance of the manager satisfying herself that safer recruitment procedures have previously been followed. The manager demonstrates good oversight of care practices and ensures that the team maintains a very individual and child-focused approach. The manager has recently reviewed and streamlined young people’s records to ensure that information is easily accessible and fit for purpose. Other documents, such as the home’s development plan and location risk assessment, are of a very good standard. Independent visits are carried out each month, and the manager and staff find the thorough scrutiny these visits provide helpful in making further improvements to benefit young people. The manager and staff team have good working relationships with other

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Good

professionals involved in the life of the young person. They work openly and effectively with them in the best interest of the young person in their care. As such, other professionals have confidence in the home and the quality of care and support that the team provides to young people. A consultant recently stated in a questionnaire: ‘This is one of the placements for children in my caseload where children have the best support they can have.’

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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 looked after children 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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