Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.2

The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 The registered provider has not followed their organisation’s safeguarding procedures regarding when to report concerns to the local authority designated officer. This potentially leaves young people and staff at risk of harm or further allegations.  Staff do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping young people safe, or the importance of following their organisation’s procedures on issues such as personal mobile phone use. This could potentially compromise young people’s safety.  Young people do not have rigorous or individualised behaviour management plans or risk assessments in place. There is a lack of guidance for staff as to how they provide good-quality, individualised care for young people.  Young people are not involved in their plans. They do not always feel involved with their care planning, or that they are listened to.  Staff do not provide enough opportunity for young people to learn new ways

p.3

The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

of managing their emotions, or after incidents in the home. Key-working sessions do not always take place after incidents. The imposed sanctions do not reflect young people’s behaviours.  Boundaries and routines are inconsistent. There is a lack of structure in the home and of guidance for staff in order that they know how to manage young people’s behaviours effectively.  The registered manager does not promote a culture of learning. After incidents in the home, the registered manager does not reflect and learn from the incidents.  Staff are not supported enough in their roles. They do not have regular supervisions or team meetings. There is a lack of direction from the registered manager.  Young people’s case files are missing important statutory documents. Behaviour management plans and risk assessments do not contain current and up-to-date information.

p.3

The children’s home strengths

 Young people make progress in their educational development. Their attendance improves and they engage.  Communication with education providers is a strength. Young people and schools said that they feel that the staff and registered manager support young people’s educational achievement.  Young people do not go missing from the home. Incidents in the home are rare, and young people are focused on change and moving forward.  Young people said that they enjoy positive relationships with their staff team. They like spending time with one another.  Young people have fun and have opportunity to have new experiences, such as indoor sky diving and going to theme parks.  This is a new home and the structures are still to be embedded. However, the registered manager and staff are committed to making changes to improve the quality of care provided to young people.

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must ensure that staff (2)(a) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; (2)(b)(ii) protect and promote each child's welfare; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect; (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. 23/01/2017

p.5

Requirement Due date

7: The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, the registered person must ensure that (1)(c) children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. 23/01/2017

p.5

Requirement Due date

8: The education standard In order to meet the education standard, the registered must ensure that staff (2)(a)(ii) support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study. 23/01/2017

p.5

Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the 23/01/2017 registered person must ensure that staff (2)(a)(iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; (iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; (v) communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; and (x) are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same.

p.5

Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that staff (2)(a)(v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. 23/01/2017

p.6

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must (2)(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (g)(ii) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous 23/01/2017

p.6

Requirement Due date

improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure (1)(a) that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 23/01/2017

p.7

Requirement Due date

36: Children’s case records Ensure that records (‘case records’) are maintained for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 23/01/2017

p.7

Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports Ensure that a copy of the independent person’s report is sent by the independent person to HMCI. (Regulation 44(7)(a)) 23/01/2017

p.7

Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home specialises in providing care, alongside a clinical team, for young people who have experienced child sexual exploitation.

p.8

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 28/04/2016 Registration

p.8

Requires improvement

Young people do not receive good enough individualised care. Behaviour management plans are not rigorous enough, nor do they reflect the individual needs of young people. For example, young people’s plans do not take into account how young people’s cultural and religious needs will be met. The registered provider does not regularly review the plans in order to monitor young people’s progress, or to make sure that they are still relevant to the individual young person. Young people are not involved in their plans. They said that they want to know what is being written about them and that it is shared with their families and other professionals. The registered provider does not work with young people to support them to understand their documents or to be part of them. Young people are not yet reaching their full potential. There is a lack of guidance for staff as to how to provide good-quality care, which supports young people to

p.9

Requires improvement

make progress. For example, young people do not have education or health plans, so staff do not have enough guidance or up-to-date information. This does not support young people’s progress. There is a lack of consistent and structured routines in place, such as bedtime routines, after-school routines and strategies for reviewing incidents. The sanctions which are put into place after young people have displayed challenging behaviours do not reflect the behaviours and could be seen as punitive. For example, after threats to harm another young person with a hot drink, a young person now has to drink hot drinks away from other young people. Young people view the sanctions as punitive rather than as an opportunity to learn new ways of managing emotions and behaviours. Young people do not have enough opportunity to learn from incidents. There is a lack of planned and purposeful key-working sessions to help young people to find

p.9

Requires improvement

new ways of managing their emotions. For example, after young people have fallen out with one another, staff do not make sure that they support young people to repair their relationships. When there are disagreements between young people in the home, staff do not support young people to take responsibility and to move forward, for example, through offering them mediation sessions. Young people do not have enough opportunity to understand how to resolve disagreements safely. When staff have documented incidents, it is not always clear what they did to support young people or to diffuse a situation productively and positively. The registered provider does not promote young people’s independence skills. Young people do not have independence plans. The registered provider has failed to focus on preparing the young people who are approaching independent adulthood for when they leave. Young people said that they want to learn more

p.9

Requires improvement

independence skills as they feel ill prepared for their futures. They said that they want to be listened to more. When young people have been admitted to the home, the registered provider has not consistently made sure that they have collated enough information about young people’s histories in previous placements, prior to their arrivals. Their behaviour management plans have not been rigorous enough. This, on, occasion, has meant that some young people have links with one another from previous residential homes. This has caused some difficulties in the young people’s relationships. Young people make some progress in their education. Their attendance has improved from their starting points. One education provider said, ‘I have brilliant communication with the staff. We often communicate through email, as this is easier. Anything I have asked them for, they have provided.’ Young people are achieving in school, and some young people have participated in some of the

p.9

Requires improvement

extra-curricular activities, such as bike rides that raise money for charities. However, there is a lack of clarity as to how staff support young people to learn. Young people said that they have positive relationships with most staff members. Staff support young people to enjoy activities, such as dog walking for a local dogs’ home, shopping, going to theme parks and going to the cinema. Some young people live far away from their families and their hometowns. Staff support them to see their families.

p.10

Requires improvement

Young people said that, overall, they feel safe. Incidents in the home are rare. Since the home opened, young people have not gone missing, and there have been no physical interventions. However, when incidents have happened, there has been a lack of learning from them. The registered manager has not questioned the reasons why incidents have occurred, to try to prevent future incidents from happening. Young people have not had feedback or reassurances that they have been listened to when they have felt unsafe. New strategies are not implemented to reassure young people that they are safe. For example, when young people have been scared during the night or have struggled with bedtimes, staff have not implemented bedtime routines with young people to help to reassure them and to give them feelings of safety and security. Safeguarding procedures have not always been rigorously followed. For example, investigations have taken place prior to a referral to the designated officer in the

p.10

Requires improvement

local authority. When young people have made allegations about staff conduct, the registered manager has not rigorously investigated young people’s concerns. Staff do not appear to have embedded safeguarding into their everyday practices. Young people’s risk management plans are sparse in information and guidance. The plans do not give staff enough guidance as to how to protect and promote young people’s safety and well-being. Young people’s individual needs and histories are not reflected in their risk assessments. Young people do not receive an individualised response to promoting their safety and welfare.

p.11

Requires improvement

There is a registered manager in post who is qualified up to national vocational qualification (NVQ) level 5 in leadership and management. He has been the registered manager of the home from the point that the home was registered. Of the 11 staff members, four are qualified up to NVQ level 3 in residential childcare. The registered manager’s support and mentoring of the staff team has not been rigorous enough. The staff team is a new staff team with relatively little experience of residential childcare. Supervisions are infrequent as are the staff meetings. Staff do not have enough opportunity to reflect on their practice or to learn how to manage young people’s behaviours. This has resulted in inconsistencies in boundary setting and incidents happening, which could have been prevented, such as young people locking themselves in their bedrooms together. Staff have not received the supervision, training or input needed to be able to deliver the home’s

p.11

Requires improvement

statement of purpose. Management oversight is weak. The registered manager does not question or reflect on incidents in the home, feedback from staff or feedback from young people. When young people have raised concerns about staff conduct, the registered manager has not investigated their concerns and put into place strategies to address the issues raised. Staff said that they feel that they have not yet gelled as a team due to it being such a new staff team. The registered manager has not acted on this feedback and provided enough opportunity for staff to become a strong and robust staff team. This has impacted on staff morale and the quality of care provided to young people. Partnership working is not yet embedded into practice. The registered manager liaises closely with education providers. However, partnership working is not consistent with other professionals such as the clinical team. The registered

p.11

Requires improvement

manager does not challenge when placing authorities do not fulfil their statutory obligations. For example, young people’s case files are missing important statutory documents, such as looked-after review minutes and personal education plans. This means that young people’s plans are not informed. Monitoring systems in the home are weak. Ofsted has not received monthly reports from the independent visitor to the home. The registered manager has not questioned some areas of staff practice, such as some sanctions. Young people’s plans are not reviewed regularly to ensure that young people’s progress can be tracked and monitored. The registered manager is aware of some of the areas for development in the home. He is committed to making changes so that young people receive good- quality care and support. He recognises that this is a new home and that systems and structures are not yet embedded into practice. An experienced and committed

p.12

Requires improvement

deputy manager is supporting the registered manager. The staff team is child focused and recognises the areas for development in the home.

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.13

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.13

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.13

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 that 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 whom 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.14

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.14

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,

p.15

Information about this inspection

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

p.15

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.15

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

p.15