Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bolton

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 making good progress from their starting point. In particular, they are attending education provision for the first time in many years.  Young people feel safe living here and risky behaviours, such as going missing from home and criminal activity, are reducing.  There are good relationships between staff and young people. Young people identify staff with whom they feel comfortable and with whom they would share their thoughts.  Young people are learning to manage their own behaviour and emotions. As a result, there are minimal physical interventions.  Young people participate in activities of their choice, including adventure parks, skate parks and trampoline centres.  The staff have worked effectively with young people and their parents to develop relationships. This has led to them regularly seeing each other, which benefits the family as a whole.  Young people are central to the running of the home. Their voice is regularly

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The children's home provision is good because:

gained through meetings, direct work sessions, feedback forms and through daily conversations with the staff.

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Ensure that young people’s plans that are agreed between the home and the placing authority contain details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this children's home

The children's home is one of a number of homes operated by a large private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. This is the first inspection following registration.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement N/A: first inspection following registration.

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Good

Young people enjoy living here, and feel safe and well cared for by the staff. They say: ‘I would give this top marks. I have been in other places and this is the best.’ Young people are settled, which provides the foundation for their good progress. Since living here they have regularly attended educational provision for the first time in many years and are achieving their targets. Education is tailored around their specific needs to encourage their attendance and achievement.

p.5

Good

Young people’s health needs are well met. They are registered with appropriate healthcare services and have access to support from an in-house trained therapist. They are encouraged to eat healthily and to exercise. They receive support and advice in relation to substance misuse to promote their health and welfare.

p.5

Good

Good relationships are developing between young people and the staff. They engage in activities together and enjoy each other’s company. They are seen chatting and joking together and are relaxed in each other’s company. Young people can identify the staff with whom they feel comfortable about raising any worries they may have. Young people’s self-care skills are much improved and they are taking pride in their appearance. This demonstrates their growing self- confidence.

p.5

Good

Young people have complex emotional and behavioural needs. The staff understand this and work with them to reduce antisocial behaviour. Since living here they have rarely been involved in criminal activity and their destructive behaviour such as damaging furniture is reducing. This shows that they are learning to respect themselves and others and are taking responsibility for their actions.

p.5

Good

Staff fully support young people to stay in touch with their family and have a good understanding of their background history and relationships. They work proactively with parents and partner agencies to ensure contact is safe, enjoyable and promotes continuity of care. They also transport young people long distances to ensure they see their family and friends regularly.

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Good

The staff take young people’s views, wishes and feelings into account in the running of the home. Various methods of consultation are used to ensure they have a voice. They choose activities, food and decor, and their opinions about staff are sought to inform the development of the home. Photographs around the home show the staff and young people enjoying time together and having fun. During the inspection young people raised their ideas about having their single beds replaced with double beds.

p.5

Good

Young people are welcomed into the home and organisational guidance is in place to support matching and planning. Placements for two young people have ended due to staff having difficulties in managing their extreme behaviours. These behaviours were not shared with the staff at the onset to inform planning. Despite this, other young people are settled at the home and see this as their home until adulthood.

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Good

Young people confirm that they ‘feel safe’ living here. There is an overall reduction in incidents of them going missing from home. All the appropriate authorities are informed and information is shared within partner agencies to protect them. Their involvement in criminal activity is also reducing and they are engaging in direct work with the substance misuse team.

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Good

All staff receive regular training in safeguarding and understand how to protect young people. Organisational policies and procedures are also in place to guide staff practice. The staff talk confidently of what measures they put in place to reduce risks to young people. However, written plans do not fully capture the measures that staff take to reduce risks when young people are out of the home with their friends, for example regular telephone calls to young people to check they are safe and well.

p.6

Good

Staff fully understand young people’s needs and have developed strategies to manage their individual behaviours effectively. As a result, sanctions and physical intervention are not used excessively. Staff are fully trained in a recognised technique to safely hold young people if needed. The respectful and caring relationships, alongside boundaries and guidance by staff, help young people to take positive responsibility for their actions.

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Good

Serious incidents are notified to Ofsted and the appropriate agencies to share information and protect young people. Partner agencies and young people’s families are encouraged to raise their ideas or complaints through various ways, such as feedback questionnaires or face-to-face conversations. There are no complaints to date but these are welcomed by the staff as lessons for improvement.

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Good

Young people live in a physically safe environment where they are protected by well-managed health and safety procedures. Trained experts assess and review fire safety, and health and safety matters. Plans are in place to evacuate young people from the home in an emergency.

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Good

This home is managed by an experienced and qualified registered manager who ensures the smooth running of the home. She is supported by three team leaders, one of whom deputises in her absence. The senior manager has confirmed that a deputy manager post will be advertised in the near future to further strengthen the management team as a whole. The staff have guidance, policies and procedures to support their care practice. They also have regular training, supervisions, appraisals and team meetings to inform and their care practice. There are sufficient numbers of staff with the right skills to meet the needs of young people; those without qualifications are working towards gaining these skills. There have been changes to the staff team, but the core team remains stable, thus providing a level of continuity and consistency for young people.

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Good

Quality audit systems are in place and provide an overview of care practice. For example, independent monitoring is detailed and actions set are welcomed by the manager to improve care practice. The manager can confidently talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She identifies that written plans need to be more child-centred.

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Good

Partnership working is effective. Regular updates are provided to social workers and parents, if appropriate, to keep them involved and aware of the care and the progress of young people. Also, the feedback gained from parents and social workers is positive. A parent commented: ‘I am happy with the staff. It is a good home – brilliant.’

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Good

The home’s written records are generally good, but some of the plans for young people have inaccurate dates. The manager rectified this at the time of inspection. Achievement files are currently being developed to capture each young person’s journey and progress. All young people’s information is securely stored and shared confidentially to protect their safety and privacy.

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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 that 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 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 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, 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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