Children's home run by Castlecare Cymru Limited in North Northamptonshire

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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:

 There is a strong track record for delivering quality childcare. One professional said, ‘I believe this home is one of the most supportive and caring environments that I have worked with in the 10 years that I have worked with children in care.’  Effective managerial succession planning results in knowledgeable, confident leadership. A carefully recruited, well-trained and supported staff team delivers well-planned care.  Children experience stability and make progress because of nurturing relationships. They talk with real affection about all staff, but particularly the manager. One described how staff, ‘Helped me proper to stay out of trouble. Everyone’s very supportive.’  Safeguarding practice is strong. Close partnership working with placing authorities and local agencies results in good risk management.  Consultation with children and advocacy on their behalf is a strength. Children become confident, gain in self-esteem and feel happier about

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The children's home provision is good because:

themselves.  Active support for education ensures that children attend, achieve and have a positive learning experience. Partners in education and children’s social care are overwhelmingly positive and confident that the staff put children first.  Children lead active home lives. They are involved in the local community and enjoy constructive leisure, with plenty of positive staff attention.  Children receive all their essential health services but wait too long for counselling because of a lack of local or organisational resources.

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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

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with respect to securing counselling, the registered person must ensure:- (2) (c) that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. 31/03/2017

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Information about this children's home

This children's home, operated by an independent provider, offers care and accommodation for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 16/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/09/2015 Full Good 10/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/10/2014 Full Good

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people living in the home are

Children have much better future life chances because of the care and support they get at this home. Children experience respect and really good substitute parenting here. Children experience stability and make progress because of nurturing relationships. They grow in self-esteem and have really good help to mature. They are encouraged, pushed, reminded, and chivvied and helped when they experience setbacks. One of the children summed this up: ‘This is my house – not a care home. Good self-discipline. Well-structured home.’

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people living in the home are

Care, based on clear local authority plans, is well planned and reviewed, including risk assessments. Children are firmly involved in their plans and decisions, building skills for their future. Children learn to talk about the young adults they want to be. Early thinking and planning for transitions, to foster care, back home or independence helps children to get prepared for the next stage of their lives. Staff described their pride in ‘the work to ready young people for life beyond care.’

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people living in the home are

Staff help children to make better life choices, to reduce smoking and stay away from cannabis use. They support them to know their rights and exercise them. Children develop a confident sense of entitlement through their questions and requests at regular house and individual meetings, and the reliable response they get from the manager to their issues.

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people living in the home are

Staff help children to build really important memories and remember a positive childhood where they have been valued. They have life storybooks and fill special ‘memory boxes’. Staff keep ‘positive books’ for each child where they write a daily good thing and children treasure re-reading these books. They read of respect and their value.

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people living in the home are

The home may be in a remote rural location, but children are not bored. They have good opportunities to play, be active, and be creative, because staff are lively and active too. One young person has taken part in a national community service course, undertaking a 13-mile trek and making new friends locally. Another has delivered an inspiring presentation to his home local authority children in care group. Children go swimming and to the gym. They volunteer at a local charity shop, join local football clubs, and go to the youth club. The manager is clear that she wants children to experience as good a childhood as possible.

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people living in the home are

Education has a very high priority. Educational professionals cite an exceptional service and commitment from staff that makes sure children are ready for school, have good attendance, work hard and get the most out of what school or college has to offer. Children are undertaking childcare courses, GCSEs and motor mechanic training. Educational partners are impressed with the commitment that staff show to the children. One said, ‘I have been extremely impressed with the level of advocating and support that they have afforded this young man, through very difficult times educationally and having to deal with home life pressures.’

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people living in the home are

Staff promote emotional and physical well-being, with equal encouragement for daily self-help skills, as well as motivation and healthy lifestyles. Children get the mental health services they need and do talk to staff when worried, but there has been a gap in securing counselling for two children who have been asking for this since the summer. These services seem difficult to access locally. The owner is known nationally for therapeutic services and provides counselling for staff. However, there is no offer to children who do not need a mental health service but who want to talk to someone outside the home about their feelings.

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people living in the home are

Staff go the extra mile to support children’s long-distance relationships with home and family. They travel and stay over in London and Wales to make sure that children have safe, positive family contact and staff are on hand if there are any issues. A placing social worker reported, ‘excellent levels of commitment to XX (young person) and liaised well with other agencies and family’.

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people living in the home are

Not all family relationships are smooth, however, and the organisation responds in partnership with the placing authority and ultimately through complaints processes where parents are unhappy about the plan for the child. Children get sensitive support to manage sometimes difficult family relationships and rebuild family connections that help them.

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people living in the home are

Professional partners see the positive impact that life in this children’s home has. One said, ‘The staff and home are responsive, caring and very in tune with the young person. They communicate exceptionally well and I feel that they have been instrumental in turning around this young man from a very poor and concerning trajectory.’

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people are helped and protected

The service has reduced risks for children from urban backgrounds. Some of this is due to the remote location, but it is also due to the close, supportive staff presence and careful risk management. The manager is very clear about her responsibility to protect as a caring ‘strict parent’. Staff are trained and alert to signs of risk. Internet safety is well managed. There have been no risks of sexual exploitation here. Children do not go missing from the home, but have gone missing while at home on planned, unsupervised overnight family contact. Protocols are in place. The manager is trying to re-establish close working relationships with the police after a reorganisation of their service to children who may be at risk when missing from care.

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people are helped and protected

Children learn to manage their anger and serious incidents are rare. Rewards and treats keep children on track because they see that good things will follow if they do the right thing. They enjoy trips to a health spa and go-karting sessions. Children have arrived at the home, some with criminal sentences, not engaging or respecting adults, feeling sad and angry. They have matured; there are setbacks but they deal with them. One child said of her changes, ‘I’m proud of myself.’

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people are helped and protected

Children here do not harm themselves in distress and have not offended while living at the home. Staff use humour, talking and diversion to defuse tension when challenging situations arise. Restraint is not often needed, but when it is used, it is done by trained staff with appropriate managerial review. One young person described why the home helped him. ‘No bullying – no racism. It does change you, I can keep more patience. We do kick off – but we’re happy here.’

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people are helped and protected

Close working with schools, colleges and parents where this is appropriate results in consistency for children. This is particularly helpful in establishing shared expectations of positive behaviour. One teacher said that staff, ‘are working on issues such as anger management and acceptable behaviour, thus complementing – but also supplementing – the work we are able to do as a college. We are extremely glad of their support, which appears to constitute a good balance of nurture and boundary setting for the young person concerned.’

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people are helped and protected

Children learn about internet, food and fire safety and how to take responsibility for their rooms. Regular staff checks on appliances and equipment keep the home environment safe for everyone. Similarly, rigorous recruitment processes make sure that only safe, competent, responsible adults secure employment to work with children.

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people are helped and protected

A local educational safeguarding professional reported strong child protection arrangements. ‘The level of supervision, care, attention to detail and apparent, genuine concern for the safety, welfare and development of the young person studying at our college appear to be quite exceptional.’

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leaders and managers

The manager was promoted from within the home, is properly qualified, skilled and experienced and has been registered since December 2015.

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leaders and managers

Strong leadership promotes a calm, enabling approach to care. The manager sets high expectations of children, staff and also the professionals who work with them. She advocates and is a champion for the children. She demonstrates a strong drive to ‘do right’ by them. Professionals expressed unanimous confidence in her ‘hands- on’ approach. One described her as ‘a passionate advocate’ for their young person. Another local authority expressed full confidence in her and said they had ‘seen the service improve significantly under her leadership’.

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leaders and managers

Children recognise her commitment too, because she knows what is important for them. One said, ‘She wakes me up because she knows it matters – nags me, in a nice way, pushes me out the door – proper nice.’

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leaders and managers

The original company is now under new ownership. A broad admission range is carefully managed in practice to ensure that any gaps in children’s age and needs are carefully matched for compatibility. Children do not always like the isolated location, but recognise that it has helped them to be safe, calm down and get on with their education.

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leaders and managers

Ofsted identified no shortfalls at the last inspection. A range of internal and independent monitoring systems make sure that any dips in children’s progress or care systems are quickly identified and rectified. The six-monthly review of quality of care provides a useful tool to drive improvement. Progress and setbacks are carefully tracked. Staff identify patterns in behavioural incidents and summarise progress so that they can contribute fully to children’s reviews and change plans to take account of new circumstances.

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leaders and managers

The staff are a nurturing, permanent team, of a range of ages, backgrounds and ethnicity. They have a comprehensive induction and constructive, meaningful supervision and professional development. Their training mirrors children’s needs. Staff are interested and actively care. They are positive role models for children. One child cited staff as a reason for driving her choice of career: ‘I watch my carers and think I’d love to do this job.’ One staff member spoke of good quality support and leadership, feeling proud to be ‘part of something good’.

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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 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, 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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