Children's home run by Educare Adolescent Services Limited in Cannock Chase

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to enjoy a welcoming and comfortable home where child- focused staff provide a family atmosphere. The kitchen is the heart of the home, where young people and staff sit together to eat, chat and play games. Young people personalise their rooms and staff engage them in a range of fun activities which support their physical, social and emotional development, including outings, playing football and going bowling. Young people form warm and trusting relationships with the highly skilled and perceptive staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people say that staff listen to them and take account of their views, wishes and feelings. Staff offer independent advocates and access to children’s rights workers if placing authorities fail to address young people’s concerns. Young people are confident to engage in and contribute to the regular young people’s meetings, where they can raise issues and make suggestions about how staff run the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people feel secure here and are able to focus on making progress in their education, independence skills, maturity and confidence. The sensitive staff team provides consistent care, boundaries and routines which enable young people to begin to understand and manage their emotions and behaviour. Staff prioritise young people’s identity needs, and one young person has now had contact with his family for the first time in two years. One young person, who has recently moved to independence, has made significant progress since the last inspection in preparing to leave the home with the support of the caring staff. During her placement, she has taken significant steps in managing her mental health and improving her emotional well-being. Staff commented that, when she came back for the Christmas party, she was happy and positive about who she was and about her future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Another young person loves horses, and staff enable him to attend a centre for horsemanship and horse care. The centre also provides him with opportunities to make friends and develop social skills. He is demonstrating an outstanding ability with horses, and the centre hopes to be able to offer him an apprenticeship later in the year. The most recent young person to be admitted to the home has settled well and his social worker comments that: ‘he is thriving with the support of staff’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are safe and feel safe. One young person with a history of going missing has not done so since he was placed at this home. Another young person who was missing from the home recently returned of his own accord. Staff reported him missing and made every effort to search for him, including visiting his family home. A young person with a history of self-harming has stopped with the emotional support of staff. None of the young people is assessed as being at high risk of child sexual exploitation, but staff are highly vigilant and ready to respond to any signs that young people might be subject to grooming. Sensitive and skilled staff engage young people in key sessions to help them learn to keep themselves safe and to, for example, understand what bullying is. The registered manager regularly reviews the thorough and detailed risk assessments and behaviour management plans to ensure that they are up to date and effective.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager needs to replace a faulty vertical blind on the external door in the games room, as it is a potential hazard to exiting the building safely in an emergency.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The child-focused registered manager continues to advocate strongly on behalf of young people and to challenge other professionals when the needs of young people are not being met. She provides new staff with a comprehensive induction programme and actively promotes staff development. Staff training is up to date and staff receive regular supportive supervision, which requires them to reflect on their work and practice for the benefit of the young people. Diversity is high on the registered manager’s agenda and she has recently engaged staff in discussions about what makes a family. Her aim has been to support staff to approach families in a non-judgemental way. The registered manager is aware of the strengths and weaknesses in her team and recently ended the employment of one staff member whom she assessed as lacking sufficient understanding of safeguarding. When incidents occur in the home, the registered manager notifies the relevant agencies,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

including Ofsted. No concerning patterns have arisen and she has addressed all issues as they arise appropriately and in a child-focused way, working closely with other agencies and following policies and procedures.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff work with family members in addition to a number of agencies including social workers, the police, therapists and education, health and youth offending services to improve the experiences and progress of young people. The local police call into the home informally, but have also undertaken work with one young person about his bullying behaviour and the impact on other people. The registered manager is proactive in inviting agencies into the home to educate young people about, for example, smoking. Staff have made a recent referral to a children’s rights worker in order to support a young person who feels that his placing authority is not listening to his wishes and feelings. Positive feedback from professionals and family highlights the dedication and high standard of work undertaken by the staff. The parent of one young person said: ‘They were very welcoming when I arrived. They are very supportive staff and they

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

seem to work in a person-centred way.’ A social worker commented:

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home engages with the young person. The staff are excellent – I can’t fault them and they go the extra mile. They are very sensitive and respectful. They work hard. You can have an open and honest discussion with them and they are transparent.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

She confirmed that the young person has made progress in his behaviour and emotional development and that he will now sit in his Looked after review for the whole meeting, something he refused to do in the past.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has responded positively and appropriately to the requirements and recommendation from the last inspection, resulting in the staff working more effectively as a team and in better matching when admitting new young people.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 24/05/2016 Full Good 24/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 29/10/2015 Full Requires improvement 10/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirement

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

With reference to the faulty vertical blinds in the games room which obstruct the external door, the registered person must ensure that they provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25(1)(b)) 27/02/2017

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 fromOfsted’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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