Children's home run by Care Haven (UK) Limited in Stockport

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.

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because:

 The home has admitted some children and young people over the past six months without full information and clarity about their individual needs. As a result, there have been a number of discharges which were unplanned as the home could not meet the young people’s needs. This does not provide stability for young people, or enable them to begin to form secure attachments.  The number of permanent staff combined with the needs of young people has resulted in staff working additional hours and the manager completing shifts to cover the shortfall in staffing. This has led to managerial tasks being overlooked – specifically, to lack of effective monitoring of placement plans and records not being consistently maintained in accordance with regulation and previous practice. This does not support young people to have a good overview of their history.  There is inconsistency in staff signing records and it is not clear who has made

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because:

the record and the reason why. Again, this does not enable young people to have an overview of their history.  Individual risk assessments do identify the impact of young people’s behaviours on their peers within the home and the potential to disrupt progress being made.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people living at the home have good relationships with staff.  The staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the needs of young people currently living at the home. They are proactive in addressing these needs, resulting in both young people making progress.  Education is supported well, resulting in young people increasing their attendance and engagement. This enables them to make good progress from their initial starting points.  There has been a reduction in risk-taking behaviours of young people who are currently living at the home. This is as a result of support and encouragement from staff.  The staff are an established team with a range of skills, experience and knowledge. They have reflected on shortfalls and are being proactive to effect change to address these.

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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, the 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

To meet the protection of children standard the registered person must –

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, making arrangements to reduce the risk. (Regulation 12(2)(i)) 10/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records for each child which –

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Requirement Due date

(a) include the information and documents listed in schedule 3 in relation to each child; (b) are kept up to date; and (c) are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)) 10/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must –

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(d)) 10/03/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Children's homes should work closely with the placing authority to understand the child's relationship and the impact that the child's arrival may have on the group living in the home. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs as recorded within the child's relevant plans and when they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

 This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 21/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The young people currently living at the home have begun to settle in well and say that the home is a good place to live. They are developing good relationships with their peers and staff. One young person said, ‘I am happy to be here. It is a nice place to live.’ However, there has been some instability of placements over recent months, with five young people being admitted and five leaving. This has impacted on some overall outcomes for young people. That said, over recent weeks, stability of the home has improved, young people feel settled and staff are working cohesively to support this.

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Requires improvement

Staff work in partnership with the placing authority plans to deliver care to meet identified needs of young people. The home develops in-house placement plans to complement the formal placement plans. The in-house plans contain greater detail regarding how individual needs will be met. Young people contribute towards these plans, including information about themselves, their likes and dislikes, and how they wish to be supported. These plans are reviewed. However, some plans have not been updated as regularly as previously by staff. During discussions with staff, they identified that the home has had a period of instability, increased missing- from-home incidents of some young people previously placed, along with staff annual leave, which has impacted on the completion of paperwork to the standard previously followed. One staff member said, ‘It has been a difficult time over the past few months supporting the diverse needs of young people, and as a team we

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Requires improvement

prioritised the hands-on care over the paperwork. We are now getting back on track. As a staff team we have learned a lot about the importance of matching young people’s needs prior to admission, to minimise the risk of a disruption in placement. The strength of the team has allowed us to be open and honest, and implement plans to move forward to provide care and stability for young people living here.’

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Requires improvement

Staff have a good understanding of the importance of education. One young person, who previously found engagement with education difficult, has flourished in a specifically designed educational package. This is proving effective, with the young person’s attendance and achievements contributing to increased confidence as well as qualifications to support future educational and career opportunities. The other young person, who recently moved to the home, is receiving tuition within the home and is due to commence external education following agreement with the placing authority. This, along with ongoing encouragement from staff, supports young people to value and attain good educational outcomes.

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Requires improvement

Young people are supported to lead healthy lifestyles. They are registered with community healthcare professionals and access services in accordance with their individual healthcare plans. When additional healthcare needs are identified, staff support young people to access and attend appointments. Regular discussions are held with them regarding diet, exercise and health promotion. Where young people smoke, staff discuss and support them to access smoking cessation services. Young people clearly understand that the home is a no-smoking area and have responded positively to the support offered. Activities offered both within the home and in the community provide opportunity for young people to develop interests which they can pursue when they leave the home. This includes use of local leisure facilities, basketball training, going for walks and attending a gym. Young people enjoy nutritious, home-made meals which they help plan, shop for and, where

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Requires improvement

appropriate, prepare alongside the staff, supporting the development of skills towards independence. One young person said, ‘I enjoy cooking, especially baking. I have made some nice things and we all enjoy the cakes I make. But I can make other things as well because eating cakes all the time wouldn’t be good for anyone.’

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Requires improvement

Staff understand the importance of young people maintaining connections with family and friends, in accordance with agreed plans. Staff are aware of any restrictions imposed. They support and facilitate this by taking young people to visit their families and supporting family members to visit the home. One parent said, ‘I am happy with how the staff help us to meet and I am always kept informed of how my child is and what they have been doing. This is very reassuring.’

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Requires improvement

Young people say that they feel happy at the home and have positive relationships with the staff. They say that they are treated fairly and provided with encouragement to achieve well in all aspects of their lives as well as an understanding of how their behaviours impact on relationships. One young person said, ‘Staff help us to get along with each other, and, when we have different opinions, they help us to understand that we don’t always have to agree, but we should try to see each other’s view. There have been times when I have argued with other young people, but this has settled down and I don’t fall out with people anywhere near as much as I have done in the past.’ During the inspection, staff were observed interacting positively with young people and providing encouragement to listen to the points of view of their peers. This minimised the risk of negative behaviours escalating, enabling young people to learn skills in

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Requires improvement

negotiation and understanding of each other’s point of view.

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Requires improvement

Within the past year, some young people previously living at the home had increased episodes of going missing from the home. Staff follow agreed procedures to try to maintain contact, locate the missing young people and encourage their safe return to the home. They work in partnership with other professionals responsible for safeguarding young people, including the police, placing authority social workers and the local safeguarding children’s board. The manager has been proactive in arranging strategy meetings, and, identifying when the risk of the young person remains high in the area, supporting the young person to move to alternative accommodation, where risks can be minimised. However, some missing- from-home records lack robust recording and this does not enable effective oversight and review.

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Requires improvement

The manager undertakes initial impact assessments prior to a young person moving into the home. However, some recent admissions have not been robustly assessed to ensure compatibility of young people, resulting in increased negative behaviour, some bullying and subsequent placement breakdown within a relatively short time. This does not enable young people to form secure attachments and further contributes to them disengaging with their placement. Individual risk assessments are completed for young people and form part of the home’s placement plan. However, the robustness of these has been compromised by inconsistent monitoring and updating. That said, the manager has reflected on this and implemented stronger assessments and risk management plans to minimise this reoccurring. The young people currently living at the home are settled. They are encouraged, through positive behaviour management plans, to understand how

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Requires improvement

their behaviours impact on themselves and others. This has been commented on very encouragingly by a parent and placing social workers. Consequences for negative behaviours are clear and proportionate. One young person said, ‘I think the rules are fair here, and if I do something silly, I can have the opportunity to change things around. This is far better than where I was living before.’ Records maintained encourage young people to record their views, although they do not always choose to do so.

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Requires improvement

Physical intervention is used when there is a risk of harm. Records maintained contain relevant details. In the past year, there have been 22 incidents, involving five young people. However, now behaviours within the home have settled, these incidents have minimised significantly. The manager and staff have reflected on the incidents and discussed additional ways of de-escalating behaviours to continue to minimise the use of restraint. This continues to be monitored.

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Requires improvement

Recruitment and selection are robust to make sure that staff commence work only after submission of an application, references being received, which are verbally confirmed, and receipt of satisfactory disclosure and barring enhanced certification. There has been one new member of staff in the past year, who transferred from within the organisation with appropriate checks being completed. This means that the home takes suitable measures to make sure that young people are protected from people who are unsuitable to work with children.

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Requires improvement

Regular health and safety checks are completed to make certain that the building is maintained and safe for young people to live in. The ongoing maintenance programme includes the opportunity for young people to choose the decor of their bedroom, which, along with additional personalisation, supports them to feel welcomed and to begin to invest in their placement.

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Requires improvement

The home has a manager in post who has been registered with Ofsted since November 2014. She holds relevant childcare qualifications and is currently completing the level 5 diploma in leadership and management. Her practice is child focused and she, along with her staff team, has high aspirations for the young people living at the home. Supporting her is an experienced deputy manager. The staffing consists of experienced practitioners who have had a range of experience working within residential settings with children and young people. A vast majority of staff hold a relevant level 3 qualification, with the remaining staff currently due to complete this in the near future.

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Requires improvement

Prior to placement at the home, the manager undertakes impact assessments to assess if the home can effectively meet the needs of young people in accordance with the statement of purpose. However, the lack of robust assessments has resulted in some placements ending. This means that young people have experienced disruption, which impacts on their overall progress. Staffing shortages due to sickness and annual leave have also impacted. The manager has been working on a rota with the staff to help support this shortfall. This has resulted in decreased management oversight of the home. This includes ensuring that individual children’s records are current and reflective of progress and outcomes that they are making. One staff member commented, ‘It has been a very busy few months, and, although we have worked with the young people to support them, we have not always been able to ensure records have been maintained to the

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Requires improvement

standard which we usually do.’ The manager has recognised the impact of staffing levels and how admission of young people has resulted in increased pressure. Therefore, the home is not admitting any new young people until additional staff have been recruited and a period of stability maintained.

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Requires improvement

The home has an independent visitor who undertakes monthly visits on both an announced and an unannounced basis. She provides a clear overview of the home, providing information and identifying any shortfalls to the manager. Within recent reports, she has also raised concern regarding the impact of placements ending because the home was not able to meet the needs of the young people during a busy period. However, she is confident that the manager is taking appropriate action to address this. A strength of the home is communication. Parents and placing social workers say that the staff ensure that they communicate progress and other important information in a timely manner. One parent said, ‘I am really pleased with the support (name) is receiving. It has made a real difference in a relatively short space of time.’ A placing social worker said, ‘The staff provide detailed information and respond quickly with ongoing updates. They have supported the young person

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Requires improvement

to settle in quickly and (name) has said how he is enjoying living at the home.’

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Requires improvement

Staff access training through the organisation’s training and development programme. This enables them to keep their knowledge updated, to understand the developments in childcare and to gain support within their role. They benefit from regular supervision and appraisals, which also enables them to reflect on their practice.

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Requires improvement

Children’s case records are stored securely to confirm confidentiality. However, some records have not been kept up to date and are not signed by staff making an entry on to the documents. Therefore they do not consistently reflect the current outcomes for the young people. Despite this, staff demonstrate a good understanding of individual needs, and placing social workers confirm that they do receive placement plans, risk assessments and progress reports.

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Requires improvement

The manager has clear plans in place to address the shortfalls identified during this inspection. Previous requirements and recommendations have been addressed in a timely manner.

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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 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, 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 ensure that their welfare is 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 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 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

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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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