Children's home run by Care 4 Children Limited

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 This is a solo placement where staff time is devoted to meeting the needs of the only resident.  The young person has lived in the home for over three years. He has made exceptional progress during this time.  The home is warm and welcoming and reflects the personality and interests of the young person.  A consistent staff group ensures that staff know the young person well. Warm and respectful relationships are evident. Staff will go the extra mile for young people, which demonstrates their commitment.  Staff work well with other agencies and communication is good. Other agencies are positive about the home.  The young person is preparing for transition. Staff have ensured that he has the skills he will need when he moves on from the home.  Staffing levels to meet the needs of this young person have reduced over time. He is now able to manage free time in the community. He has formed friendships and is engaging in leisure activities.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 The young person’s confidence has grown considerably. He is attending college and planning for his future.  There have been no incidents of restraint, missing from home or sanctions.

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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

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person should ensure the use of monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(h)) 28/02/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the children's home has a homely and domestic environment. ('Guide to the children's home regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9) Specifically, that action is taken to address the worn and leaking shower in the young person’s bathroom.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff have access to the appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. ('Guide to the children's home regulations including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is one of a number of homes operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Outstanding

This home has had a positive impact on the young person residing here. He receives consistent care, clear boundaries and experiences good routines. Some of the staff have worked at the home since the young person moved into the home over three years ago; as a result, very positive and respectful relationships are evident between the staff and the young person. This is key to the young person’s investment and progress in the home. The young person commented, ‘My relationship with staff could not be better. We are like one big family and I wouldn’t change a thing.’

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Outstanding

Staffing levels at the home have reduced over recent months, in line with the young person’s care plan and reduction in assessed risk. Hence, the small number of staff working in the home demonstrates a real understanding of the young person and his needs. They show a real commitment to him. One professional working with the home commented, ‘The atmosphere in the home is homely and [Name of the young person] clearly has a good relationship with staff. Thank you all for all the support you have given him.’

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Outstanding

The young person also engages well with education. He has achieved some success in nationally recognised qualifications and is currently attending college. Staff assisted the young person to identify the most appropriate course and they visited a number of settings together, prior to making a decision. Both the young person and staff in the home received awards from his last education provider. These were for achievement and for providing high-level support.

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Outstanding

The young person is physically fit and healthy. He engages in regular physical activity. This includes playing football weekly, as well as mountain climbing, cycling and going to the trampoline park. The young person does not smoke, take drugs or drink alcohol, although staff have ensured that he is aware of the implications of doing so. Staff receive training in a model of therapeutic parenting by the organisation’s psychologist. She is available for consultation if required.

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Outstanding

Staff ensure that the young person remains in contact with his family. They demonstrate a thorough understanding of his home circumstances. They will facilitate home contact, despite this being some distance away. Family members appreciate this. Staff have also invested time in improving the quality of these relationships. The young person now spends quality time with his extended family members. For example, he has recently enjoyed a cruise with his grandparents. The young person enjoyed planning for this and has happy memories of his holiday abroad. Staff are supporting the young person to learn the skills he will require when he moves on from the home. He manages his own money and has a bank account. He is competent in most independence tasks. However, staff share tasks in the home, such as shopping, cooking and cleaning, with the young person in a natural manner, as they would do in a family environment.

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Outstanding

The home is warm and welcoming. The décor reflects the young person’s personality and interests. Photographs of the young person engaging in activities are on display in the home. Staff also maintain detailed progression reports that clearly demonstrate the substantial progress the young person has made during his time here. Staff are looking at ways to reproduce these reports for the young person, so that he takes these with him when he moves on from the home. Staff also produce good-quality reports for review meetings that reflect the young person’s progress since his last review.

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Good

Young people who live in this home are safe. Staff are clear about their responsibilities in ensuring the safety and welfare of those in their care. The young person’s guide to the home receives regular review and is clear about the procedure to follow if the young person should wish to raise any issues of concern. However, he has made no complaints. In addition, the young person can easily identify a number of trusted adults with whom he would feel confident to discuss any issues of concern with, should they arise.

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Good

Staff receive training on behaviour management and the safe use of restraint. However, staff are able to manage any minor disagreements by talking and discussion. Their positive relationships with the young person ensure that they are able to address any issues effectively and without confrontation.

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Good

There has been a reduction in staffing ratios since the last inspection. Staff have worked well with other involved professionals in order to review and assess the young person’s risk assessments. This has resulted in the young person being allowed free time in the community. Staff have managed this carefully and thoughtfully. The slow and gradual introduction of free time has enabled the young person to manage this without undue anxiety and pressure. He uses this time effectively, engaging in activities, and has made friendships in the community. Staff have equipped the young person with skills to keep himself safe and there have been no incidents of concern following this increase in his unsupervised time. Staff understand the risks that social media can pose. The young person has access to this medium via the internet, his games console and has a smart mobile telephone. Staff have completed work with the young person so that he is

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Good

knowledgeable about how to keep himself safe online. They have also entered into agreements with the young person to abide by certain rules. For example, the young person gives his mobile telephone to staff overnight and the home’s internet is switched off overnight. This ensures that the young person does not have access to these medium when staff are not on hand to support him.

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Good

There is a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager in charge of the home. He also has responsibility for managing a further two services in the organisation. An experienced deputy manager is in place to support him. He also has a management qualification. A different provider is now operating this home. However, it has continued to be operational throughout the re-registration process. The home’s last inspection was in March 2016. This inspection resulted in one requirement relating to providing HMCI with a copy of the report prepared by the independent person on a monthly basis. These reports have been received regularly since the last inspection.

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Good

The registered manager is keen to look at ways to develop the service and has a development plan in place, which is subject to regular review. For example, he has introduced an internal audit form for the young person to complete himself, to ensure that he has the opportunity to self-audit the care provided to him. The young person commented in this document, ‘I love this home because it’s like a home to me and I would not change a thing and if I wanted to change anything I would tell staff and they would try and sort it out.’ This confirms the young person’s positive experiences in the home.

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Good

The home’s statement of purpose is comprehensive and outlines its aims and objectives. However, details regarding the organisation’s therapeutic model were unclear. Action was taken to immediately rectify this during the inspection. Similarly, the young person’s guide to the home provides a good picture of the home and is presented in a child-friendly manner. The home is located in a residential area, close to the town centre. It is generally well maintained, although the shower in the bathroom is worn and leaking, requiring replacement. This detracts from the warm and welcoming environment. Staff have highlighted this issue for a number of months in monthly maintenance reports, but action has not been taken to address this by the organisation.

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Good

Staff generally receive regular supervision and appraisals. However, some records of these meetings could not be located during the inspection. Despite some of these being from many months ago, this had not been identified through the home’s own monitoring processes. In addition, despite a staff member being involved in a formal disciplinary process, records do not demonstrate that additional support has been provided to aid their learning and development.

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Good

Further omissions identified during this inspection demonstrate that improvements in the monitoring and auditing of the home could be made. These omissions include: actions made at staff meetings are not clearly followed through at the subsequent meeting; inconsistencies in risk rating between the young person’s individual risk assessments and the summary sheet had not been identified; and incorrect dates have been recorded for staff training.

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Good

Liaison with other agencies is effective. Involved professionals speak positively about the home. One commented, in feedback taken by the home, ‘A very warm and professional welcome. Staff helpful and polite. Open and honest communication.’ Staff are driven by the desire for positive outcomes for the young person. They are proud of his achievements and are keen to evidence his progress. Good-quality record keeping demonstrates this.

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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 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 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 at 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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