Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people engage well with routines at the home and have formed valuable and trusted relationships with staff.  Education and training attainment is very positive. Staff work hard to ensure that all young people have ambition for their future.  Day-to-day care is arranged in accordance with young people’s wishes and views. They are supported to voice their opinions and access formal advocacy services.  Incidents are well documented, rigorously evaluated and risk management plans are reviewed regularly to ensure that behaviour management is consistent and effective.  Safeguarding arrangements are robust; staff are effectively trained and understand the procedures to follow in the event of a concern.  Young people benefit from the informal delivery of high-quality key work sessions to encourage them to reflect on the consequences of their behaviour and make more positive choices in the future.  Staff are well supported in their delivery of good-quality care; they share the

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

manager’s ambition and passion for improving the life experiences of young people at the home.  Leaders demonstrate a very efficient monitoring and evaluative practice, which ensures that staff have a clear direction to enable the positive progress of young people.  Relationships with external agencies are well formed and conducted, and young people benefit from collaborative approaches to meeting their care needs.  Placing authorities and other partners provide very positive feedback about the home.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure all employees receive practice- related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 31/03/2017

p.4

Recommendations

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

p.4

Recommendations

 Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  As well as providing longer-term support for children to move on from the home effectively (regulation 6(2)(b)(vi)), the home has an important role in supporting each child leaving the home in the period immediately before their departure. The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child's transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving, both practically and emotionally. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

p.4

Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is part of a large private organisation that also offers specialist educational provision, fostering services and adult residential care services.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/10/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/11/2015 Full Good 11/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/08/2014 Full Good

p.5

Good

The young people at this home are making good progress across all aspects of their development. The environment is homely, modern and young people are able to choose the décor of their rooms. The routines are age appropriate and nurturing. The relationships that young people have with staff are positive and respectful, which have helped them to develop a sense of belonging and feel settled and secure. One young person said, ‘It’s amazing, I’ve loved every single minute of it. I call these my family.’ Another young person remarked how she likes the staff and could tell her keyworker anything. A social worker also observed that, ‘Staff quickly got to know the young person and learned how to manage their needs and behaviours with ease.’ All young people are making good progress in education or training placements. One young person has been accessing tutoring within the home and her English language skills have increased considerably as a result. She will be accessing a

p.6

Good

college course in the near future, which will widen the possibilities of future employment opportunities. Another young person has successfully completed a work placement and is now undertaking a personal development programme with The Prince’s Trust. Another young person is attending and engaging well in a sports development course at a local college and has part-time employment. Staff are relentless in their efforts to ensure that young people attend and are suitably prepared. As a result, young people have genuine aspirations and goals for the future. Healthcare planning is good. All young people are registered with local services. In line with independence plans, young people are prompted to attend appointments. Where any appointments are missed, appropriate key work sessions are undertaken to impress on young people the importance of routine appointments in maintaining good general health. Healthy menu choices are promoted alongside

p.6

Good

active lifestyles, which include attending the local gym. One young person has a significant history of substance misuse and has been supported to access services offering relapse prevention strategies. This young person has not relapsed, which has significantly increased her emotional well-being. One young person has accessed the services of an in-house therapeutic practitioner, but unfortunately disengaged before completion. The staff at the home have made every effort to encourage and promote this as an option. Despite the young person’s refusal to accept support, the therapist offers input for the staff to assist them in supporting him to regulate and improve his psychological health. Young people engage in regular activities such as dance, youth groups and free time in the community with peers. They also enjoy meals and trips out of the home with staff. The staff promote positive friendships and educate young people on the

p.6

Good

importance of healthy relationships. One young person with a history of self- injurious behaviour after a previous relationship ended was supported by staff to develop coping skills. This behaviour has stopped. Young people have significantly increased self-esteem and emotional well-being as a result of improvements in their social development. Young people are supported to ensure their views are central to the way their care is arranged. They are provided with choices through house meetings on activities and menus. They are involved in creating their care and risk management plans and are afforded opportunities to comment. Any disagreement is handled sensitively and full explanations are provided as to why certain restrictions are in place, or why levels of supervision are higher than young people might like. Young people are offered and have utilised formal advocacy services, and they have participated in local advocacy groups for young people in care.

p.7

Good

Young people are being supported to work through a comprehensive plan to increase their skills for independence. This includes learning to budget, do shopping, cooking and domestic chores, which have enhanced their practical ability to thrive within independent living arrangements. One young person does not feel emotionally ready for this change in his life, and a recommendation is made to ensure that he receives sufficient reassurance and support in order to increase his confidence in his own ability to live independently. Staff at the home are committed to ensuring that young people’s heritage is celebrated and any faith-based preferences are met. One young person has recently visited a local cathedral. Staff also facilitate a young person shopping at a specialist supermarket to ensure that her cultural needs are fulfilled, and she can enjoy a range of food that originates from her home country. She is also able to

p.7

Good

spend time with a member of staff from the same country who can communicate in a shared language. Relationships with families are firmly established. Staff have facilitated contact arrangements as necessary and ensure that these are in line with the placing authority’s plans. One family member said, ‘They have always been fair with me, they have looked after him well.’ The home ensures that one young person, who is living a significant distance from home, is receiving relevant support to maintain a positive level of contact. Judgement grade

p.7

Good

Young people report that they feel safe at this home. Detailed individual risk management plans are reflective of the behaviours presented by each young person. Since the last inspection, the manager has acted on a previous recommendation to improve the risk assessment and associated strategies following substance misuse. Although instances are very infrequent, where necessary the staff closely monitor young people returning to the home under the influence of alcohol or other substances. Staff work hard to help young people to become increasingly safe. One young person has a history of high-risk absconding behaviour; this has reduced significantly due to the efforts of leaders and staff at the home, who have implemented supervisory and supportive strategies to a very high standard. Where young people have succeeded in absconding, the home has responded appropriately and has immediately notified other agencies such as the police and

p.8

Good

placing authority. Incidents have been documented thoroughly and key work sessions, direct work and independent return interviews have taken place. This has helped to establish the root cause of the behaviour and prevent future recurrence. Staff know young people very well and are able to adopt consistent strategies to manage behaviour successfully. They are skilled in defusing challenging behaviour; consequently, physical intervention is very rare. On the occasions where restrictive practice is used, it is effectively debriefed and evaluated by the manager. Young people are helped to understand the reason for this practice, reflect on their actions and encouraged to make more acceptable choices in the future. One young person has engaged in some lower-level criminal and anti-social behaviour within the community. Leaders and staff are working closely with this young person and the Youth Offending Service to assist him to understand the

p.8

Good

consequences of his actions. They do not inappropriately seek to criminalise his actions if this can be achieved through restorative justice methods within the home or in the community. Young people generally have a good relationship with each other. When conflicts occur, staff encourage young people to show remorse for their actions and offer restorative solutions that promote positive relationships within the home. This produces a harmonious environment. Positive behaviour is rewarded and encouraged with concerts, day trips out of the home and shopping trips for treats of the young person’s choice. Safeguarding procedures are robust and any significant events or concerns have been managed sensitively and reported to appropriate authorities in accordance with statutory responsibilities. The physical environment is assessed appropriately and plans are in place to mitigate any identified risks; however, there have been

p.8

Good

some instances of a young person smoking in their room. Staff have utilised appropriate consequences to deter this behaviour, but this has not stopped. A recommendation is made to follow health and safety legislation and policy, assess the implications posed, and consider appropriate mitigation of risk.

p.9

Good

The manager is suitably qualified and highly experienced. She has been registered with Ofsted for five years and has worked at the home for a total of 10 years. She works closely with a senior staff member to lead a child-centred, dedicated, and consistent staffing team. Leaders and staff demonstrate a detailed understanding of the needs, strengths and vulnerabilities of young people in their care. Staff report that they feel very well supported. They engage in regular team meetings and receive high-quality supervision. This allows them to reflect on their practice and identify any personal development needs. Staff feel that leaders invest in them and have said, ‘They are always pushing you to make sure you achieve everything you can.’ Consequently, many of the staff are very experienced and have worked within the organisation for some time. Four newer members of staff are being supported to achieve their level three qualifications. There have been

p.9

Good

recent occasions where the registered manager has not benefitted herself from individual supervision, which is important to ensure her continuing development and ability to reflect on practice with a suitably qualified practitioner. A requirement is made to address this matter. Staff are provided with a comprehensive training package and are up to date with all mandatory requirements. They benefit from additional complementary courses that support them to meet the individual and, sometimes, challenging needs of the young people at the home. Leaders use appropriate monitoring systems to evaluate and build on the strengths of the service. There is a detailed development plan which aims to continually enhance the care experiences and outcomes for young people. The manager has high ambition for the service and intends to introduce individualised, evidence-based practices to assist in driving progress across key aspects of development for young people.

p.9

Good

Leaders work well in partnership with other agencies to ensure that young people are making positive progress in respect of their care plan and offer constructive challenge if arrangements are not working well. One social worker highlighted how the home advocated strongly when contact arrangements were not working in the best interests of the young person and other appropriate arrangements were made. A professional working within one service described how leaders send regular reports and communicate with them to ensure that the work they do with the young person complements what their service offers. Another social worker stated, ‘They communicate really well, it is something they are particularly good at.’ The statement of purpose is reviewed regularly and accurately reflects the aims of the service. Record-keeping practices are exemplary at this home and leaders are providing sufficient monitoring and scrutiny to ensure this high standard is

p.9

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 the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’. 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

p.11

What the inspection judgements mean

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 harmed, or at risk of harm, or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.11

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

p.12

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 .

p.12

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,

p.13

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.13

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 .

p.13

Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.13