Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Herefordshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the home has continued to be led by an experienced registered manager who is in the process of completing his level 5 diploma in leadership and management. At the time of this inspection, the registered manager was temporarily managing another home owned by the organisation, and another qualified and experienced manager has been overseeing the home in the interim period.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the home has been through a challenging time and young people’s progress has been variable. Despite this, the home continues to provide a good-quality standard of care to young people. The young person currently in living at the home continues to make good progress. She engages well in education and over recent weeks has had 100% attendance at school. Staff work well in partnership with teachers. The staff attend regular education meetings and help the young person with her everyday learning.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support the young person to be healthy and to attend medical appointments. However, the manager and staff are not always proactive in challenging others to ensure that the young person receives the specialist support recommended. For example, the young person has experienced delay in receiving specialist therapeutic support and intervention. This had the potential to impact negatively on her emotional well-being.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have supported young people in their transitions into new placements. Staff have transported young people and helped them to settle into their new homes. Consequently, young people have felt less anxious when moving into a new environment.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff work in partnership with young people’s families to encourage young people to have positive contact with them whenever possible. As a result, the current young person’s level of contact has significantly increased. She is now having unsupervised overnight contact with members of her family. Young people are safe at the home. The current young person rarely goes missing. When this has occurred, and the young person returned safely, she did not receive an independent return home interview. The manager did not challenge the local authority effectively to ensure that this was undertaken. Consequently, the young person did not have he opportunity to voice any concerns that she may have had to someone independent of the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues use rewards and incentives to manage young people’s challenging. However, some young people’s behaviour has been very challenging since the last inspection. This has resulted in an increase in the use of physical intervention by staff. Managers monitor these incidents closely when they occur and refer them for independent scrutiny, if needed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers act upon any complaints swiftly. There have been two complaints from young people about staff following physical interventions since the last inspection. These have been investigated thoroughly, involving the young people’s social workers and the local designated safeguarding officer. Although there have been no safeguarding concerns raised because of these investigations, staff held young people on the floor, which is not approved by the organisation. As a result, staff have undergone refresher physical intervention training.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager continues to monitor the activity of the home regularly and has a good awareness of the home’s strengths and weaknesses.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There were two requirements made at the last inspection. The home’s cars now have appropriate MOT checks and are considered fit to drive. Although one member of staff has started their level 3 qualification in residential childcare, they have not completed their award within the required timescales.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately operated children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for three young people up to the age of 18 who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/09/2016 Full Good 11/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Good 05/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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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Requirements Due date

5. In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff: (c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. 14/10/2016

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma. (Regulation 32(4)(5)) 31/03/2017

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Recommendation

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

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Recommendation

 Ensure that the behaviour management strategy is understood and applied at all times by staff. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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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 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 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 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 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

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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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