Children's Home run by Footsteps a Path to Change Limited in Cheshire East

Good

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

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people are safe and kept safe by good care practices from trained and experienced staff.  Young people make progress because staff provide nurturing care and good routines.  Young people’s self-esteem and confidence grow because a supportive staff team cares for them.  The registered manager and staff understand the importance of young people attending education, college or training.  Promotion of health services for young people is encouraged, including access to healthcare, emotional support and behavioural support.  Care plans and independence plans help young people to prepare for independent living and ensure that all staff are aware of their individual needs.  Professionals involved in young people’s lives confirmed that staff understand the risks that young people face and work cooperatively to minimise them.  Young people who live far from home receive support and encouragement to develop and sustain important links with their culture and family.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Shortfalls identified from this inspection include: o The home’s statement of purpose requires updating, to include all staff working in the home and the aims and objectives of the care being provided. o The recording systems in the home are not adequately robust. Not all records show all young people’s journey through care. Furthermore, not all records are signed and dated by the author or include all of the changes in the young people’s care. o Managers have not effectively reviewed and monitored all records within the home, to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must: (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 22/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

16: Statement of purpose The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1 and keep the statement of purpose under review and, when appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(a)) 22/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

36: Children’s case records The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child, which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 22/02/2017

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home for three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

21/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

02/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Staff work hard to improve the overall experience and progress of young people living in the home. There are warm, nurturing relationships between young people and staff, and both managers and staff demonstrate perseverance and determination to support young people through times of crisis. Young people were confident in explaining to the inspector that staff provide daily encouragement and guidance. One young person said, ‘Staff really do listen and I know they care.’ Young people are supported to reflect on their past and to develop positive coping and social skills. This has led to a significant reduction for some young people in episodes of going missing from care and gang-related activities. One young person said, ‘They [staff] talk to me about making the right choices and remind me that today is a new day.’ Furthermore, young people are making measured progress in all areas of their lives, including their health, education, safety and emotional well-

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Good

being. Transitions into and out of the home are carefully planned. Since the last inspection, managers and staff supported one young person to move to a semi- independent provision. He continues to maintain regular contact with the staff who cared for him, sharing his achievements and life events. This ongoing support maintains positive relationships for young people. Furthermore, prior to any new young people moving into the home, the registered manager completes a detailed impact risk assessment to consider the suitability of the placement. This identifies clearly all of the young person’s individual needs and considers their compatibility with the existing group. This ensures that young people are appropriately placed and that staff are fully aware of their individual care needs. Young people have all made significant progress in their education provisions since moving into the home. For some young people, it is the first time that they have

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Good

engaged with education professionals for several months. One social worker said, ‘I cannot believe the progress [young person name] has made in such a short space of time. She actually now talks about her education and plans for the future in a positive way. This is excellent progress.’ Staff continually promote and support young people with their education and provide daily incentives to recognise young people’s achievements. When young people refuse to attend their provisions there are clear education plans in the home that are followed. This ensures that staff are consistent in their approach in encouraging young people to return to their education placements as soon as possible. In addition, both the registered manager and the deputy manager have challenged local authorities effectively when young people have been given limited access to education or training. This direct challenge has provided opportunities for the

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Good

managers to work closely with educational professionals to ensure that clear plans are devised without any unnecessary delays. This ensures that all young people have the same opportunities as their peers to learn and develop so that they can reach their full educational potential. Young people were all aware of the complaints procedure. However, they said that they had not needed to use the formal process as they felt that all staff would help and listen if they were worried or upset. Young people also identified their ‘weekly meetings’ as another place where they could voice their opinions and views about the care that they receive and their home environment. For example, young people had asked for a variety of different healthy and cultural foods to be purchased. Staff had discussed this with the managers and worked with the young people to purchase them. One young person said, ‘I class this place as five star and the staff

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Good

aren’t that bad either. They listen and they help and I know they do care.’ This confidence in staff care and nurture supports young people’s self-esteem and improves their emotional well-being. Young people are physically fit and their emotional well-being is improving. Staff ensure that young people attend regular health appointments, including doctors, dentists and other specialist services, including child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). When young people refuse, staff spend time talking to them about the importance of engaging and look at incentives that are appropriate. As a result, young people who had previously not accessed health services for a period of time are attending all appointments and their general health has improved. However, on occasions, staff have not updated all health records to include all relevant and updated information. While this does not directly impact on the

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Good

welfare of young people, it does not enable young people to have a full detailed history of all their medical appointments, including the outcomes and whether further treatment was required. Staff build constructive relationships with young people’s families and friends to promote and maintain positive and safe contact. For young people who live a long distance from their families, staff continue to support and encourage regular contact, in accordance with the young people’s local authority care plans. If issues have arisen around contact being cancelled or rearranged, staff provide young people with the opportunity to discuss their wishes and feelings about any plans. This ensures that young people are involved in the planning process and receive appropriate support to maintain contact with all important people in their lives. The home environment is warm and clean. However, young people’s bedrooms and

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Good

bathrooms were untidy and unclean. Staff were not proactive in supporting young people to improve their own bedroom space, despite the registered manager identifying this as an area for further improvement. She had implemented a daily checklist system for staff, which identified all tasks that need completing. When this issue was brought to the attention of the registered manager during the inspection, immediate action was taken to rectify it and an agenda item was added for the next team meeting, which included expectations of staff regarding the cleanliness of the home environment.

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Good

Young people said that they feel safe and secure in the home. Managers and staff understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding young people and consistently review safe working practices to help them to meet individual young people’s needs. They are alert to potential risks and encourage young people to let them know if they have any worries or concerns. A strength of the home is the consistent messages provided by staff. This is possible because staff have developed an open culture where all staff contribute their thoughts about each plan of care for young people. Risk assessments and behaviour management plans provide staff with strategies to keep young people safe. However, not all risk assessments were signed and dated to indicate who the authors of the assessments were, or when they were compiled, or whether there had been any changes. This did not directly affect young people’s safety, as staff demonstrate in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of individuals’ risks

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Good

and their interventions are consistent and effective. This was clearly a recording matter and, when brought to the attention of the manager, action was taken to rectify this. Since the last inspection, there have been incidents of young people who have been missing from care, although this has greatly reduced in frequency. When incidents of going missing happen, staff and the manager act appropriately and in a timely manner, notifying the police and the local authority so that action is taken. In addition, staff take action to follow the procedures and process in place to secure the young person’s safe return home. When young people return, they are greeted warmly. Staff provide an opportunity for the young person to meet with an independent person to discuss the events and determine the reasons for their absence. Any serious concerns are escalated to multidisciplinary strategy meetings. This ensures that all safeguarding professionals are working together to assess and

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Good

minimise risk. Clear boundaries are in place to manage challenging and risky behaviour. Young people report that any consequences that they receive are fair and that positive behaviour is promoted through incentive schemes, which reward good behaviour. As a result, young people are beginning to learn what is expected of them and to understand how their behaviour can impact on themselves and others. Staff members understand their roles and responsibilities in respect of keeping young people safe. They receive regular training in various aspects of safeguarding practice, including child sexual exploitation, e-safety and going missing from home. Staff understand what to do if they are concerned that a young person is at risk or being harmed in any way. The service has a full range of regularly reviewed and updated safeguarding policies and procedures in place, which are in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures. These guide and enhance

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Good

staff practice, which, in turn, helps to keep young people safe. Young people report that any consequences imposed are fair. A restorative approach enables young people to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. A system of praise and reward ensures that the focus is not solely on negative behaviour. Staff recognise when young people make positive choices and this encourages young people to display more appropriate behaviour. Young people’s plans contain clear and up-to-date information about the risky behaviours that they present. These include going missing, vulnerability to exploitation, risks of offending, drug and alcohol misuse, self-harm and aggression. The quality of risk assessments is such that the format used in this home is being disseminated to other homes within the authority as an example of good practice.

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Requires improvement

Young people benefit from a suitably qualified and committed registered manager. She has considerable experience and a number of relevant qualifications, including the Level 5 diploma in leadership and management. A competent deputy manager, who is also knowledgeable, qualified and committed to her role, supports the registered manager. All staff spoken with during the inspection reported high levels of satisfaction with the management support that they receive. This includes regular supervision and team meetings to review and monitor their practice and identify any areas for development, including training. However, staff did comment to inspectors that they felt that a number of new staff having been introduced to the team had affected their ‘usual consistent approach, including monitoring young people’s bedrooms’ and ‘paperwork had not always been completed to the home’s required standard’. Both managers accepted the areas for improvement and had already

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Requires improvement

taken action to compile a home’s development plan to meet the requirements. The home’s statement of purpose requires updating. It does not reflect changes to the service, which include all new staff working within the home. A requirement is raised to ensure that this is addressed and that the statement of purpose accurately reflects the aims and objectives of the home. There is a detailed training matrix in place, which includes mandatory training in safeguarding, first aid, medication and managing behaviours. All staff are required to attend all training programmes, and the managers evaluate staff members’ knowledge bases, through supervision and team meetings. Staff have completed, or are in the process of completing, the Level 3 diploma in residential care. This ensures that all staff have the skills and knowledge to work effectively with young people. There are a number of monitoring systems in place, to ensure that the registered

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Requires improvement

manager and staff team have an awareness of the home’s performance, including areas for improvement, patterns and trends. However, managers had failed to identify the shortfalls identified during this inspection, particularly in connection with the missing information from some young people’s records, including their correct dates of birth. Although this has not impacted on the welfare of young people, it does not provide a detailed record for all young people of their journey through care or always show their continued progress and development. The service has well-established networks and relationships with a range of agencies and professionals who are involved in meeting the needs of young people. Staff work closely with teachers, social workers and health professionals as well as maintaining links with agencies with lead child protection responsibilities. Feedback from all involved was very positive and they all commented on the good

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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’. 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

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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 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, 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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