Children's Home run by Your Chapter Holdings Limited in Lancashire

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 make good progress following their admission to the home.  Young people follow a clinical programme of intervention which is led by a clinical and forensic psychologist.  Young people’s risk-taking behaviours reduce considerably. Young people report that they are safe and that they like living here.  Staff know the young people well and understand their needs. They support young people to understand their own needs and risks, and how to keep themselves safe.  Staff support the religious and cultural needs of the young people well.  Young people access and engage in the on-site education facility.  Young people have positive and respectful relationships with staff and each other.  Staff support young people to maintain their relationships with their families, who live a long distance away. Staff facilitate contact well.  Good management ensures that the staff work well together to meet the

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The children’s home provision is good because:

needs of the young people. Young people benefit from this consistent approach.  Young people are encouraged to develop their interpersonal skills. They learn how to communicate positively with others.  Young people are encouraged to have healthy lifestyles and they receive support in accessing a variety of leisure activities.  Staff access support from other agencies and work in partnership with them to achieve good outcomes for young people.  Staff receive effective supervision and report that they are supported well by managers.

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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, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person should ensure that the health and well- being outcomes are clearly recorded in the child’s relevant plan (Regulation 10(2)(a)(i)). In particular, with regard to young people’s ongoing health assessments, the registered person should ensure that health appointments are made and followed up. 20/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person should ensure that monitoring and review systems are used (Regulation 12(2)(h)). This is particularly with regard to the management and monitoring of notifications, lone-working arrangements and missing-from- home records. 20/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the fitness of workers standard, the registered manager should ensure that staff recruitment procedures are designed to ensure children’s safety. Full and satisfactory information should be available in relation to the individual in respect of whether the person has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, and there should be verification so far as reasonably practicable of the reason why the employment ended. (Regulation 32(1)(3)(d)Schedule 4) 20/04/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person notifies Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a) to (e) occurs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is one of a number of homes that are operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement N/A first inspection following registration

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Good

Young people make positive progress. They receive individual care that is informed by a holistic model of clinical intervention. A clinical and forensic psychologist leads this work. Young people engage well with the programme and it is having a positive impact on their behaviour. Staff receive support from the clinical and forensic psychologist and learn why the young people are displaying specific behaviours. Furthermore, they receive advice on how to work with the young people to bring about positive change.

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Good

Young people benefit from clear routines and boundaries. Staff are consistent in implementing these. This supports young people’s day-to-day activities. It is evident that young people have good relationships with staff. Young people report that they like the staff and say that they like living here. One young person said, ‘It’s good, man.’ Staff have a good understanding of the needs of the young people and the risk factors associated with these needs. It is clear that this level of understanding allows staff to feel confident when working with the behaviours that are displayed by the young people. Behaviour management is effective and there are strategies in place to de-escalate challenging situations at the earliest opportunity.

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Good

Young people have regular young people’s meetings and these enable them to have an active voice in the running of the home. Young people are involved in developing the weekly menus and activities. A variety of activities are available and young people report that they go to the cinema and the gym, go shopping and go- karting, and play pool. Young people do say, however, that they sometimes feel bored. They live in a rural area where activities are not easily accessible. Nevertheless, staff do transport young people to activities and there are a range of resources at the home that the young people can access. For example, there is a large purpose-built multi-use games area in the garden, there is a recently purchased pool table in the home, and there are facilities to make and record music, all of which the young access and enjoy.

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Good

Young people receive support to access the services that will assist them in meeting their identified needs. Young people have full access to health providers and they are encouraged to live healthy lifestyles. However, staff do not routinely follow up health appointments and consequently health concerns are not fully assessed and resolved.

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Good

Staff liaise with other agencies well and feedback from these agencies is positive. Agencies report that the communication is effective. This supports young people’s progress and safety. One social worker said ‘[Name of child] is doing well. Last year [name of child] could not sit still and would pace a lot, whereas now he can sit for a 45-minute conversation’. She went on to say, ‘This is excellent and is one example of how much progress [name of child] has made’.

p.6

Good

The home is inviting and calm, and reflects the young people who are living there. Culturally, the home meets young people’s needs. Young people have the resources that they need in order to fulfil their religious and cultural beliefs. The diversity of the staff group supports the value of exploring and learning about different religions, cultures and beliefs. This supports young people to learn about their cultures and participate in their religious and cultural norms.

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Good

Young people have regular contact with their families. Staff facilitate contact well and young people benefit from seeing their families regularly. Parents report that they are happy that the placement is right for their children. One young person expressed a view that he did not want contact at the home address; the staff and the social worker listened to the request, and an alternate provision was sought.

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Good

Young people have access to full-time education, which is on site. They are encouraged to attend and participate in their individual learning programmes. Prior to coming to live at the home the young people accessed very limited education and did not have positive experiences of education. Staff consistently support young people to overcome their previous experiences and any learning barriers to their future progression.

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Good

Young people who live at the home are safe and, furthermore, they say that they feel safe. Staff have a composed and considered way of working and this provides a calm environment for the young people. Young people respond well to this approach and show similar ways of behaving in their interactions with others. Young people are supported by one-to-one supervision in the early part of their programme. While they do say that they would like some more time alone, they also report that they ‘feel more free living here’. Young people get on well together and like living here.

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Good

Staff are evidently providing the care and support that is required to keep young people safe. Young people’s risk assessments and plans are very clear and easy to follow. The home uses a Red Amber Green rating system to identify, assess and plan and these assessments and plans are under regular review. Missing-from- home episodes occur less frequently for all young people, as do other risk taking behaviours. When young people have gone missing, staff have responded well. However, records do not always fully show the chronology of events and thus the information provided is confusing. Clearer recording would enhance the home’s practice regarding missing-from-home episodes and would improve the management of such episodes.

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Good

Young people have not engaged in any criminal activity since living here. The police have offered support on two occasions to assist with behaviour management. However, this was a number of months ago and it was proportionate to the level of behaviour that was presented by the young people. Young people were not criminalised on this occasion. For those young people who do have criminal court orders, it is evident that staff are working well with the Youth Offending Team (YOT). In addition to the work from the YOT, a mentor, who works with the clinical and forensic psychologist, is in place to support the programme and the young people in reducing their risk of reoffending.

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Good

Young people do have a history of substance misuse. This relates to smoking cigarettes, smoking cannabis and, for some young people, drinking alcohol. These behaviours have reduced significantly. Young people do not have access to cannabis and alcohol. However, there have however been occasions on which young people have accessed these. Staff swiftly respond to such incidents and safety measures are now in place to manage them. Additional support from substance misuse services is also in place. For the young people that smoke cigarettes, the home employs the National Health Service’s smoking cessation smoking reduction plan and young people are progressing well with this.

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Good

Staff and young people are clear about the standards of behaviour that are expected and acceptable. Young people respect these expectations. Staff receive training on behaviour management and the safe use of restraint. Staff are able to respond quickly to issues that arise and subsequently manage and de-escalate incidents effectively and with minimal need for physical restraint.

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Good

Staff are vigilant and take appropriate steps to verify each visitor’s identity in order to protect young people. Health and safety checks are undertaken. This ensures that the home provides a safe living environment. A community risk assessments is in place. However, at the time of the inspection it did not reflect the potential risks of gang-related activity in neighbouring areas. It was revised accordingly during the inspection. The assessment now specifies the measures that are in place to minimise risk and ensure the safety of young people.

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Good

The recruitment and selection of staff is not sufficiently robust. Key documentation that should be in place was missing from personnel files. However, in areas where there was concern, for example the contents of the disclosure and barring certificates, the correct procedures were followed and the risk assessment was thorough and in line with legislative requirements. Judgement grade

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Good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced and has been the registered manager of this home since its registration in August 2016. A senior member of the team supports the manager and together they effectively run the home in line with the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose. Staff are inexperienced and do not hold suitable qualifications. However, they are all working towards achieving these. The induction process for staff has been thorough and, while they are all part of a new staff team, they are working well together and there is evidence that they are consistent in their practices and are providing a caring and supportive home for the young people. The manager and the staff are child centred and motivated to support the young people to achieve good outcomes.

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Good

Staff report that their line manager supports them and that they feel supported by each other. The manager creates clear expectations with regard to staff practice in the home and the ethos he promotes is supportive and caring in nature. Staff receive regular reflective supervision. Supervision records show the progress that the staff group is making. New members of staff receive good monitoring during their probation periods. Areas of good progress and areas for improvement are recorded well. Staff are encouraged to explore their practice and learn from their experiences. Staff training is available and is in line with the young people’s needs. The training matrix is clear.

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Good

The manager and staff have a clear understanding of the needs of the young people. They have good working relationships with other agencies. Social workers and the police report that communication is effective, and that they are satisfied with the service that is offered to the young people. The manager and staff work in collaboration with the mentor and the clinical and forensic psychologist, and weekly multi-disciplinary meetings support this. This ensures that young people receive well-informed care that meets their needs and minimises risks. In line with this, the manager tracks young people’s progress and plans are reviewed and updated accordingly.

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Good

The manager has quality assurance practices in place which overall are effective. However, the manager’s internal monitoring did not find that the missing-from- home records were unclear and that staff did not follow up a health appointment that was required to ensure that the young person’s health need had not been resolved. In addition to this, the manager did not review and revise the lone- working policy following a recent incident. The establishment of stronger management oversight will ensure that young people and staff are safeguarded effectively.

p.9

Good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and the weaknesses of the home and highlights the areas for further improvement. There is a development plan in place which reflects the areas for continuous improvement. However, it would benefit from regular review. This will ensure that the actions in the plan are still appropriate to the needs of the home and the young people, and, furthermore, that the agreed target dates are being met.

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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 that 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 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

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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 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

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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