Children's home run by Cherry Cottage Limited in Wigan

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

The home has gone through a mixed phase since the previous inspection. The young people who lived in the home at that time continue to do so. They are all in stable, long-term placements and all continue to prosper and progress well in all areas of their lives.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Shortly after the last inspection the registered manager gave three months’ notice, which ended in late January 2017. During that period, a new manager was appointed and has worked through a transitional phase, alongside the registered manager, before taking over completely. The next step is for the new manager to submit an application to be registered by Ofsted.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, a number of staff have left and have been replaced by others. It is to the credit of everyone connected to the home that young people have continued to progress. The staff changes have not caused any detectable detrimental effects to the young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The changes have been planned and well managed. Young people continue to be settled, and are happy and making progress. For example, since the new year, school attendances, which were already very good, have continued to improve. In addition, behaviour management events, which include incidents of physical intervention, have reduced significantly in frequency.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to provide young people with structure, routine and boundaries that they are comfortable with. Routines and boundaries are individualised to meet specific needs. All young people have high attendance at their respective schools and lead busy social lives. It is due to this that young people have opportunities to develop a social conscience alongside the personal achievement that they enjoy.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

For example, one young person recently did voluntary work at a local supermarket and contributes positively at a local riding stable. Another has taken up ice skating and has just received predictions of high attainment in their GCSEs. One young person who has artistic flair attends a graffiti workshop regularly and have been offered the opportunity to create artwork over offensive graffiti in the community. The young person and his colleagues are showcasing their artistic talents around the local community and creating a better environment.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Behaviour is well managed and good behaviour is rewarded. The relationships between staff and young people are strong and continue to develop. Interaction between them was observed as being warm and caring. A happy and cheery atmosphere, punctuated by laughter, was apparent throughout the visit. This is a reflection of the positive and trusting relationships that are being built in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The monitoring of the home, both internally and externally, meets with statutory requirements. Active training programmes for all staff are ongoing. Most staff have an appropriate professional qualification. For those who do not have a suitable qualification, training is ongoing. This helps the professional development of staff and ensures that they retain their existing skills and develop new ones to meet the needs of the young people who are in their care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home generally has a good record of compliance. Although some stability in staffing was noted at the time of this inspection, at the previous inspection it was noted that there has been a large turnover of staff over the last two years. This generated a requirement for the workforce to provide a greater continuity of care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Due to the changes in staffing that have been described, it has not been possible for the home to fully achieve this requirement. However, as noted previously, young people remain settled, continue to prosper in all areas of their lives and have strong relationships with the staff group. Discussions with the manager and the locality manager centred on the need for greater continuity of staffing and the need for greater staff retention. This is a primary aim for the home in the run-up to its next full inspection by Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is one of only two homes that are operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/10/2016 Full Good 18/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/09/2015 Full Good 04/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

13. (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that – (e) ensures that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; In particular, this is linked with staff retention. 04/07/2017

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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 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 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 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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