Children's Home run by Fairfield Residential Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

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 young person who was living at the home has left to move nearer to his family. This was a planned move and was in the process of being discussed at the time of the last inspection. While a new placement was sourced, staff continued to support the young person well. He received education in the home via tutors. With encouragement and support from staff, he engaged in education well, making progress working with the tutors, which in turn increased his overall attainment. Through consistent boundaries, care and support, he has made progress in managing his behaviours. This helped him to develop some positive friendships with other children in the local community, supporting his overall social development. He had a leaving party, attended by friends and staff, which he enjoyed and fully participated in. This supported him to celebrate his time at the home, his achievements and progress, and move onto his new placement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has received very positive feedback from the young person, his parents and his social worker regarding the progress he made during this time.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager assesses any new referrals to the home in detail. This is to make sure that the home can support a young person in accordance with their needs and in line with the aims and objectives as identified in the home’s statement of purpose. As a result of this, the recent admission of a young person was planned and supported well. Staff worked in partnership with parents, staff from the previous children’s home and the young person. Staff made several visits to the young person to build relationships with him, and his parents visited the home to discuss his complex needs and long-term plans. This has enabled the young person to move and settle into the home well. Planned further education support, provides structure to each day which he enjoys. He said, ‘I am happy here. I don’t want to move because I get on well with staff and enjoy going out and taking part in lots of things. I have a nice room and the staff help me because sometimes I get angry

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and upset. They help me to calm down and relax.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have undertaken additional training in behaviour management, and demonstrate a good understanding of the support required to help de-escalate challenging behaviour. They have undertaken advanced training if they need to provide restraint to stop the young person from hurting himself or others when he struggles to regulate his behaviour. These are recorded within individual records and cross-referenced on incident sheets. However, some recording is not clear and consistent. This has been raised by the independent visitor to the home. The manager has undertaken further training with the staff both as a group and on an individual basis. He is monitoring records to ensure that any anomalies are addressed and that reports are clear and reflective of the incident. This monitoring is ongoing. It is important for all records to be clearly legible and reflective of the incident to promote the safety of the young person and to comply with regulations.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is warm and comfortable, and generally maintained to a good standard. However, recent damage to the home includes a broken window to the young person’s bedroom, which, although secured and safe, is boarded up and awaiting a replacement window. The manager confirmed that it has been ordered, but that he does not have a timeframe for the work to be completed. Additionally, there is damage to the radiator guard on the first floor landing, requiring repair. These outstanding repairs could impact on the safety of the young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the organisation has reviewed the recruitment and selection files for all staff. All staff, other than the manager, are new to working at this home, although they have worked for the organisation’s other homes. Staff files are maintained at the head office. The manager does not have staffing information within the home as required in the regulations. Although this is made available upon request, it limits the regulator’s oversight of basic information required.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection have been completed, and this demonstrates the manager’s commitment to developing the service to promote ongoing positive outcomes for young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and is registered to provide accommodation for up to two children who have learning difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/05/2016 Full Good 16/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/10/2015 Full Good 24/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to the maintenance of the home, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (d) that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. This is in relation to the replacement of a window on the first floor and the guard to the radiator on the upstairs landing being repaired. 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain within the home the records in Schedule 4; Regulation 37 (2) (a) Schedule 4 (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f) 31/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 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 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

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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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