Children's home run by Castle Homes Limited in North Northamptonshire

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 people have continued to make progress in achieving stability and developing increased independence. Staff have supported them effectively through periods of crisis and difficulty, and have taken decisive and appropriate action to keep them safe when they have engaged in risky behaviours.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team continues to demonstrate strength in partnership working with placing authorities, education provisions and the police. Leaders and staff are also skilled in advocacy for the young people in their charge, and press for the implementation of support plans deemed to be in the young people’s best interests. Staff know how to escalate concerns effectively, particularly when young people’s needs might be affected.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have succeeded in supporting one young person to engage in an innovative programme aimed at promoting the safe use of the internet and how to avoid the hazards of social media. This was pivotal in helping her to understand the risks when using the internet. Current policies assist staff in understanding needs around e-safety, but fall short of providing staff with clear and realistic guidance in supporting young people’s safe use of the internet.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been no moves of young people in or out of the home since the last inspection. Plans for expanding the capacity of the home continue, and new staff have been recruited. Managers do not plan to increase the number of young people living in the home until all vacant staff positions have been filled.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Improvements and changes to the living environment for young people have continued and include the relocation of the staff office to expand the area where young people can spend time together when engaging in art and craft activities.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team demonstrates a detailed understanding of the needs of the young people, and information relevant to their care and safety is effectively communicated across shift changes to ensure continuity. Care plans and the recording of progress are generally overly detailed and sometimes duplicated. This undermines a clear and consistent approach by all staff in addressing identified areas of need for the young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home’s statement of purpose lacks clarity and focus and does not enable staff and placing authorities to easily understand the ethos and approach to care offered by the home. The recommendation set at the last inspection in this regard is repeated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although there are effective mechanisms in use by the registered manager to monitor the quality of care in the home, the regulation 45 review does not analyse the information and use the conclusions drawn to plan for improvement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been improvement in the consistency and practice of staff supervision in the home. This includes the running of group supervision sessions during the busy month of December. The recommendation set at the last inspection in this regard has been met.

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered to accommodate up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned by a large private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 13/09/2016 Full Good 28/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/10/2015 Full Requires improvement 05/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 The registered manager must continue to develop and review the home’s statement of purpose and ensure that staff understand and apply this. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)

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Recommendations

 When conducting the regulation 45 review, the registered manager must ensure that there is clear analysis of the information considered, that conclusions are drawn from this analysis and that this is used as a tool to plan for continuous improvement in the quality of care during the next review period. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered manager must ensure that staff are fully equipped to support and manage young people’s risk-taking behaviour, appropriate to their stage of development, and in particular, the use of social media and the internet. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7)

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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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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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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