Children's home run by Cruckton Hall Limited in North Kesteven

Inspection report children's home: SC401364 1 SC401364 Registered provider: Cruckton Hall Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home offers an integrated residential education and care package to boys who have learning disabilities, specifically autistic spectrum disorders. Young people are generally in the higher performing range, and have associated emotional and behavioural difficulties. The school can accommodate up to 92 residential students, mainly in small house groups located on the main campus, or at one of two off-campus facilities.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 23 February 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children's home: SC401364 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people speak positively about the care they receive and the quality of their relationships with staff. Children and young people enjoy activities that they take part in and like living at the home.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people feel safe and can identify members of staff who they can approach if they have any worries or concerns.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Managers ensure that all children and young people are engaged in their learning and are making educational progress.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Managers ensure that each child or young person learns independence skills, taking into account their age and understanding.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff promote family contact to enable children and young people to sustain close relationships with people who are important to them.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff encourage children and young people to take part in a wide range of different leisure activities.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff understand and promote children’s and young people’s health needs.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Managers ensure that the staff engage positively with children’s and young people’s families to help maintain good communication.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Managers’ monitoring is not always effective in making continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. In particular, improving children’s and young people’s risk assessments.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Managers do not always secure the required permission for using surveillance.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/06/2016 Full Good 28/09/2015 Full Good 10/06/2015 Full Inadequate Inspection report children's home: SC401364 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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 within the given timescales.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that in particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation13(2)(h)) In particular, risk assessments. 07/06/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24(b)) 07/06/2017

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers carefully review all referrals and complete thorough matching assessments that take into account the needs of children and young people. This ensures that compatibility with the children and young people already resident is secured.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make good progress in a home that provides a stable and supportive environment. Staff are enthusiastic about children’s and young people’s progress and this is evident in the ambitions and aspirations they hold for them. One parent said, ‘I have seen great improvement in him since he has been there; he has become more independent, he now mixes with his peers and he is doing well at school.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has ensured that all children’s and young people’s health needs are known and recorded in their care plans. Children and young people have access to external healthcare and an on-site psychologist. This enables children and young people to receive support and guidance in relation to their emotional, social and psychological well- being.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A good medication management system ensures the safe administration of medication. Clear records are maintained by the home and medication is securely stored. Inspection report children's home: SC401364 4 All children and young people attend the on-site school. They enjoy their time in school and are make good progress in their learning and development. A parent said, ‘He really enjoys school and the education is tailored around his needs.’ The residential care staff work with staff from education to ensure that there is consistency between school and home. This ensures that children and young people have tailored support that is reflective of their individual needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with parents and have good lines of communication. One parent said, ‘The staff are great; they let me know how he is doing through weekly reports and they are helpful whenever I ring.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people benefit from making a positive contribution to their home through a variety of forums, such as key-worker sessions and weekly house meetings, and through informal discussion. Children and young people engage in positive activities inside and outside of the home. This includes trips out to places of interest and opportunities to develop sporting talents. Through these activities, children and young people can try different experiences and develop new skills.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child or young person is supported to develop life skills that are relevant to their age and level of understanding. Children and young people are provided with opportunities to develop new skills, with good support and encouragement from staff that includes money management, cooking and taking responsibility for their health care. This helps children and young people to develop practical skills that enable them to complete daily tasks safely and independently.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff help children and young people to stay safe. Parents and external professionals are confident in the staff’s ability to keep children and young people safe. A social worker said, ‘I have full admiration for the manager for keeping him safe.’ Staff know the children and young people well and understand the complexities of their behaviour, risks and vulnerabilities. Staff put in place effective risk management measures, such as high levels of staff supervision, and work collaboratively with other professionals to provide further support for the children and young people so that they stay protected from harm.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Internal mechanisms alert staff to when children and young people are leaving their bedrooms. However, staff have not obtained permission from some parents, carers and local authorities. This means that some children’s and young people’s movements are being monitored without the appropriate permissions being in place.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand children and young people’s particular vulnerabilities and know what action to take to address them. Staff use behaviour management strategies and positive relationships to manage situations and support children and young people to behave appropriately. A social worker said, ‘Very dedicated staff, even though they are repeatedly battered and bruised.’ Recording of physical intervention is detailed so Inspection report children's home: SC401364 5 managers can evaluate and assess the appropriateness of the measures used.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There have been no reported instances of children or young people going missing from care since the last inspection. Managers have ensured that the home has a clear protocol for responding to and managing any incidents in order to secure the safe return of children and young people if they do go missing.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children and young people are provided with a safe and secure environment. Staff complete regular health and safety checks and follow a range of safety procedures to protect children and young people from potential hazards. These include fire drills to ensure that children and young people know what to do in case of an emergency.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers ensure that children and young people are protected by the organisation’s recruitment practice. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of children and young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Some houses have recently been refurbished, with children and young people involved in the process, choosing colour schemes for their own bedrooms. This gives children and young people a sense of belonging and ownership of where they live.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is currently no manager in post. An new manager has recently been appointed to manage the home. Until the new manager starts, two care managers have increased their responsibility to cover the service.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive formal supervision and have their performance regularly appraised. Regular team meetings, daily handovers and supervision enable staff to share information about the children and young people, ensuring that they are kept up to date, review their practice and feel supported.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training to help ensure that they have the skills and competencies necessary to meet the diverse needs of the children and young people. All staff members either have a diploma in residential childcare at level 3 or are imminently due to complete their course within regulatory timescales.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers ensure that the statement of purpose sets out the aims and functions of the service. The statement of purpose is available for placing authorities and parents, and fully complies with regulations. The children’s guide provides clear written and pictorial information that enables children and young people to know what it is like to live at the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent visitor evaluates the quality of care and monitors safeguarding each month. The independent visitor’s reports highlight areas of strength and details any shortfalls. The independent visitor consults with children, young people, parents and Inspection report children's home: SC401364 6 other professionals, to ensure that their views are considered in driving forward the development of the service. Internal monitoring and reviewing arrangements require strengthening. For example, staff have not reviewed risk assessments around the need to conduct room searches. This creates a missed opportunity for staff to demonstrate the significant progress some children and young people have made.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have developed effective relationships with a variety of partner agencies, including parents. Professionals and parents have high levels of confidence in the service, and say that communication with the home is ‘great’. Parents confirm they can ring anytime and speak to any staff member about what their child has been doing. This collaborative approach ensures that staff are working together to ensure that children’s and young people’s needs are met. A parent said, ‘The home provide my son with an excellent quality of care.’

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Suitable action has been taken to address the requirement and recommendations from the previous inspection. The home’s children’s guide has been updated, risk management plans are more individualised, independence planning has been improved and improvements have been made in the use of medical records.

p.6

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

p.6

Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children's home: SC401364 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cruckton Hall Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Vicarage, 61 High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln LN6 9LU

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Donna Varley-Turner

p.7

Inspector

Dave Carrigan: social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC401364 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8