Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC457573 1 SC457573 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides accommodation for up to three children and/or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 09/05/2017 to 10/05/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Good

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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Good

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

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young people benefit from a supportive and homely environment.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff and management team work very well with other agencies to ensure that the young people are safeguarded effectively. Inspection report children’s home: SC457573 2  The members of the staff team are very supportive of one another and develop excellent relationships with the young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There is a strong commitment to advocate for the young people to help them to reach their full potential in respect of education and social engagement.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young people are encouraged to express themselves and to be actively involved in the daily activities provided by the home and those available in the community.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Contact for all of the young people is supported with their family. Staff ensure that contact can also be facilitated in the home, when it is appropriate, and includes family and friends. This enables young people to feel valued and respected.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff and management team work to identify risk, which helps young people to develop decision-making skills safely.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager and staff team need to encourage the young people consistently to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’, supporting them to contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Gathering of evidence that celebrates the good work that is done on a daily basis needs to be improved.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Information in young people’s case files can be repetitive and therefore can be confusing for the reader.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/05/2016 Full Good 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/10/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC457573 3

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff –

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Requirement Due date

(a) seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; (b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; (c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and (d) seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5) 08/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Some records may be kept electronically (regulation 38) provided that this information can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to review it and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form and therefore careful consideration should be given to enable all parties to understand what has been added in the written word. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)  Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  Any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, Inspection report children’s home: SC457573 4

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Recommendations

ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint (regulation 35(3)(c)). Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint and if they do decline then an entry should be made to this extent. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.60)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

After a difficult and unsettled period, there is evidence that all of the young people are making progress at their individual pace and are engaging in positive activities. One young person has moved on in difficult circumstances; however, this decision has enabled the home to settle. The young people who have remained have responded positively to the staff’s continuous efforts to engage them in a range of positive activities, such as bowling, cinema trips and horse riding. One young person has also arrived and is settling in at the home. Introductions were well planned and risk assessed to reduce any potential impact on the existing group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted daily, with staff ensuring that each young person receives the same positive messages.The inspector observed staff encourage a young person to attend education in a sensitive way. As a result, the young person attended a session with their tutor, which was facilitated at the home to ensure that some coursework was completed. A commitment was demonstrated in the face of adversity by staff and the manager to support the best possible outcomes in relation to the young person achieving their GCSEs. Staff showed tenacity and positive communication throughout this process. One young person has been supported by staff with applications for an apprenticeship and was very excited that she had been accepted for an interview. Both examples demonstrate the commitment to working with young people to change their behaviours in order to achieve the best possible outcomes in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well equipped and spacious, providing areas for privacy if required and areas for study. It is well decorated and was undergoing minor repairs during inspection by the provider’s maintenance man. There is a wall in the kitchen that is adorned with photographs celebrating achievements and activities during which staff and young people have collectively shared positive experiences. One young person happily described each photograph, what was occurring and where it took place. The young people who were present responded enthusiastically together with staff, naturally and with pride and humour in respect of the shared memories. This level of engagement and experience sharing promotes positive life events that raise self-esteem and develop a sense of well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is in the process of obtaining individual memory boxes for each young person to capture the positive events that are facilitated by the home. One young person Inspection report children’s home: SC457573 5 has requested a holiday abroad with staff and this is being considered. It is hoped that this request will result in positive memories of her time here and reinforce the positive relationships that have been built.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement plans are detailed and clearly set out targets and areas for individual improvement for young people. Plans are updated alongside risk assessments regularly in response to change. However, updates are sometimes added by pen to printed records and are not always legible. This could have an impact on the care of any young person if not recorded clearly for others to read. In addition, plans do not clearly show that they have been shared with young people and that they are ‘live records’. Therefore, it is not always possible to ascertain whether their views and opinions have been included. Although evidence from the strong relationships that exist within the home would suggest that the impact is minimal on their care, record-keeping would be strengthened further by individual ownership.

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

The quality of risk assessments for the young people is good. The staff team complete them to a consistently high standard and ensure that they are comprehensively detailed and easy to follow. Information, including steps to take in the event of an incident, ensures that the young people are safeguarded effectively from potential harm. All of the young people have identified ‘safe words’ which they can use if they feel in any way unsafe; this enables a swift response from staff. When the young people do go missing, staff are proactive, they ensure that welfare checks are frequent and engagement with other professional agencies, such as police, is maintained robustly until the young person is found and returned safely to the home.

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

The management and staff team recently went through a very challenging time in respect of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity. This unsettled period was managed well by all of the staff, who ensured that structure and routines were still maintained. Challenging behaviours were dealt with consistently and without prejudice. Damage caused in the home is quickly repaired to reduce any impact on the safe and homely environment that the young people enjoy. Help and support are provided to the young people to enable them to understand what is not acceptable and the staff are well trained in a behaviour management approach that continues to focus on de-escalation. Restraints are rarely required due to a culture of openness, and trust that is evident in the home. Relationships that the staff develop with the young people are positive and provide a sense of well-being, enabling socially acceptable behaviours to develop

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

Humour in the home, alongside good staff morale and a positive attitude, provides a safe, warm, friendly place to live, where young people’s views and opinions are considered and acted upon. One young person said: ‘The best thing about the home is the positive vibe. It is a very friendly home. Staff speak to you all the time.’ This level of positivity and commitment to the young people allows them to develop socially and strengthens their resilience and self-esteem. Inspection report children’s home: SC457573 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager for the service has been seconded by the provider to another resource in the company. An acting manager, who has submitted her application to Ofsted for registration, had been in place for approximately one month at the time of inspection. She has enrolled on the appropriate level of qualification required for registration. Although relatively inexperienced in this role, she has had a positive impact on the staff and the young people. The staff have commented on her good management style and her focus on training and development of the staff team. Other comments include: ‘She is very supportive and approachable and encourages other people’s points of view.’ The manager has enabled a culture of discussion and debate in a respectful and safe way with staff and the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All of the staff are either at the required qualification level or are currently enrolled on a course. Recruitment processes are robust. Supervision is provided on a regular basis and team meetings are well documented and cover a range of agenda items. The manager has focused on positive messages to the young people, which has promoted positive behaviour at all times. The manager is receiving support from the responsible individual. This was apparent during the inspection and in observation of his respect for the staff and discussions around individual development, not only for the manager but for other members of staff who had the potential to progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all of the team leaders are experienced, but in equal measures demonstrate their commitment and desires to enable the young people to achieve the best possible outcomes while in their care. Aspirations were high, but realistic. Energy was good and genuine warmth was expressed for the young people who were present and others who had left. The management team encourages participation and values the young people. This home is a nurturing and therapeutic place to live, supported by a well-trained staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager will be responsible for ensuring that the required documentation is accessed from the variety of local authorities involved. This was being progressed during the inspection but is currently a shortfall in practice. When it is necessary, concerns relating to missing information should be escalated using the policy that is in place. The current delay in accessing individual pathway plans could affect the developmental needs of young people.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC457573 7 how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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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: SC457573 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London W6 9RU

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Inspector

Michael Dack, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457573 9 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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