Children's home run by Educare Adolescent Services Limited in Cannock Chase

Inspection report children’s home: SC440170 1 SC440170 Registered provider: Educare Adolescent Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to care for up to three children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties aged between 10 and 18 years.

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: 31 January 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people enjoy a welcoming and comfortable environment where they can relax and focus on their own needs.  Young people can personalise their own room and contribute to decisions about the decoration of the home and the use of the shared rooms. Inspection report children’s home: SC440170 2  Staff listen to young people. Young people engage in young people’s meetings where they express their views, wishes and feelings.  Staff provide young people with caring and consistent support which supports their emotional well-being and sense of security.  Young people form trusting relationships with the highly committed, child- focused staff.  Enthusiastic staff provide young people with a range of fun activities which support their physical and social development.  Young people make progress in their emotional and social development, education and independence skills.  Highly trained and skilled staff work hard to help young people understand how

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

to keep themselves safe.  When young people go missing, vigilant staff search for them and work with the police and family members to try to find them.  The experienced, newly appointed manager provides her staff with firm leadership and clear aims for the service.  The ‘hands on’ manager spends time getting to know young people and advocates strongly on their behalf.  Staff receive regular supervision and relevant up-to-date training, enabling them to meet the demands of their roles.  Staff work with a range of professionals to ensure that the needs of young people are identified and met.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff do not always immediately inform the placing authority when a young person goes missing.  Staff do not always make clear and full records of the work that they have undertaken with young people.  The manager does not always review the feedback provided by young people following a physical intervention.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/10/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC440170 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

Statutory requirements

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)(e)) 14/07/2017

p.3

Recommendation

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. 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)  Ensure that, with regard to the managerial review of physical intervention records, the registered person ensures that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are welcomed by a skilled and child-focused staff team into a comfortable and spacious home. The home is well maintained and young people can personalise their rooms as they wish. They are consulted about the use of the shared rooms and have requested a pool table, which is being considered by the manager. The garden provides young people with space to enjoy playing games and relaxing in good weather. Young people sit and chat with staff in the kitchen and in the large sitting/dining room, which forms the focus of the home. The care and positive experience provided enables young people to focus on their own needs. Young people form trusting relationships with friendly staff. One young person, who, due to their prior experiences struggles to trust adults, commented that he likes the staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC440170 4 Young people have fun with staff, as well as benefiting from personal discussions and

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

support in key work sessions. They can enjoy a range of stimulating activities including sports, educational trips, board games, trips out and walks. Young people say that they feel that the staff care about them. Staff listen to young people and engage them in weekly young people’s meetings, where they can express their views, wishes and feelings and make requests for specific activities and for items they may want for their rooms. This supports young people’s social skills, confidence and self-esteem. Young people make significant progress from their starting points in several areas of their development. Young people develop their independence skills, and increase their educational attendance and attainment. Staff support them to improve their family relationships. Dedicated staff have enabled one young person to develop very positive contact and he now enjoys overnight stays with his father. This is highly significant for

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

his emotional and psychological well-being and for his future plans. One young person is beginning to learn how to express his feelings to staff and tell them what he wants, instead of expressing this through challenging behaviour. Other young people have made progress in complying with boundaries and routines, enabling them to benefit from a stronger sense of stability and security. Since the last inspection, one young person was admitted who struggled to engage with staff or to make any progress in his development. This was recognised by the manager, who advocated on the young person’s behalf for a change of placement. The father of one young person said, ‘Staff are absolutely brilliant in most areas. My son has formed good relationships with staff and he talks differently about his education now. He didn’t used to care, but he is now doing exams.’

p.4

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

Highly trained staff undertake risk assessments and impact assessments which are detailed and effective. The manager regularly reviews the assessments. Some young people have displayed challenging behaviour and have gone missing. Diligent staff ensure that they follow young people and work quickly to try and find them. Staff follow young people who go missing and search for them. They contact the local authority and report them missing to the police and family members, sharing vital information, which could help to locate the young person. When young people return, they are provided with ‘safe and well checks’ and ‘return from missing interviews’. Staff work with young people to explore their behaviour and involve them in decisions about risks assessments and behaviour support plans. Key work sessions help young people learn how to keep themselves safe by addressing relevant issues including safe sex, child sexual exploitation and internet safety. Some young people respond very

p.4

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

positively to this work. As a result, they have become increasingly safe. Staff understand safeguarding and child protection and are aware of the risks and signs of potential child sexual exploitation. They are particularly aware that these risks increase significantly when a young person goes missing. The manager has highlighted these concerns to the placing authority for one young person to ensure a multi-agency Inspection report children’s home: SC440170 5 approach to risk assessment, and that protective strategies are identified and implemented. When young people indicate that they are likely to self-harm, caring staff, who have an in-depth understanding of the reasons behind the behaviour, respond appropriately. For example, staff follow safeguarding policies, review risk assessments and put strategies in place to reduce risk. Staff make referrals to the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and other health professionals to help address the underlying issues.

p.4

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

Staff safeguarding training is up to date and relevant, and has most recently included ligature training. Staff are trained in internet safety and they have up-to-date training in restraint. Physical intervention is used as a last resort, after de-escalation techniques have been tried, and in order to keep young people safe. Staff work effectively with other agencies including the police missing coordinator, youth offending service, and social workers, to ensure that young people are protected. They engage with a wide range of other services when writing and reviewing the locality risk assessment, which includes information about local crime figures and public transport links. Staff use this assessment to inform their knowledge about any existing or new factors in the area that may pose risks to young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since February 2017. She holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. She has applied to be the registered manager. She also manages another home in the company, which has been judged as good. Her staff team are either appropriately qualified of have been enrolled to begin their level 3 diploma in residential childcare. All staff have been trained in first aid. The child-focused manager prioritises the needs of young people and advocates on their behalf. She confidently challenges staff and other professionals and advocates on behalf of young people to have their views, wishes and feelings listened to and considered by the placing authorities. She is proactive when placements are not meeting the needs of young people and communicates her concerns, with suggested resolutions, to placing authorities. When the manager identified that the needs of two young people could not

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

be met by this home, she appraised the placing authorities of her concerns and pressed for urgent strategy meetings in order to move them to appropriate placements. This proactivity reduced the impact on all of the young people in placement. There have been a number of changes to the staff team since the last inspection, but the manager ensured that young people continued to experienced consistent care throughout this period of change. The new manager has a good knowledge of her staff’s strengths and areas for development. She provides staff with regular supervision, which is positive and supportive, and encourages them to reflect on their practice. Team meetings and supervision provide opportunities for staff to discuss issues and contribute to the running of the service. The manager is highly thought of by other professionals and team members and is seen as being approachable and knowledgeable. The staff work in close collaboration with a wide range of professionals, including

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC440170 6 CAMHS, schools and colleges, the police, youth offending service, social workers and drug services. This ensures that the needs of young people are met. Staff training is up to date and relevant. The manager encourages staff to identify and ask for additional training that they think would support their roles and improve the care that they provide to young people. The manager consults with staff, professionals, families and young people to inform her managerial review of the service in order to drive up standards. While paperwork is clear and accessible, staff do not always record all of the work they undertake with young people. Improvements in this area would make the records more useful for staff and for young people. The social worker for one young person commented that staff are caring and child focused. She said that the manager is ‘really doing a good job and is a good team

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

leader’. Her only criticism is that, on one occasion, staff did not inform her that a young person had gone missing. This is an area for improvement. Additionally, the manager does not always review the physical intervention forms after young people have given their feedback.

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: SC440170 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Educare Adolescent Services Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Venture House, 12 Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

p.7

Inspector

Louise Whittle, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC440170 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