Children's Home run by St Christopher’s Fellowship in Sandwell

Inspection report children's home: SC404994 1 SC404994 Registered provider: St Christopher’s Fellowship

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This service provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A charitable organisation owns and operates the setting.

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be 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: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children's home: SC404994 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people have warm and trusting relationships with child-focused staff who understand their needs and support their aspirations.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home is welcoming and comfortable, and young people personalise their rooms.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Perceptive staff engage and listen to young people, who openly express their views, wishes and feelings.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Enthusiastic staff enable young people to engage in stimulating and fun activities, supporting their overall development and well-being.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make significant progress in their education, independence, emotional and social development, and relationships.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Highly trained and experienced staff keep young people safe, and work with young people to help them to understand how to keep themselves safe.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff involve young people in their risk assessments, enabling them to help identify strategies to manage risks.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager and staff regularly review and update effective risk assessments.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager provides the team with clear leadership and support.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff understand their roles and work effectively as a team.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff work closely with a wide range of other professionals and family members, to meet the needs of young people.

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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 registered manager does not effectively evidence the impact that admitting a new young person to the home will have on that young person and the young people already in residence.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Managers and staff overlooked a significant hazard in the home, which was a risk to young people and to staff. They did not act to urgently resolve the matter. Inspection report children's home: SC404994 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2016 Full Good 05/05/2016 Full Inadequate 27/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/06/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children's home: SC404994 4

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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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure-

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Requirement Due date

that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) and (2) (a) (i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must evidence effective assessment of the impact of admitting each young person to the home. This assessment must consider the safety of that young person and the other young people in residence. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure-

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Requirement Due date

that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) and (2) (a) (v) (d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff recognise hazards in the home, including broken glass, and take responsibility for making the home safe for young people as a matter of urgency. 31/08/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC404994 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have warm and trusting relationships with dedicated staff, seeking hugs and personal attention from them. Young people share jokes with staff, but also know that they can go to staff with anything that worries them. The home is comfortable, homely and welcoming. Young people have personalised their rooms, and in the living rooms there are photographs of young people and staff. Young people and staff enjoy meals together in the dining room. Young people know how to complain and are confident that their concerns are listened to and thoroughly investigated, and that they will receive written feedback from the registered manager. Supportive staff provide young people with independent advocates when required. Young people actively express their views, wishes and feelings in key-work sessions, and in their everyday interactions with staff and each other. They engage in the regular young people’s meetings, taking

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

the minutes and discussing behaviour, activities, menus and any concerns or ideas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have fun with staff. They take part in culture nights when they and the staff try different foods and learn about other cultures. Young people enjoy going to the local park, to the cinema, swimming and on outings with staff. They like to cook and bake in the home, play music, have barbeques, play football and use the trampoline in the garden. Since the last inspection, young people have been given an additional room to use as they wish. They have turned it into an education room where they have created a library and drawn a tree on the wall which is covered in inspirational phrases. Young people have enthusiastically engaged in a homeless project, planning, cooking, delivering and serving food at a shelter for the homeless. They received a standing ovation from the people at the shelter for this work. These activities support young people’s self-confidence and their ability to form positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people say that they feel that staff care about them and help them to achieve their goals. Young people make significant progress in their emotional well-being, education, personal hygiene, self-confidence, social development, independence and behaviour. One young person has returned to school after a period of non-attendance, and has been able to sit her GCSE exams. She has aspirations to work with animals, and staff have supported her to identify and apply for a suitable college course. She now takes pride in her appearance and her room, has improved the quality of family contact and says that she can now talk about her feelings. Young people engage with therapeutic services, and one young person is now taking medication for mental health issues, leading to improved moods, behaviour and sleep patterns. Staff have supported another young person to successfully move to a local school, enabling him to develop

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

more independence by walking to school. He has also developed the confidence to attend a weekly cadet group, which he enjoys.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently experienced a period of several weeks of unsettled and challenging behaviour from young people. This has been due, in part, to the admission of a third young person whose needs were ultimately found to be too complex for the home to meet. Staff struggled to maintain the positive relationships that had been Inspection report children's home: SC404994 6 achieved with the young people, who sometimes exhibited violent and threatening behaviour towards staff, and went missing from the home. There is strong evidence that, after the third young person left the home, these relationships have survived the difficult period and that the remaining young people are once again settling and have re- engaged with staff. Staff have worked hard to re-establish these positive relationships, and young people are now looking forward to a seaside summer holiday with staff which the young people themselves have chosen. One young person said that he would prefer

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

to be here than anywhere else and that, ‘It's nice here.’

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improvement to be good

There are no widespread safeguarding shortfalls, but there are areas for improvement. Throughout recent weeks, when young people’s behaviour became very challenging and sometimes dangerous, highly trained, dedicated and knowledgeable staff kept young people safe. However, following an incident when a young person smashed the kitchen window, the registered manager and staff failed to ensure that the broken glass was fully boarded up in the kitchen. Shards of glass were left exposed for a number of days, posing a significant risk to young people and staff. Staff were not vigilant about the hazard and did not take responsibility and decisive action to reduce the risks. The registered manager resolved this dangerous situation during the inspection, and no young person was harmed. In addition, the registered manager does not clearly evidence her decision-making in relation to the compatibility of a new young person who

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improvement to be good

is to be admitted with the young people who are already in residence. In the registered manager’s absence, a detailed and thorough impact assessment is not readily available to her staff.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager reviews and updates detailed and effective risk assessments. Staff encourage young people to be involved in the reviews of their risk assessments, and to contribute to how they can manage their own behaviour and reduce risks. Staff follow clear safeguarding policies and procedures, and work very closely with other agencies to ensure that young people are kept safe. When young people go missing, staff follow them and inform the police and local authorities. Staff are aware that relationships with young people are key to understanding triggers to their behaviour, the reasons behind it and how best to communicate and work with them. Key work supports young people to learn how to keep themselves safe. The registered manager invites agencies such as the police and fire service to come and speak to the young people and educate them about safety. There has been a reduction in the number of incidents of

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improvement to be good

one young person going missing. None of the young people are assessed as being at high risk of child sexual exploitation, but staff are trained to identify and respond to signs that a young person could be being targeted.

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improvement to be good

Strong teamwork means that young people receive the support that they need from staff and from other professionals. When incidents occur at school involving a young person, staff liaise closely with teachers to support the young person, manage behaviour and sustain the school placement. Staff work with a range of professionals to address young people’s safeguarding needs. These professionals include social workers, the police, Inspection report children's home: SC404994 7 health and drug workers, and youth offending staff. Young people say that they feel safe and that they continued to feel safe in the home during the recent unsettled period, due to the actions of staff to protect them. Parents and professionals are positive about safety in the home. A police officer commented of the registered manager’s safeguarding practice: ‘She is diligent and reacts positively. She operates correctly without any doubt.’

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improvement to be good

The social worker for one young person said of the staff: ‘They have worked tremendously well in partnership with the local authority to ensure she is safe. They have gone above and beyond to keep her safe. They always look for her if she goes missing.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has been in post since October 2016 and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. She has several years’ experience managing children’s homes and her previous home was judged to be outstanding. Staff either hold level 3 qualifications or are working towards them. All except the newest staff member hold first-aid qualifications, and she is booked to undertake the training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child-focused registered manager provides her team with strong leadership and supports an ethos that is in keeping with the home’s statement of purpose. She has developed a good knowledge of her staff, and of the team’s strengths and areas for development. Her review of the service includes an action plan to drive up standards even more. She provides staff with regular supervision and highly productive team meetings. These enable staff to reflect on practice and apply a social pedagogy approach directly to the needs of each young person. Staff identify the vulnerabilities and needs of young people effectively, and use this knowledge to plan and guide their work with them, in keeping with their placement plans. The team is cohesive, its members are supportive of each other, and they share the same relationship-centred approach to working with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is highly supportive of the staff and works to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence in order to meet the needs of young people. Records are detailed and organised, providing staff with the valuable information they need to understand and work with young people. Staff receive training which is relevant and up to date, and enables them to confidently fulfil their roles. They have recently undertaken additional training in trauma and attachment, both of which are central to their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is forthright and is not afraid to challenge staff and other professionals if she feels that they are not meeting the needs of young people. When it became evident that the service was unable to meet the highly complex needs of the young person who was recently admitted, the registered manager was proactive in alerting the placing authority of the urgent need to find a suitable placement for her. When the placing authority failed to identify a new placement within the required timescale, the registered manager strongly highlighted the responsibility of the authority for that young person and the negative impact of the delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are effective in maintaining constant dialogue with family members and a wide Inspection report children's home: SC404994 8 range of professionals in order to meet the needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post for less than one year, but has made significant improvements in the stability and the quality of service provided for young people. Staff feel very secure with her and one staff member says, ‘She is a great manager who really cares for the children and she's always supporting us. We definitely have leadership now.’

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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 differences 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 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: SC404994 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Christopher’s Fellowship

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Putney High Street, London SW15 1SZ

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Inspector

Louise Whittle, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC404994 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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