Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Nottingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 1 SC457500 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

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have learning disabilities.

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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

 Children and young people are making good progress. They are attending school regularly, their health needs are met well, and their risk-taking behaviour is decreasing. Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 2  Children and young people benefit from positive relationships with staff. They enjoy a wide range of experiences that improve the quality of their lives.  Staff support contact with family members well. Parents are made welcome when they visit. Staff also communicate regularly with parents, so that they have up-to-date information about the progress their child is making.  Children and young people are consulted regularly about how the home is run. They are encouraged to express their wishes and feelings in a variety of ways.  Children and young people are safer as a result of living in this home. Good staffing levels, and detailed risk management plans, promote safe practice.  Good partnership working is effective in promoting consistency of care. Staff

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Key findings from this inspection

engage with other professionals with specific expertise, to enhance the care and support that children and young people receive. This is particularly the case with behaviour management.  The manager provides good leadership. She motivates the staff to want the best for the children and young people in the home. Staff are well supported through regular supervision and relevant training.

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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

 Although children and young people are consulted about many aspects of their care, there is no evidence that the manager provides them with feedback on their requests. Consequently, they may not be clear that they have been listened to, and that their views are important.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Good 27/10/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/06/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 3

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Recommendations

 Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are making good progress in this home. Detailed individual placement plans provide staff with all the information that they need to meet the children’s and young people’s needs. Children and young people have good school attendance, and for some this is quite an achievement. Children and young people’s healthcare needs are met well because they are supported to access the necessary universal and specialist services. The biggest progress the children and young people have made is in relation to behaviour, and the self-regulation of their emotions. One parent commented: ‘He has improved a lot. He has calmed down dramatically. His behaviour is more manageable and his swearing has decreased.’ An independent reviewing officer commented about a young person, saying: ‘His life has changed around.’ Children and young people benefit from positive experiences that enhance the quality of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

their lives. One child said that the best thing about the home was ‘the garden’, while a young person said: ‘I like all the activities.’ During the summer holidays, the children and young people have engaged in a variety of enjoyable activities. These activities include days out to the seaside, visits to museums, going swimming, going to a soft play centre, and trips to theme parks. Staff have started to use the camera on a more regular basis, so that children and young people have photographic reminders of their stay at this home. Children and young people have positive relationships with the staff who care for them. This is evident by the cheerful, fun interactions and playful ‘banter’. This helps the children and young people engage better with the care and support available, and take notice of advice and guidance. A social worker commented: ‘He appears happy in the placement, and he is getting opportunities to integrate into the community.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are encouraged to give their views and express their wishes and feelings. The manager is currently developing more appropriate ways of doing this, in recognition of the change in the admission criteria. She is developing more child- friendly documents, such as placement plans, so that children and young people can be involved in their care planning in a more meaningful way. Children and young people also express their views through key-working sessions, and young people’s meetings. However, there is no evidence that the manager provides feedback to the children and Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 4 young people on the actions that she is taking in response to their expressed wishes. This could lead to them feeling that their views are not important. Children and young people are supported to have meaningful and safe contact with their families. Some families visit the home. One parent confirmed that they are made to feel

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

very welcome, and that it is: ‘A home from home’. Staff are very sensitive to potential difficulties that may arise, and they work hard to make contact a pleasant experience for all. An example of this is suggesting an activity that the parents can do with their child. An independent reviewing officer said of the staff: ‘They couldn’t be more helpful.’ Children and young people are supported to develop their independence skills at a pace that is appropriate to them. One young person has recently moved into the on-site flat, and is now cooking most of his own meals. The home has an independence programme that is used to ensure that a young person is equipped with all the necessary skills to make a successful transition out of the home. The admission procedure has been strengthened as a result of learning from situations that did not go as well as hoped for. Although the home will take emergency admissions,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

the manager tries to ensure that there is better planning and information sharing, prior to agreeing to take a child or young person. One young person who recently came to the home had a planned admission that included a visit for tea. Professionals involved in his life also came to share information, to ensure that staff had the necessary skills to support him. Children and young people are not disadvantaged from being placed some distance away from their home local authority, as the staff provide support with contact, whatever the location. Staff also ensure that children and young people are able to access the relevant services to meet their needs.

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

Children and young people are safe in this home. Good staffing levels, together with comprehensive, detailed risk management plans, ensure that children and young people are protected from harm. Following the change in the home’s conditions of registration, the amount of risk-taking behaviour has reduced considerably. Children and young people no longer go missing from the home, with the last incident being in January. However, each child and young person has an individual protocol for staff to follow in the event of a missing episode. Incidents relating to self-harm have also decreased. Staff work closely with the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) to ensure that they know what action to take, should self-harm be a risk. Behaviour is managed well. Staff have written guidance in the form of individual behaviour management plans, to promote a consistent response. Staff have also sought

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

the advice of other professionals to help them manage specific behaviour more effectively. Poor behaviour is reducing, and children and young people are learning to manage their emotions in more acceptable ways, such as having some time to themselves. The amount of damage to the home has reduced, as have incidents of aggression. This is demonstrated by the decreasing use of physical intervention and sanctions. Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 5 The manager and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. The manager contacts the designated officer of the local authority for advice and guidance, and incidents of concern have been managed appropriately. All staff have had recent training in safeguarding children, including whistleblowing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is an effective leader. She is appropriately qualified, and has a wealth of relevant experience in residential childcare. This has equipped her well in managing the recent changes to the home. Until recently, the home was registered to provide care and accommodation for children and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Staff struggled to promote children and young people’s safety, in part because of the location of the home. The manager took strong and effective action in response to this, and worked with both her employer and Ofsted to vary the conditions of registration. The home now cares for children and young people who have learning disabilities. The manager is child focused and aspirational. A member of staff said: ‘She is all about the children and their progression.’ The manager is passionate about improving children and young people’s outcomes, and she motivates the staff well. The manager utilises

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

good monitoring systems that enable her to have a robust understanding of the progress children and young people are making. She analyses incidents to see where changes need to be made, so that children and young people make progress. The manager also has a good understanding of the strengths of the home, and the areas for development. Her development plan is a working document. In response to her internal monitoring of the home, and that of the independent visitor, amendments to the development plan are made. She has already started to implement some of the changes she wants to make, to reflect the different needs of the children and young people in the home. This includes improved documentation, and a more homely environment. There has been a large turnover of staff in recent months. Consequently, many of the current staff are fairly new in post. However, staff morale is good, and staff say that they are very well supported. Staff have a thorough induction before they commence

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

their employment, and this provides them with a good basis from which to develop their expertise. The manager also ensures that there is always an experienced core member of staff on each shift, so that newer members of staff are not left unsupported. Training opportunities are good, and include relevant courses that are specific to the needs of the children and young people in this home. Staff also have regular team meetings and supervision, as well as informal opportunities to reflect on their practice. Appraisals include the views of children and young people, and these meetings are used as an opportunity to improve staff performance. Partnership working is good. The manager has welcomed the opportunity to invite other professionals into the home, and has used their expertise to enable her to develop the care and support that the children and young people require. For example, members of the CAMHS team have supported staff to understand the specific needs of the children

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and young people they are working with. In addition, staff went to a child’s school in order to discuss specific behaviour management techniques. As a result of this, staff at the home and the school are using the same method, and this is proving very effective Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 6 in minimising negative behaviour. Communication is good. Social workers receive weekly reports, as well as information about any incidents that occur. A social worker commented: ‘The manager accepts feedback, is open to criticism, and addresses things if they are not working.’ The manager will challenge partners when necessary. For example, she has pursued local authority personnel for missing documentation, and she has also requested return home interviews, when this was an issue. She escalates matters to the independent reviewing officer when necessary, and thereby demonstrates a sound understanding of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

how to act in children’s and young people’s best interests. The manager has a good understanding of equality and diversity, and actively promotes tolerance. The staff team is diverse, and members bring information about cultural celebrations to the home. Bullying is addressed, and children and young people are helped to be more understanding of difference in any form.

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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: SC457500 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian Group, 4th Floor Waterfront Building, Chancellors Road, Hammersmith Embankment, London W6 9RU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison Blyth-Bishop

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Inspector:

Ros Chapman, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 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.

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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