Children's Home run by Unique Care Homes Support Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC481015 1 SC481015 Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

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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 is one of a small number owned by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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

Date of last inspection: 11 October 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children have positive relationships with staff who understand their individual needs.  The children say that they are happy and feel safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC481015 2  Professionals and parents have absolute confidence that the staff meet the children’s needs well.  The children make good progress in their education.  Staff understand the importance of and facilitate contact for children with their friends and families.  The children enjoy a wide variety of interesting activities, both at the home and in the community.

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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 home has not requested an independent return home interview from the responsible local authority following incidents of children going missing from the home.  Records on pathway plans and care plans detailing the independence work undertaken and any work outstanding lack clarity and structure.  The independent visitor rarely visits the home when the children are present, to gain their views on the care that they receive.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/06/2016 Full Good 17/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/05/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC481015 3

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording, and that information regarding the child is 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) This is with particular reference to the care plans and pathway plans for children preparing for independence.  The registered provider should ensure that the independent person they appoint

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Recommendations

has the skills and understanding necessary to relate to children in a home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8) This is with particular reference to ensuring that the independent visitor visits the home when the children are present to gain their views on the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress, and benefit from living in a relaxed and homely atmosphere. Laughter and cheerful interactions between staff and children were evident during this inspection. The children respond well to a staff team that treats them with respect and provides consistent nurturing care. Children report that they are happy in their home and recognise the progress they are making. A child said, ‘Staff have helped me a lot and my life has got so much better.’ Another child said, ‘I have learned how to control my temper. It was really bad but staff have helped by speaking to me, giving me time to calm down and saying sensible things.’ The children are confident in the care that they receive and are accepting of staff support. This support enables them to develop the skills to manage difficult feelings in a safe environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are ambitious for the children. They encourage and support them with their individual education packages. A child said, ‘Staff have helped me improve on my reading and they help me understand my homework. It is a good home. Staff want me to do well.’ The children either attend the provider’s off-site education facility or the local college, on a full-time basis. The majority of the children struggled to consistently attend Inspection report children’s home: SC481015 4 school prior to admission to this home. All of the children have made significant improvement in their education and are now achieving high attendance. Staff work closely with education professionals to ensure that children attend, and reach their full potential. A teacher from the local college said, ‘This home is incredibly supportive and staff resolve issues promptly. The children feel safe and secure at the home and they have good routines in place that they understand and respond well to. This home sets

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support the children to engage in a range of stimulating opportunities and activities, both in the home and in the community. The children regularly attend the local cinema, bowling alley and trampoline park. They also enjoy spending time in the home holding craft and pamper nights. During the summer, all of the children spent time in Wales on their summer holiday together. This gave them the opportunity to use a zip wire, and try kayaking and rock climbing for the first time. Staff are in the process of exploring with the children any new activities that they may really enjoy. One of the children is due to start singing lessons, and another is looking forward to learning karate. These trips and activities ensure that children increase their social skills and grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a voice at the home, and staff gain their views in a variety of ways. Regularly held children’s meetings, along with children’s consultation forms, ensure that time is spent gaining the children’s views on future activities and plans for the home. Staff encourage the children to personalise their bedrooms and help choose new decor for the home. The children have a postbox in which to post any new ideas that they have between the meetings. The children spoken with during this inspection expressed that they are confident that staff will listen to their ideas and any concerns that they may have. The children are fully aware of the complaints procedure. Including children in the running of the home means that they feel a sense of belonging and value.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged and supported to learn age-appropriate independence skills. Older children have pathway plans to follow that will prepare them for independent living. However, the records detailing the independence work undertaken and the work outstanding lack clarity and structure. This important work is not included on the children’s care plans. This does not help each child to see the progress that they are making, or highlight their expected achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of the children maintaining relationships with their families and the other important people in their lives. Children are encouraged to have friendships in the community, and they can bring their friends to the home. Staff actively support family contact and assist children and their families to rebuild relationships. One parent said:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘I’m very happy. Contact planning by staff is very good. She [child] likes it there. It has really helped improve her relationship with me. I am very pleased with her progress since being at the home. I feel the progress is down to good team effort and good communication. It is not a standard children’s home, it feels homely, and the staff are easy to talk to and flexible.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC481015 5

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

Children receive high-quality consistent care. They say that they feel safe living at the home. One child said, ‘I now don’t run off or self–harm anymore. I’m safe here. It’s calm and I get on well with the staff and the other girls.’ Another child said, ‘It’s safe here. This is my sixth placement. I give it a much higher grade than the others. Staff praise me when I get an award. I got a merit award today at school for music and not being distracted or frustrated by others in the class.’

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

Children living at the home are likely to have been at risk of, or subject to, significant harm prior to moving to the home. Staff undertake detailed risk assessments based on the children’s individual needs. These plans are comprehensive and are updated accordingly. The manager ensures that the plans are accurate and reflect any changing risk, alongside detailing decreases in risks. For example, a child who previously required supervision when with peers is now able to attend structured activities with her peers unsupervised. The children see the benefits of settled behaviour and gaining the skills to regulate any impulsive behaviour.

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

Children receive sanctions for negative behaviour. Positive behaviour is encouraged with rewards. The sanctions given are restorative in nature, and are fair and proportionate. Children respond well to the home’s incentive scheme, and enjoy being able to earn extra pocket money by completing chores around the home. This helps to reinforce positive behaviour further.

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

Staff manage behaviour skilfully and are successful in implementing strategies and de- escalation techniques. Physical interventions have decreased since the last inspection. When physical intervention is used, staff provide a detailed written account of the incident so that managers can monitor practice. Debriefings enable children to reflect on the incident and to express any opinions that they may have about it.

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

Prior to admission, several of the children had a significant history of going missing from home. Since moving to this home, the number of such incidents has reduced greatly. Staff are proactive and follow the procedures outlined in the missing-from-care protocol. However, the manager has not requested an independent return home interview from the responsible local authority following incidents of children going missing from the home. This is a missed opportunity to gain further understanding of the children’s behaviour with a view to reducing the number of incidents further.

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

There has been one safeguarding incident since the last inspection. The designated officer said, ‘We have received only one safeguarding concern. The manager dealt with this matter swiftly and very well. I have no concerns regarding this home.’ Staff receive appropriate training and feel confident about their safeguarding roles. They have a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures and recognise that they have a duty to safeguard the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC481015 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The dedicated registered manager has been in post since December 2015. He has recently completed a relevant level 5 diploma. He is approachable and proactive in his manner, and is supported by an equally enthusiastic deputy manager. The manager has a clear development programme for the home. He recognises the strengths and the areas that he would like to develop. A team leader at the home said, ‘The manager likes things done well and he has made many improvements. We all have clear roles and responsibilities now. I feel valued, trusted and supported to improve the home further.’ The management structure is strong, and the deputy manager and team leaders work well with the manager to ensure that the children’s progress is continuous.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A strength of the home is the culture of high aspiration for the children. The manager promotes a strong ethos for the home, with the children being central to everything that the staff do. The staff have a good understanding of each child’s individual history. They show good insight into the children’s needs and behaviours, and treat them with dignity and respect. The manager and staff are determined that children have a positive and enriching experience growing up at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All of the staff have completed their mandatory training and either hold, or are in the process of undertaking, the required level 3 diploma. The deputy manager and team leaders are in the process of completing the level 5 diploma. The staff receive monthly supervision and yearly appraisals that identify any further professional development needs. This ensures that staff training remains up to date, and that the staff are well equipped to care for the children safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring at the home is robust. The manager undertakes regular checks to ensure that records are accurate, and are updated promptly. The staff write detailed daily logs for each child, which form the basis of the weekly reports for the social workers. These reports detail all appointments, incidents and progress made. This means that there is a clear record for each child of the positive effect that the home is having on their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor provides well-considered monitoring reports that identify any areas for improvement. However, these unannounced visits tend to occur when the children are at school. This means that the children are not present, and fails to ensure that their views on the care they receive are included in the report.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working is well established. The manager and staff have built, and consistently maintain, very good relationships with professionals and parents. A social worker said, ‘Communication is very good. They [the staff] work in complete partnership and are always very helpful.’ A teacher reported, ‘They [staff] are incredibly supportive, attend all meetings and communicate very well.’ A parent said, ‘Communication is great and they always let me know of any issues. They have never let me or my child down.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met the one requirement and two recommendations from the last Inspection report children’s home: SC481015 7 inspection. The manager’s six-monthly quality of care review of the home now includes the feedback and opinions of others. This assists the manager to evaluate and promote continual improvement within the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has introduced a new medication register to reduce the possibility of an error occurring. Staff audit this recording system and the manager oversees it. There were no medical errors evident at this inspection. Fire doors that automatically close but are not locked have been fitted. The children spoken with assured the inspector that they are able to access all rooms, other than the staff room, at all times.

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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: SC481015 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Unique Care Homes Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Whitehouse, Wilderspool Business Park, Greenalls Avenue, Warrington WA4 6HL

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Inspector

Lynne Drage, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC481015 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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