Children's Home run by Clouds Children’s Care Ltd in Derbyshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC489610 1 SC489610 Registered provider: Clouds Childrens Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care and accommodation for up to three young people 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC489610 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager and staff provide patient, nurturing care that is highly effective. As a result, a child who had previously experienced several placement breakdowns has become settled, built supportive relationships, and has significantly improved life chances.  Excellent placement planning helps the staff to provide exceptionally good care to the young person.  The views, ideas and rights of the young person are valued and respected. The young person remains central to the overall functioning of the home.  The manager and staff promote the relationship between the young person and his family.  The young person has become increasingly safe. Staff have helped him to reduce behaviours that place him at risk, including aggression and going missing.  Staff maintain very strong behavioural boundaries when the young person uses the internet and social media. This keeps the young person safe online.  The registered manager has an excellent relationship with the young person

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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 has not always ensured that each member of staff receives formal, individual supervision in line with the home’s policy.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2017 Full Outstanding 16/06/2016 Interim Not judged 02/03/2016 Full Requires improvement 12/01/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC489610 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

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4) (b)) 15/12/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff provide highly effective and nurturing care. They take a consistently calm, patient and considered approach. This has provided a firm foundation from which this young person can develop. Progress is exceptional, particularly in light of the significant early childhood trauma experienced prior to placement. The young person is now happy, content and more settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers write excellent placement plans. These plans ensure that the views, wishes and feelings of the young person are central to the care received. Placement plans provide staff with detailed information about the needs of children. The manager carefully reviews and updates plans in response to the young person’s changing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have important and meaningful conversations with the young person about important issues that affect him. These conversations are, at times, challenging, but necessary to help the young person make progress. Staff are exceptionally skilled at supporting the young person through these sensitive discussions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young person knows how to complain and, on occasion, has made complaints. The manager has taken these seriously. The young person’s concerns are investigated thoroughly. A resolution is reached to the satisfaction of the young person. Management oversight of complaints is highly effective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff understand the importance of maintaining and promoting relationships with family members. Staff support family meetings very well and closely monitor arrangements. Excellent support is given to support the young person to cope with the emotional impact of family visits. Parents have confidence in the care provided. One parent wrote, ‘I am really impressed by his progress since being here; he has really matured. They are completing independence work with him which will also be of great Inspection report children’s home: SC489610 4 help in the future.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff have worked hard to support the young person, who has not previously been able to maintain education placements, into a college placement. Unfortunately, this placement is currently suspended, pending a review of the young person’s needs and support arrangements. Notwithstanding this, the manager and staff at the home demonstrate ambition for the young person and a determination to provide educational opportunities. They have been instrumental in overcoming the barriers to education faced by the young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The health needs of the young person are met to a high standard. The young person has been encouraged to eat a healthier diet. The manager has also been assertive in ensuring that emotional and mental health services are available to the young person. The local child and adolescent mental health services recently completed an assessment of his emotional and mental health needs.

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

The young person has become increasingly safe because staff understand and address his vulnerabilities. Incidents of negative behaviour and going missing from the home have reduced over time. The staff recognise the triggers that lead to a deterioration in behaviour, angry outbursts or running away. They take effective action to support the young person to cope with his anxieties so that incidents reduce in frequency and intensity. The staff manage challenging behaviour sensitively but firmly, without resorting to physical intervention.

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

The young person is safer because the manager and staff complete very good risk assessments. Staff understand these risk assessments and consistently implement them to keep the young person safe. Risks that stem from the young person’s behaviour are particularly well understood. As a result, they are managed well.

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

When the young person has gone missing, staff search for him. They also alert the police and the local authority immediately. When the young person returns, the staff welcome him home and complete a good debrief to try to understand the reasons that he ran away. There are significantly fewer missing from home episodes as a result of this practice.

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

The manager has developed good relationships with the police and other partner agencies. To underpin these relationships, the manager has completed a very good location risk assessment. This provides good evidence that the manager is focused on the holistic safeguarding needs of the young person and staff.

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

Potential new staff undergo a range of pre-recruitment checks designed to keep young people safe. These measures include identity checks, a review of previous work history and criminal record checks. All of these measures reduce the risk of young people being harmed. Staff training and development have a focus on providing staff with the knowledge and skills they require to keep young people safe. Staff undertake a wide Inspection report children’s home: SC489610 5 range of specialist safeguarding training.

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

The manager and staff understand the risks that young people face when using the internet and social media. The staff maintain strong boundaries in this regard. The young person has a contract of expectations of internet use. There is constant staff monitoring, together with software designed to block sites that may contain damaging content. This means that the young person can safely enjoy the internet.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced, and provides good leadership and management. He is currently undertaking an appropriate qualification. The organisation has recently appointed a deputy manager to support continued improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is maintained to a very high standard. It is comfortable and has a relaxed and pleasant feel. The manager and staff are proud of the home and have plans in place to further improve it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a very good understanding of the young person’s care plan and acts as a strong advocate. The manager spends a great deal of time with the young person and knows him very well. They have developed a very good relationship, which is central to the progress of the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff receive a thorough induction to give them the skills and confidence that they need to provide good care. New staff learn from more experienced colleagues by shadowing shifts. They do not work independently with the young person until the manager is confident in their skills and abilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation aims to provide each member of staff with formal, individual supervision each month. There have been some months when this has not been achieved. Consequently, a valuable opportunity to provide support to staff is not always taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The monthly visits by the independent visitor are insightful and challenging. They help the manager to improve the home. The manager has also completed his own review of the quality of care in the home. This also drives improvement.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC489610 6 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: SC489610 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clouds Childrens Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Clouds Childrens Care Limited, 73 Francis Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8SP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Elizabeth Barrett

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Inspector

Phillip Morris, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC489610 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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