Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report children‟s home: SC456543 1 SC456543 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 is a private children‟s home registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person who may 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: 9 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 Due to the good support provided by the staff, the young person has made and is making good progress when living at the home. The young person benefits significantly from the nurturing environment and the routine and structure to his day.  The young person is thriving because of the strong and trusting relationships Inspection report children‟s home: SC456543 2 that he has established with the staff team.  A close working partnership with therapists helps the staff to understand and manage the young person‟s emotional and medication needs.  The young person‟s physical health needs are being met. Positive change has been made to the young person‟s diet and with a good variety of fun activities these contribute to the young person‟s physical and emotional well-being.  A strong culture of learning is encouraged by the staff. The young person has good school attendance and he is achieving.  The young person is regularly and effectively consulted in respect of their care

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Key findings from this inspection

planning and support needs. A good example of this is seen in the management of transitions out of the home for the current young person and previous young person.  The social worker and a parent have absolute confidence that the staff meet the young person‟s needs well.  The staff have a good understanding of how to keep the young person safe.  Positive behaviour is encouraged and restraint is not used. If consequences are imposed for inappropriate behaviour, these are fair and proportionate.  The young person has contact with their family and the staff go above and beyond to facilitate and support this.  Leaders and managers are very committed and supportive. They act as positive role models for the young person and the new staff members.  The staff are dedicated and child-focused, well trained and have good communication systems in place. These arrangements are specific to the needs of the young person living in the home.

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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 review of the quality of care report is not available in the home. This means that the staff cannot act on any identified areas for improvement.  The frequency of the manager‟s supervision is not evidenced in the records in line with regulation.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/06/2016 Full Good 31/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/12/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC456543 3

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Statutory requirement

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 complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. (Regulation 45 (1)) 31/01/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The purpose of the home is to provide the young person with unconditional positive regard in a nurturing environment. The staff and the young person spoken with during the inspection conveyed this clearly. As a result, in the short time that the young person has lived in the home he has made and is making significant progress. He is enjoying his experiences and participating in his daily routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is thriving due to the strong, secure and trusting relationships built with his staff. This enables the young person to positively engage, build trust in adults, listen to the advice given and have positive daily experiences. The young person responds well to a staff team that treats him with respect and provides consistent, nurturing care. The young person told the inspector, „It‟s really nice here, all of the staff are helpful and I am doing really well.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has easy access to therapy as and when needed from the organisation‟s clinical psychologist. There are daily opportunities for him to explore underlying reasons for his thinking and behaviour. The clinical psychologist works closely with the home and is available to provide guidance to the staff. Staff speak very highly of this professional advice. The young person benefits from professionals who work together and provide an overarching view of his needs and support, resulting in Inspection report children‟s home: SC456543 4 agreeable and clear plans for his future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health and emotional needs of the young person take priority. The young person living in the home has a wide and diverse range of healthcare needs. The manager and staff work in partnership with local healthcare services. The young person‟s diet has improved and he is engaging in good and regular fun activities. These arrangements significantly contribute to the young person‟s well-being. Staff have completed specific training covering autistic spectrum disorder, in order for them to meet the specific needs of the young person living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff utilise effectively advice and services from the child and adolescent mental health services, particularly around the young person‟s medication needs, all of which are known by the staff in the home. All medication in the home is stored securely, checked daily, administered safely and accountable in the records kept by the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff place the importance of education at the centre of their practice. This ensures that the young person attends school full time, and he has excellent attendance and is achieving well. The staff have ensured that education or employment are secured prior to any young person moving on from the home. This is evidenced well with a previous young person being fully prepared for her move into supported accommodation and having a job in the area where she moved to. Joined-up working with the current young person‟s school in his home area has ensured that a school placement is available when he returns as planned to his family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person‟s social worker said: „This home is good, the manager is supportive and all of the staff have my young person‟s interest at the heart of the work they do. They are very supportive to my young person and his parent and are making all the necessary arrangements for a smooth transition back to his family home. They will be involved in the family conference to ensure that the young person‟s return home is successful.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has a voice at the home and he told the inspector that he feels listened to by his staff. The staff gain his views in a variety of ways through weekly meetings, feedback questionnaires about the quality of care he receives in the home and during daily conversations. These arrangements capture the young person‟s views, wishes and feelings on all aspects and experiences of living in the home. The young person has personalised his bedroom and has been consulted on in relation to the decor and furnishings in the home. The young person has no complaints but knows how to raise a concern and with whom, and he is confident that he will be listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff team are committed to ensuring that the young person has contact with his family and those who are important to him. The staff go above and beyond to ensure that contact does take place, for example by driving the young person to different parts of the country, arranging overnight stays and facilitating contact for family members to visit this home. These arrangements ensure that the distance between this home and family is not an issue and that the needs of the young person and their family are being met. Inspection report children‟s home: SC456543 5 The young person‟s parent told the inspector that „staff treat my son as if he is one of their own. They go out of their way to help him and support me. I cannot fault the home in any way and the staff always make me feel welcome when I visit.‟

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

The young person told the inspector that he feels safe and he feels that the staff are always there to help and protect him. The young person is kept safe by staff understanding and implementing risk management strategies effectively. There have been no child protection referrals to the local authority and no issues necessitating a safeguarding notification to Ofsted in respect of the current young person living in the home. When safeguarding concerns were identified for a previous young person in the home, the manager informed Ofsted and followed up all enquiries in line with the safeguarding procedures to protect and ensure that the young person returned to the home safely.

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

The current young person living in the home does not go missing and there have been no unauthorised absences. Physical intervention has not been required. Praise and reward for the young person far outweigh the use of consequences to manage unwanted behaviour. As a result, the young person‟s emotional and social welfare is encouraged by the staff, enabling him to develop positively. Where consequences have been used for unwanted behaviour, the young person is given the opportunity to discuss the measures imposed and learn from them.

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

The young person has thorough knowledge of how to keep himself safe when using social media sites. Staff are not risk-averse; they build in trust, which means that the young person can access the internet while staying safe within the boundaries agreed with other professionals. Progress has been made in this area as the young person no longer needs to hand in his mobile phone before going to bed. This shows that the young person is mature enough and that he has the knowledge to keep himself safe with less supervision from staff.

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

This has been achieved through good staff support. The young person is nurtured and guided in how to manage safe situations. In addition, comprehensive key-worker records demonstrate the supportive and guiding discussions that are held between the staff and the young person. These records cover a wide range of social issues and how the young person can manage himself safely in the wider world.

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

Health and safety and fire precautions are managed well and this results in the young person living in a well-maintained home that has clear evacuation procedures in the event of a fire or an emergency. There is appropriate documentation relating to various aspects of health and safety, which shows that actions are taken to improve any deficits and reduce risk, where appropriate. For example, a recent structural collapse of part of the ceiling within the staff sleep-in room was responded to swiftly. The manager moved the young person and the staff to a place of safety until a structural engineer identified the work needing to be completed to make the home safe. Ofsted has been kept fully Inspection report children‟s home: SC456543 6 informed of this incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been management changes following the last inspection. The previous registered manager has left the organisation. The new manager has been in post since August 2017. He is undertaking his qualification for the level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The manager has applied to Ofsted to be the registered manager of this home and another two homes within this organisation. His ability to be in day-to-day charge of all three homes will be assessed at his fit person interview when all necessary checks have been returned to Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although the manager is new, he has the relevant experience and has been in a leadership role in other homes within the organisation. He has the support in the home of a deputy as well as the responsible individual, who visits the home regularly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the last inspection in February 2017, two recommendations were made, of which both have now been met. These were in relation to the presentation of the home and the young person‟s paperwork that needed updating at that time. The home has now been fully redecorated and new carpets have now been fitted. The presentation of the home is now much improved and provides a warm and homely environment for the young person, staff and visitors.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Following the last inspection, the previous registered manager challenged the local authority and ensured that the correct paperwork for a young person was sent to the home. The new manager has ensured that the current young person‟s paperwork is complete and corresponds with the agreed care arrangements for the young person in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been staff changes since the last inspection. Three staff have left the home and three new staff have joined the home. However, this had little impact on the care provided to any young person. This is because these changes took place after a young person transitioned out of the home and before the current young person was placed in the home. The majority of staff have completed their level 3 qualification and two members of staff are currently undertaking this qualification. All staff are experienced in working within children‟s homes and told the inspector that they feel well supported by the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision in line with the organisation‟s policy. Staff confirm that their supervision is useful and combines a balance of practice issues, objectives and personal development. All staff appraisals are on target to end February 2018. The staff feel that their training is productive and in line with the specific needs of the young person placed. While the manager does receive supervision from the responsible individual, there is no evidence of this in the records kept in the home. Staff confirm that team meetings are interactive, reflective and the manager uses this time to present changes to new guidance or regulations. There are clear lines of accountability in the home. Individual staff are delegated specific responsibilities and these are overseen by Inspection report children‟s home: SC456543 7 the management team. This ensures that the home, paperwork and care of the young

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

person are being met in line with the regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Joint working with the young person‟s parent and social worker is effective. The manager has acted on feedback from a placing social worker and a parent about the monthly reports that are sent to them. These are now sent out regularly and in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home each month, making a thorough assessment of the quality of care and the young person‟s safety. Their findings have helped the manager develop the home. The manager has a system in place for reviewing the quality of care. However, the review of the quality care report was not available at the time of this inspection as the manager was on leave. This means that the staff cannot act on any identified areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose and workforce development plan are regularly updated, and these documents accurately detail the home‟s aims and objectives and who will provide these to a young person. The documents are reviewed regularly, with updated copies being available and sent to Ofsted. This ensures that stakeholders receive current and accurate information regarding the home.

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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: SC456543 8

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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

Registered manager: Post vacant; interim manager Karl Boddy

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Inspector

Mark Kersh, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC456543 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 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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