Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 1 SC415710 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 home is one of a number of homes operated by a private organisation. The registration allows the provider to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 28 to 29 November 2017

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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: 26 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable

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Key findings from this inspection

 In a relatively short period, young people settle well and begin to make positive progress.  The registered manager and staff manage safeguarding concerns effectively. They follow procedures well. Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 2  Young people have very positive and trusting relationships with staff. This enables young people to feel safe and secure.  Young people’s placement plans are of an extremely good standard and easy to follow. They are young person-focused.  Staff are proactive in seeking advice and guidance from other professionals. This enables young people to receive support in accessing specialist services that meet their identified needs.  Young people have regular contact with their families and friends. They speak positively about this.  Leadership and management are good. The leadership style is inclusive and staff and young people respond well to this.  Staff work effectively together to ensure that young people receive positive

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Key findings from this inspection

messages that are empowering and consistent.  Staff know the young people well. They support and encourage them to develop individual interests and hobbies.  Liaison with other agencies is excellent. Professionals speak very positively about staff communication and partnership working.

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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

 When young people are not engaged in education, their daily routine does not match that of a school day.  Risk assessments and plans do not take into account all risk-taking behaviour. Consequently, these are not always managed effectively.  Missing from home return interviews are not always completed. This limits the ongoing assessment of risk, and the review of the strategies needed to keep young people safe.  Behaviour management is not consistent. Staff do not always follow agreed plans and strategies.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/09/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff –

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Requirement Due date

Help each child to achieve the children education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plan; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child overcome any such barriers (Regulation 8 (1)(2) (a) (i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, engage young people in an educational daily routine and support them in accessing the provision available to them. 18/01/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and make sure that the plans in place to manage these risks are clear. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return to home interview. Homes should take account of the information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect a child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Staff should have a clear understanding of the expectations of the young people’s behaviour. Staff should address poor behaviour in a consistent way. Agreed strategies are to be in place and staff should apply these when managing

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Recommendations

challenging behaviours. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11) In particular, de-escalation techniques should be understood and implemented by all staff, and this should be in a consistent and reassuring way. Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress living here. In a relatively short period, young people settle well and begin to make positive progress. Young people say that it is a good place to live and they feel happy living here. They describe staff as being helpful, friendly, supportive and encouraging. Staff have a good insight into young people’s needs and risk. They know how they can help them to make good progress. The monitoring of this progress is good.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The impact risks assessments are very good. They highlight young people’s historic and presenting needs and risks. They are detailed, analytical, yet concise and provide a clear foundation for the placement plan. The registered manager considers all young people when making a decision to place a young person. She also consults with staff. This ensures that the process is robust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals report that they are happy with the care and support that young people receive. One social worker said that she was pleased with how quickly staff had accessed health services for a young person. This was helping the young person to make good progress. Staff recognise when health needs require a review and act on this in a timely way. This ensures that staff understand current health needs and that young people receive the correct help and support they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have very positive and trusting relationships with staff. This enables young people to feel safe and secure. Staff are nurturing. They are sensitive to young people’s individual needs. Young people respond well to this and as a result good relationships form soon after young people arrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is homely and welcoming. Young people say that they live in a good atmosphere. The home is reflective of the young people living here. Young people are encouraged to personalise their home. They display pictures of themselves, their family and of activities that they have undertaken with staff. Furthermore, they choose the wallpaper and colour scheme of the home. Young people are very respectful of their home. Recent home improvements have meant that old furniture was stored outside in the garden, resulting in a health and safety hazard. The manager arranged for the items to be removed during the inspection. The area is now free from any potential hazards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive individual care that reflects their needs and risks. However, on occasions, risk assessments do not include all known risks. This means that staff are not aware of all risk-taking behaviour. When staff are aware of the risks, they manage these well. Staff work proactively with young people, their families and the relevant agencies to reduce risk. Young people receive good help, support and guidance. As a result, young people’s risk-taking behaviour reduces. Young people recognise this and this makes them feel happy. Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 5 Staff are proactive in seeking advice and guidance from other professionals. This enables young people to receive support in accessing specialist services that meet their identified needs. When services are not readily available, staff explore other ways to support young people and work in partnership with professionals to ensure that the work to be

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

completed will have the desired impact. For example, one young person was on the waiting list for specialist support. Staff sought advice on what work they could complete in the interim. This enabled the young person to explore her feelings and furthermore, how these can affect her behaviour. As a result, behaviours improved and the young person was happier.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When young people first arrive at the home, they are not always engaged in suitable education. Staff take a proactive approach to secure education that meets young people’s needs. They work together with the local authority to ensure that young people have access to the correct educational placements, at the earliest opportunity. When young people do access education, they engage extremely well and attendance is good. Young people say that they like going to school, and talk fondly about making friends at school and having aspirations. However, when young people are not engaged in education their daily routine does not match that of a school day. Consequently, some young people are not engaged in meaningful and focused educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged and supported to develop independent skills. They are empowered to take a lead in their life and learn how choices can have an impact on their future. Young people receive good support in making positive transitions to independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are involved in the running of the home. There are regular young people’s meetings. The meetings cover a range of agenda items. These include the weekly menu, activities and planned changes to the home, for example new young people who are due to move in. The meetings also allow some time to reflect on young people’s progress and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to take part in a range of activities. Staff know the young people well and arrange activities that young people will enjoy. When young people struggle to take part in activities, staff support young people to gain the confidence to engage. As a result, they start to take part in activities and enjoy them. Young people enjoy activities such as trampolining, going to the beach, horse riding, attending the local park and shopping.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have regular contact with their families and friends. They speak positively about this. Staff support and encourage these relationships. When contact arrangements are not working well, staff are able to review these with the social worker and revise them accordingly. Furthermore, if there are specific contact arrangements in place, staff adhere to these and keep young people safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the achievements that young people make. Family, social workers and other relevant professionals receive regular updates on young people’s progress. Professionals say that communication with the home is good. This supports the positive Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 6 progress that young people make. Young people have individual life storybooks that staff complete each day. These books are a day-to-day diary of the young people’s progress and achievements. Photographs of young people enjoying activities and new experiences further enhance the books.

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

Young people are safe and they know that staff care about them. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities with regard to keeping young people safe. Staffing levels are very good. This allows young people to have access to good levels of support that are in line with their individual assessments. Furthermore, this ensures that young people have the required safeguards in place.

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

Staff are caring and nurturing in their approach. Young people respond well to this. They spend meaningful time with staff and they say that they enjoy staff’s company. Young people have the time and space to explore their wishes and feelings. They benefit from focused and regular key-work sessions. Staff complete these to a good standard. The sessions are reflective in nature and young people receive help with learning and understanding their needs and their risk-taking behaviours. Young people are benefiting from this work and this is evident in the reduction in risk-taking behaviour and the positive progress that they make. On occasion, staff duplicate key-work sessions with young people. For example, if an issue arises a variety of staff will become involved and complete work with young people. Thus, staff do not always take a considered and balanced approach to individual work with young people. This can be overwhelming for

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

young people and increase the anxiety of both young people and staff.

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

When young people go missing from their home, staff respond swiftly. They follow the young person’s risk assessment well. However, on occasion specific information is missing from the management plan. Staff work well with other agencies to ensure that everyone is working effectively together to find the young person. Staff share pertinent information with the relevant people. When young people return home they are welcomed, and offered any support they may need. They also receive ongoing help and support to reduce this risk-taking behaviour. Young people do not always receive the return home interview in a timely way. This means that staff are unable to take into account the information provided by such interviews when assessing risks. Thus, they cannot use this information to review the strategies in place to protect a young person.

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

Young people are not always empowered to take a lead in managing their own risk- taking behaviour. Young people say that as they get older they do not have the opportunity to assess their own risks, and learn how to develop the skills to make good decisions to keep safe. This limits their progression in learning how to keep themselves safe in real-life scenarios.

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

Young people’s placement plans are of an extremely good standard and easy to follow. Information is clear and the documents are easy to navigate. They are young person- focused and the reader has a good insight into the young person’s journey. Risk assessments and plans are good. However, behaviour management plans and strategies Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 7 are not always robust enough. Furthermore, on occasion, staff do not follow the agreed behaviour management strategies. De-escalation techniques are not always used. Consequently, behaviours escalate and young people take part in avoidable risk-taking behaviour. Nonetheless, in most instances, staff and young people are clear about the standards of behaviour that are acceptable. When this is clear, young people receive the support they need to take responsibility for their own behaviour and respect the boundaries that are in place. Sanctions are restorative in nature and have the desired

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

The use of physical intervention is rare. When physical interventions are used, staff follow clear policies and procedures and use the accredited techniques that they have received training in. Staff record incidents well. Young people receive follow-up debriefs and key-work sessions to allow time to reflect on the incident. Staff also receive debriefs from a senior person who was not involved in the incident. This allows for clear reflection and learning from the incident.

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

The registered manager and staff manage safeguarding concerns effectively. They follow procedures well and ensure that all relevant people have the required information in a timely way. Recording is clear and provides the reader with a good understanding of the situation and the actions taken. In addition, they act quickly and follow advice and guidance from other professionals and agencies. This ensures that young people and staff are safe. Staff show empathy and understanding towards young people and each other. Consequently, young people and staff feel safe and supported.

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

The recruitment and selection of staff are sufficiently robust. Staff are vigilant and take appropriate steps to verify each visitor’s identity to protect young people. Health and safety checks are completed and this ensures a safe living environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leadership and management are good. The registered manager is new in post. She has made significant changes to the home. This has had a positive impact on young people’s progress and staff development. The registered manager is currently working towards her level 5 in leadership and management. She has a commitment to learning from external monitoring arrangements and applying this learning into practice. She has an inclusive and caring approach. The relationships between the registered manager and staff are positive. Staff speak fondly about her management style and the positive differences that she has made. Young people also speak very positively about her. The registered manager can identify when she needs to take action, in line with statutory guidance. For example, she recently sent in an application to vary the registration of the home in order to provide continuous care for a young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A committed team works well together and adheres to the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose. Staff are suitably qualified or working towards this. Staff provide a consistent approach to the care that they provide for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff establish good relationships with young people, their families, friends and Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 8 professionals. They pride themselves on being able to deliver the best possible care for young people. Staff are encouraged to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills. A good variety of staff training is available. This reflects the needs of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a very good understanding of the needs of young people. Staff work effectively together to ensure that young people receive positive messages that are empowering and consistent. One social worker said that staff persevere, understand the young person’s needs, and tailor the approach to the young person. It is evident that young people respond well to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Liaison with other agencies is excellent. Professionals speak very positively about staff communication and partnership working. They receive regular updates on the progress that young people are making. In addition, staff share any incidents in a timely way. Agencies value the home and the positive changes that young people make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When placements are breaking down, the registered manager and the staff are able to respond quickly. They work hard to reduce the risk of placement breakdown and ensure that young people are reassured and supported throughout. On occasion, young people need to move on to a new placement to ensure that they are safe. When this happens, staff work proactively with partner agencies to ensure that this is a positive transition for the young person. One professional thanked the registered manager and the staff team for working hard, under such extremely difficult circumstances, to keep a placement open until a suitable alternative was found. This gratitude was extended to the staff who supported the young person to their next placement to help them settle in. This demonstrates the continuous commitment that staff have to ensure that, despite the challenging circumstances, young people have positive outcomes.

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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: SC415710 9

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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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Inspector

Lisa Gregoire-Parker, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC415710 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 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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