–

Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 1 SC394463 Registered provider: Cornerstone Children’s Homes Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run and managed by a private company.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for three young people who may be victims of abuse and may have attachment issues, may use drugs and/or alcohol and may be at risk of offending, child exploitation, sexually harmful behaviour and self-harm.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 1 November 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/11/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 3

p.2

Recommendations

 Ensure that children are in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 5.14, page 28)  Ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. This relates specifically to obtaining a copy of a young person’s personal education plan. (‘Guide to the children homes regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.1, page 14)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and that the principles set out in paragraph 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to

p.3

Recommendations

children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 9.36, page 46)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress, taking into account their starting points, across all aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. They benefit from well-planned, highly individualised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have good relationships with young people. They are positive role models and young people look up to and learn from them. Young people enjoy warm and secure relationships with staff and they sustain their positive attachments. They benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives. One young person said, ‘The staff are like parents to me. Staff are good even though they’re not our parents… they try their best for us.’ A therapist commented that, ‘Staff are not afraid to provide what a child needs. Staff appropriately use affection. There is something about this particular home which is quite special. They’re very child-focused and they genuinely care.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with health professionals to promote young people’s good health. Young people have access to the services they need to be healthy and they enjoy good health. Medical consent is in place, and staff are clear about what types of health decisions and responsibilities are delegated to them. The storage and administration of young people’s medication are managed safely and effectively by staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 4 Young people enjoy a broad range of creative, stimulating and enjoyable activities, for example rock climbing, ice hockey, hill walking, bike riding and visiting other towns and cities to access any events of specific interest to them. A parent said, ‘When he first arrived, he was a troubled boy. I have seen a massive change in him. He’s become more mature and independent. I believe he’s doing well in school.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school or alternative educational provision regularly, with good support and encouragement from staff. Young people are learning and make good progress in education, taking into account their starting points. However, not all young people attend school on a full-time basis, and some young people require a personal education plan to promote their educational achievement.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from contact with their friends and families, which means that they can sustain close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff consult with young people regularly and ensure that they are able to influence and contribute to the running of their home. As a result, young people feel valued, empowered and actively listened too.

p.4

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

Staff consistently place the safety of young people at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the challenges that this presents. They have a clear understanding of young people’s specific needs and vulnerabilities, and they take appropriate action to address them. Risks associated with young people are well known and understood by staff.

p.4

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

The frequency with which young people go missing has reduced considerably. Staff actively look for young people if they go missing. They follow the home’s procedures to locate the young people quickly and encourage their safe return. This includes ensuring that they have an independent return home interview to identify the underlying reasons for the going missing. There have only been two occasions when young people have gone missing since the last inspection.

p.4

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

Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities so that appropriate action is taken by the right professional agencies to support and protect young people. The home maintains highly effective partnerships with the police and all other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of young people.

p.4

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

Staff apply the home’s rules and boundaries consistently to promote a safe and positive environment for young people. Young people reported that: ‘I used to be really naughty, but I’ve learned how my attachment style works and that’s really helped me,’ and ‘I used to cause lots of damage but I’ve learned to self-regulate. Compared to who I was when I first came here, you wouldn’t recognise me.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 5 Sanctions used to address poor behaviour are fair and proportionate. The use of restraint is a last resort and it is only ever used to protect young people from harm. However, a small number of physical interventions have resulted in accidental ground holds, which increase the risk of young people suffering harm. Consequently, increased scrutiny of restraint practices is needed to address this issue. Young people know how to make a complaint, and their rights are promoted effectively.

p.4

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

Staff are recruited and vetted carefully to ensure that young people are protected from unsuitable adults. Staff are trained in child protection so they know how to deal with allegations and report suspected abuse. Visitors to the home are closely chaperoned and suitably monitored.

p.5

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

The home provides young people with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable, homely and nurturing living environment. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively to promote a safe environment for young people and staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people benefit from a skilled, well-qualified, trained and experienced registered manager, who prioritises their needs effectively. The registered manager is consistently ambitious and enthusiastic about sustaining the home’s improvement. They make child- centred decisions and ensure that staff share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. The culture of this home is characterised by exceptionally high expectations of staff and high aspirations for young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Effective action has been taken to address all of the requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection. Staff morale has improved considerably and the content of staff supervision is now practice related and extremely child-focused. Independent monitoring visits are now conducted each month and return home interviews are now undertaken with young people when they have been missing.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The standard of young people’s accommodation has improved significantly. There are improved arrangements for routine repairs and redecoration of the home. This ensures that the home provides a high standard of accommodation for young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Highly effective partnerships are maintained with schools, parents, therapists and social workers to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all-round support. The registered manager makes effective use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities. She has an excellent understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses, and takes action to irradiate any shortfalls in practice to secure improvement.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home meets the aims and objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose, by delivering a high-quality service for young people that makes a positive and significant difference to their lives. A social worker reports, ‘He’s done remarkably well since living Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 6 at the home. He’s accessed therapy and formed good relationships with the staff. He has come on leaps and bounds. He considers the home to be his family home.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Seventy percent of staff are appropriately skilled and qualified. Those staff who are not yet qualified are undertaking training to obtain a recognised qualification. Some staff have other ‘relevant’ professional qualifications in health and social care. As a result, a competent staff team is working at the home. Staff have access to high-quality training, for example training on attachment and trauma, which enables them to meet the specific needs of the young people living at the home.

p.6

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.

p.6

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: SC394463 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cornerstone Children’s Homes Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 53 King Street, Manchester M2 4LQ

p.7

Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8