Children's home run by Care 4 Children Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1240840 1 Registered provider: Care 4 Children 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

This children’s home is one of a number of homes operated by a private organisation. It is 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: 8 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2017 Full Outstanding 18/01/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1240840 2

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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- support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study, to understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child overcome any such barriers, and help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment. (Regulation 8(1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure- that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)) This specifically relates to staff ensuring that action to manage risk, as identified in children’s assessments, is consistently carried out. 30/06/2018

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, provides the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Staff should have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14) Inspection report children’s home: 1240840 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person benefits from care that is provided by a stable and consistent staff team. As a result, the young person has developed relationships with staff and has learned, over time, to manage incidents of conflict or misunderstanding in a positive manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff actively promote and support contact between the young person and his family. There is daily communication between the staff and family members, and a collaborative approach is taken to providing care. This supports the young person’s sense of identity and long-term plan to return to his home area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthy routines such as bedtimes and mealtimes are well established for the young person. He is supported by the staff to make age-appropriate steps towards greater independence in line with risk assessments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person lives in a well-maintained home and his bedroom is highly personalised. The young person is regularly consulted about all aspects of his care, and benefits from the positive care and support that staff provide for him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Due to permanent school exclusion, the young person is provided with limited individual home tutoring. Although the staff encourage the use of online resources, to supplement learning towards pending exams, this has not been successful. As a result, opportunities to maximise his potential and life chances are missed.

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

The young person feels safe at the home. As a result of the supervision he has been offered, the frequency of behaviour that posed a risk to himself and others has significantly diminished. There have been no incidents of missing from home, and drug or alcohol use is not a feature of his life.

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

The young person has, over time, learned to take a more reflective approach to his emotional responses. Staff have invested time and patience in seeking to educate the young person about relationships and the effects of his responses. As a result, physical intervention is rarely used and, when necessary, is often low-level in nature.

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

Staff are aware of the young person’s complex history and previous behaviours. Risk assessments are written to reflect these, and they are clear in the actions expected from staff. However, there have been a number of occasions when the young person has maximised opportunities to inappropriately use the internet. This has occurred during gaps in staff supervision or when restrictions have not been fully adhered to. Although staff have spoken to the young person about these incidents, subsequent actions from Inspection report children’s home: 1240840 4 staff to prevent reoccurrence have not been consistent. In addition, when attempting to address these incidents staff have not always appreciated the complexity of the motivating factors for the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been registered to manage this home since July 2017. He is suitably qualified and experienced for the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

He leads a dedicated and consistent staff team. The manager offers continuous and daily advice to staff and ensures that formal means of support, via supervision and appraisal, are regular and timely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are offered appropriate levels of ongoing training, and these are planned for in advance. Both the manager and staff maintain good working relationships with all professional partners. Information sharing and liaison are an integral part of how the whole professional group works, to meet the needs of the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the home remains comfortable and well maintained. Improvements have included the installation of a new bathroom suite and the redecoration of the living room. Case records continue to be improved, and recordings are clear and well ordered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff understand the background of the young person well. They have worked hard to build trusting relationships and adjust the care that is offered, to better meet his complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has appropriate systems in place to track and monitor the progress that the young person is making. These systems also include regular tracking via internal multi-disciplinary team meetings.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1240840 5 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2SR

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Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1240840 6 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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Inspector

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