Children's home run by Your Chapter Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1240884 1 Registered provider: Care 4 Children Holdco 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

The children’s home is one of a number of homes operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 21 December 2016.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1240884 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

2/5/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1240884 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 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 assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that risk assessment and behaviour management plans are kept up to date with current behaviour, risks and strategies to manage and reduce risk and promote positive behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is safe and very homely. The home has recently undergone a period of redecoration, including a new kitchen and bathroom, which has improved the environment for young people to live in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spoke extremely positively of the service, their relationships with staff and the manager, and how they have started to take steps to make improvements in their lives. Inspection report children’s home: 1240884 4 Children attend school regularly and do very well. One young person has improved their attendance, another young person is being supported to sit GCSEs and has been offered the college course of their choice. The staff at the home have worked hard to secure a work placement for a young person so that they can have some experience of the trade they are hoping to pursue at college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and management have worked creatively with children, professionals and family members to support children’s individual contact arrangements with their families and friends. Flexible and child-focused planning ensures that these contact arrangements are maintained. For one young person, this has required a particularly sensitive approach in re-establishing damaged relationships. Staff have supported families and young people well, enabling relationships to be repaired and contact to be a positive experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are consulted regularly about their views on the running of the home. They offer their views and consequently have an active part in planning meals and activities, and taking part in decisions that affect their care.

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

Staff help children to understand risk and how to stay safe. Staff understand the need for children to become independent and to take age-appropriate risks. This helps young people to manage their behaviours and regulate their responses.

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

When children are involved in risk-taking behaviours, such as drinking alcohol, anti-social behaviour and aggression, staff take appropriate responses to keep children safe. The staff and management of the home work collaboratively with professionals to ensure that there is a planned multi-agency response to incidents.

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

Staff provide the children with a safe place to live. The home benefits from a stable and experienced staff team that has a good understanding of the children’s needs and behaviour. However, risk assessments and behaviour management plans do not reflect the most current up-to-date behaviour and risks or clear strategies for staff to manage risk and behaviour.

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

The model of therapeutic care delivered by the home is supported by a team of professionals. The manager has a good understanding of the children’s histories and current needs. Collaborative working with a clinical psychologist supports staff in providing the care practice that is needed to support the behaviours of young people. This is especially important as young people have been reluctant to engage with psychological services themselves. Structured and personalised responses mean that Inspection report children’s home: 1240884 5 challenging behaviours are reducing significantly. Young people told the inspector that they are beginning to manage their feelings better and understand the consequences of their behaviour. Staff use key-worker sessions effectively to help children understand how to keep themselves safe, to recognise the impact of alcohol, drugs and having healthy relationships. The staff demonstrate a good understanding of the risks that children take

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

and why. This leads to compassionate, proportionate and warm responses from staff, resulting in children learning from their experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child focused and has a strong commitment to improving the outcomes for children. He leads a team of staff that has high aspirations for children and a good understanding of children’s needs, and is motivated in its daily roles. Relationships between the children and staff are warm, sincere and positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is well-established in his role and, by continuing with his professional development, remains up to date with research and practice. Since his appointment, he has driven improvements, resulting in positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with other professionals and family members for each child. Professionals overwhelmingly spoke positively about the manager, the staff and the service. One parent said, ‘When issues have arisen with [child’s name]’s behaviour, they have dealt with these professionally and effectively.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been proactive in seeking training to meet the specialist needs of the young people, ensuring that staff have bespoke training in binge drinking and bullying.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has received some complaints from neighbours, including them calling the police to the home to complain about anti-social behaviour. The manager has responded appropriately to these concerns. However, there is no record of this in the home, and this means that the manager cannot monitor patterns and trends and evidence what actions have been taken to reduce complaints about young people and improve community relations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff retention is high at the home, with no new staff since the last inspection. This means that young people are cared for by a consistent and stable staff team, which adds to the feelings of stability for young people. Inspection report children’s home: 1240884 6

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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: 1240884 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Children Holdco Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Care 4 Children, 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2SR

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Inspector

Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1240884 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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