Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report children’s home: SC032083 1 SC032083 Registered provider: Castle Homes Care 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

A private company owns this home. It is registered to give care and accommodation for three young people who may have social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2014.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC032083 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Good 20/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC032083 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, makes arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, only assess relevant risks that are known or any emerging risks for each young person. 30/09/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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 child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is a plan in place that collates all of the information regarding a young person’s education. 30/09/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from 30/09/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC032083 4 harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the safer area report is used in conjunction with a young person’s impact risk assessment in order to ensure the area is safe for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a caring, friendly and supportive home. Staff give the young people the help that they need to grow by being patient and understanding. A parent said, ‘It is the best home that my son has been in, and he has changed a lot.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have good transitions in and out of the home. The transitional planning allows young people to visit the home prior to moving in, and to visit any proposed placement when moving on. The manager has identified in the safer area location assessment risks that are associated with the home’s proximity to a derelict barn and a pond. However, this information was not used to fully inform the placement decision of the most recently admitted young person and whether this proximity would be an issue. Currently, this has not had an adverse impact on the young person’s safety, but if not addressed it has the potential to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Prior to coming to this home, both young people had been out of education for a significant period. One young person was initially home tutored but has now moved on to a specialist setting in a mainstream school. Since being at this school, he has moved up two levels in both English and maths. The other young person attended the company’s school and recently sat some exams. He has applied to a college for a mechanics course. The manager has worked tirelessly and challenged education professionals to make this happen. However, these efforts are not recorded in the young person’s education plan. Therefore, it is difficult to see what action the manager took and how this has helped the young person to progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s care plans are regularly updated. Any changes are discussed with the young people, discussed in staff meetings and shared with professionals. This means that everyone is aware of any changes and that staff are clear about the support that the young people need daily. Young people share their views, wishes and feelings through regular key-worker sessions, house meetings and daily chats. A young person said, ‘We are always asked our opinion, and that makes me feel part of any decision.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are in good health because staff act as any good parent would. For example, the manager has pursued emotional health assessments for the young people. This means that they now have extra support from a qualified counsellor to help them cope with past difficulties, with their emotional health and in expressing their anger appropriately. The staff have learned that one young person is sensory motivated. For example, the material that his clothes are made of is important to him. Staff have also tried different textures in food and added sensory items to the lucky dip box. This means Inspection report children’s home: SC032083 5 that staff have embraced this information and are trying several ways to incorporate this in to his care. In addition to this, close working with a dietician has meant that a young person’s BMI has reduced into the normal range.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people have different arrangements for keeping in contact with their families. These arrangements include meeting parents at a halfway point. A parent said, ‘We live three hours away, and staff meet us. I am really grateful for this because it allows me to see my son regularly.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive help to engage in a wide range of individual and group activities. This broadens their experiences and social interaction. For example, young people go to the cinema, fairgrounds and the beach together. One young person has made suitable friendships with other young people in the community. As a result, he is experiencing positive relationships and has not been involved in any criminal activity.

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

Young people said that they were safe in this home. The home’s safeguarding arrangements help to keep young people safe and protect them. The young people receive good levels of support and close supervision. Consequently, they have not been reported missing from the home.

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

One young person has made allegations against different members of staff. Professionals involved in his care recognise that this is his way of coping with his anger and emotions. However, the manager treats each incident with the same care and attention. The incidents are reported to and shared with safeguarding professionals. This means that any potential concern is not overlooked.

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

Staff are trained in safeguarding and understand what actions to take if they have any concerns about a young person’s welfare. The manager reports concerns appropriately and quickly to the safeguarding agencies. Shared information means that action is taken, and strategies are discussed to lessen the risk. Therefore, the young people receive the right support to help them to be safe.

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

Generally, risk assessments are of good quality and they give useful information to staff to help to keep young people safe. However, at the last inspection, the manager was asked to review their approach to risk assessment. In her eagerness to make sure that this was completed, she has risk assessed a range of potential risks even though they are not identified as an actual risk for young people. For example, the manager undertook risk assessments for going to the cinema, going bowling and travelling in a car for one young person even though they were not identified as a risk. Further to this, a risk assessment referring to the use of a front hold was on a young person’s file when it was agreed that this hold would be unsafe and should not be used. This does not show that young people’s needs are individually assessed.

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

One young person has been subject to restraint. Staff are trained in restraint and de- escalation techniques. Clear recordings show that the intervention was necessary, and Inspection report children’s home: SC032083 6 that the young person was debriefed on the incident. The debrief gave the young person the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour.

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

Staff are using a restorative approach in dealing with negative behaviour. This helps young people and staff find an agreed solution to any problems that may arise. As a result, young people come up with their own ideas for sanctions. For example, one young person agreed to come home earlier after arriving home late the night before. In conjunction with this, young people work towards agreed targets, goals and rewards. One young person has earned a choice of items that are more personal to him, such as a gaming chair, and hero and football stickers. Another young person has received extra money for clothing and spends. In addition to this, the manager has compiled a lucky dip box that has items of interest in for the young people. This means that any good behaviour can be rewarded instantly through offering a choice from the box.

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

The company follows the safer recruitment guidance. All checks are completed and verified to make sure that members of staff are suitable to work with young people. Regular health and safety checks mean that the home is physically safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and suitably qualified manager manages the home. The manager and deputy manager divide areas of responsibility to make sure that there is good oversight of the home’s records, managerial tasks and support to the young people and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good levels of staffing mean that young people’s needs are met. Staff show a real commitment to their role and speak proudly of the young people’s achievements and progress. A parent said, ‘The staff are wonderful and know my child extremely well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that there is an open environment where their views and opinions matter. Staff receive regular and useful supervision. Several members of staff discussed the improvements that there have been in staff meetings. One member of staff said, ‘We discuss areas of practice and look how that affects us and the young people, such as the recent data protection training. Therefore, we are all clear that some records require changing.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Half of the staff team hold a relevant childcare qualification. Other staff are at different stages of completion. New staff are enrolled on the course after their induction period. New staff then complete a probation period. They receive a high level of supervision and development opportunities to make sure that their practice is good. In addition to this, all staff complete mandatory training during their probation period. This training is regularly refreshed. Staff continue to broaden their knowledge through other training, such as that around radicalisation, data protection and restorative approaches.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and review systems in the home help the manager to show the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the staff team. Action is taken quickly to attend to any shortfalls and to celebrate strengths. As part of this monitoring, there is consultation with young people, professionals, staff and stakeholders in order that an all-round view Inspection report children’s home: SC032083 7 is collated about the care given at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a detailed development plan that shows how the home would like to move forwards. For example, the manager found that having a room designated for education was not in line with a family home and that the space could be used more productively as both young people are in education placements. After consulting with the young people and members of staff, work is being done to change this into a quiet area or gaming room.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has addressed all the requirements and recommendations that were made at the last inspection. For example, restraint records have improved, there are good arrangements to cover the manager in her absence, staff are completing their childcare qualification within timescales, and the manager has challenged professionals to get the information that she needs to care for the young people well.

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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: SC032083 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC032083 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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