Children's Home run by St Christopher’s Fellowship in Sandwell

Inspection report children’s home: SC404994 1 SC404994 Registered provider: St Christopher’s Fellowship

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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 home is operated by a registered charity and provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2018 and is suitably experienced and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC404994 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2017 Full Good 16/08/2016 Full Good 05/05/2016 Full Inadequate 27/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC404994 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 registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person and have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 34 (5)(a)(b)) 30/08/2018

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Recommendations

 Keep all children’s case records up to date. This is with particular regard to streamlining and centralising risk management and missing from care protocols and associated records. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a home that is safe and homely. They experience nurture and grow in confidence, as staff have high levels of respect for young people’s individuality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people feel part of the running of the home, as staff listen to their ideas. Positive relationships with staff ensure that young people can raise their views and discuss personal matters because they trust staff to listen and support them. The manager is accessible, approachable and skilled in building relationships with young people. This ensures that young people always have a trusted adult to speak with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are no concerns about bullying. Well-matched placements are clearly evident in young people’s relationships with each other. They look out for each other and share a wonderful sense of fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress across all aspects of their lives. They enjoy good health, with balanced meals, receive encouragement to exercise and support from staff who have sensitive insight into young people’s mental and emotional health. Child- centred key-work sessions, combined with engagement with specialist agencies, support Inspection report children’s home: SC404994 4 young people’s emotional well-being. Such partnership working is key to supporting one young person with a history of substance misuse.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are engaged with learning because staff work to quickly secure education placements. They support attendance and encourage young people to work towards their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are creative in how they support young people’s learning. Young people fully appreciate these opportunities to develop social and independence skills. During this inspection, one young person proudly shared his independence folder and talked about his new skills and plans for his future. All young people loved the recent ‘Come Dine with Me’ activity. They enjoyed quality time with staff, learned how to cook a range of multi- cultural food, experienced good competitive gamesmanship and, most importantly, had great fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff creativity was also demonstrated in a recent ‘role reversal day’ at the home. Young people took on the role of staff, helping them experience the challenges of being staff members. Young people had to practise organisational skills, and the experience allowed young people to reflect on their own behaviours. Another activity, involving baking and selling cakes to raise money for charity, helped young people to develop a keen sense of responsibility and contribute to society.

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

The care planning framework is comprehensive, child-centred and covers all aspects of young people’s needs. Consistently implemented strategies by staff ensure that young people make good progress.

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

Staff are well trained in safeguarding procedures. Young people are safer because staff have an in-depth understanding of young people’s backgrounds, safeguarding needs and individual risk management plans.

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

Staff responses to young people going missing (and the associated risks) are strengthened by individual missing from care protocols. However, some protocols are not individually agreed with the police. This means that incidents could be process-led, rather than a tailored response to the individual vulnerability of young people. Staff show high levels of commitment to following and looking for young people, but inconsistent recording does not always evidence this, making monitoring problematic. These shortfalls have not impacted on the safety of young people and are areas for improvement.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with going missing. This is excellently demonstrated in key-working sessions carried out with young people on their return to, and throughout their placements at, the home.

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

Young people’s behaviour improves because boundaries and behaviour management strategies are clear and agreed with young people. Young people learn from their Inspection report children’s home: SC404994 5 experiences and improve their emotional resilience because they receive compassionate, proportionate and warm responses from staff.

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

Physical intervention is seldom used and is closely monitored by the registered manager. Detailed records show that staff view the use of physical intervention as a last resort to keep young people and others safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff have a clear understanding of the home’s statement of purpose. Both statutory requirements from the last inspection are met. All areas of the home are now well maintained. Reflection on the home’s admissions and matching process for young people has had a significant and positive impact on the running of the home and outcomes for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has taken clear action when some young people’s placements became untenable. The safety of all young people was made a priority, and a clear benchmark for not being able to meet some young people’s needs was drawn. Staff’s child-centeredness shone through, with sensitive support for young people who had to move placement. Staff helped one young person plan her move. Letters from each individual member of staff, photos and telephone calls provided young people with positivity and reassurance after their placements had ended.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New admissions to the home are effectively managed. The newly improved young people’s guide provides easy-to-understand information about the home, including expected support from staff, young people’s rights and their participation in the home. Compatibility assessments are carried out in light of the individual young person’s needs and the potential impact on other young people living at the home. Good collaboration with young people’s social workers and relevant support agencies ensure that young people’s plans are clear and their needs met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is held in high regard by the staff and the young people. Staff feel fully involved, and value the registered manager’s high aspirations for young people and her commitment to staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear understanding of her monitoring responsibilities. Monthly audits show good compliance and demonstrate tracking of the positive outcomes for young people. Independent monitoring reports are comprehensive, positive, and any recommendations are quickly addressed.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC404994 6 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: SC404994 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Christopher’s Fellowship

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Putney High Street, London SW15 1SZ

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Inspector

Elaine Cray, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC404994 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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