Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC489416 1 SC489416 Registered provider: Care 4 Children Residential Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She has been registered to manage the home since July 2017.

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC489416 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/05/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Full Requires improvement 15/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC489416 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; are provided with supervision and support to enable them to

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)). 30/09/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to 30/09/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC489416 4 meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child

p.3

Requirement Due date

and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)). The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registererd person considers to be serious (Regulation 40 (4)(e)). 03/08/2018

p.4

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 ─ have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)). 30/09/2018

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually, and actively assess the risks to each child and make sure that the plans in place to manage these risks are clear (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5). In particular, contingency assessments and plans should consider all known risk, so that the correct safeguards can be put in place to protect young people and staff.  The capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, provide 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: SC489416 5  Children’s homes staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate

p.4

Recommendations

opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home’s plan for their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Through their living at the home, young people’s life chances significantly improve. Individual starting points include low school attendance, frequent missing from home incidents and involvement in activities that posed a significant risk to their safety and welfare. All young people now attend education, have sat and passed exams and are developing ambitions for their futures.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are given timely and ongoing therapeutic support that enables them to develop their self-worth, better regulate their emotions and reflect on their personal life experiences. They engage well with this support and value the benefit this brings to their lives.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers work well with other professionals to ensure that care plans are progressed and that transitions from the home are managed in a way that is focused on the needs of young people. Young people’s identities are promoted and contact with families fully supported.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly spend time with young people on both a planned and unplanned basis. This work is guided and informed through regular consultation with the home’s therapist.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s interests and activities are, on the whole, encouraged. There has been occasion, however, when these planned activities have not taken place.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are able to identify staff who they trust and have positive relationships with. However, they have expressed dissatisfaction with staff turnover and the way in which staff are allocated to work with them. They have at times not felt fully listened to.

p.5

improvement to be good

There have not been any missing from home incidents, drug or alcohol use or incidents of child sexual exploitation since the last full inspection. Young people said that they feel safe living at the home.

p.5

improvement to be good

Risk assessments are detailed and take into account young people’s histories, previous behaviours and factors that could place them at risk. However, some risk assessments Inspection report children’s home: SC489416 6 have not always been adhered to by staff, and there has been confusion among staff with regards to updated arrangements for young people’s safety. This has led to lapses in supervision and circumstances in which young people have attempted to circumvent the restrictions concerning access to social media.

p.5

improvement to be good

Physical intervention is rarely required in order to manage incidents when they occur, and staff, on the whole, successfully employ de-escalation techniques. However, there have been occasions when staff have not demonstrated the necessary insight or skills to appropriately respond to young people, and this has unnecessarily contributed to incidents occurring.

p.6

improvement to be good

When allegations against staff and shortfalls in their care of young people have been identified, the manager has appropriately investigated and addressed those matters. However, some serious incidents have not been notified to Ofsted, and this reduces the regulatory body’s oversight of the home.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She has been registered to manage the home since July 2017.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

At the last inspection, two requirements and one recommendation were made. Those requirements related to the inexperience of staff, their qualifications and staff turnover rate. The requirements have not been met. The majority of staff are not qualified, and this has led to inexperienced and unqualified staff leading shifts and working with young people who present with complex and challenging needs. At times, the managers have worked long hours in order to compensate for this shortfall. Since May 2018, there have been six new members of staff.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The recommendation regarding contingency planning for the home has not been met. The plans for young people having to leave the home unexpectedly are insufficiently detailed.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are suitable systems in place to monitor young people’s key areas of progress. Staff are offered good levels of support from the manager to ensure that young people receive appropriate levels of care.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although there are suitable training opportunities available to staff, these are not timely with regards to the needs of the staff and their overall experience as a team. The managers are aware of these difficulties and are developing plans to expedite training and localise its delivery.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The managers are aware of the shortfalls, and plans are being developed to address these. These plans have included decisions to maintain and not increase the current numbers of those young people living at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC489416 7 The records kept regarding young people are clear and reflect well young people’s progress and the input from staff. Young people understand their progress and the plans for future work.

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.7

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: SC489416 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Children Residential Services Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC489416 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.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9