Children's home run by Atlas Healthcare Ltd in Cheshire East

Inspection report children’s home: SC429778 1 SC429778 Registered provider: Atlas Healthcare 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 offers full-time care and accommodation for up to ten children and young people, and short breaks for up to five children and young people, who have a learning disability. The home is located within the local community. The registered manager has been in her current role since November 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: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: two compliance notices, to improve how children and young people are safeguarded and leadership and management, were issued at the last inspection. These have been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC429778 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2018 Full Inadequate 24/07/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/04/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC429778 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. The registered person should ensure that skills in safeguarding are gained and refreshed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.13) In particular, ensure that the staff know how to respond when a child or young person sustains an injury because of an accident, and that the registered person reviews all accidental injuries to ensure that the children and young people’s welfare is promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people enjoy a range of positive experiences that enhance their confidence and self-esteem. Relationships with the staff are warm and nurturing. The children and young people have formed close bonds with their peers, which are developing into meaningful friendships. There is a wide range of varied and stimulating activities available. These provide the children and young people with opportunities to have purposeful experiences, which they thoroughly enjoy. All the children and young people attend school, and most are reaching their predicted educational targets and outcomes. Collaborative working between the staff and teachers gives the children and young people high levels of continuity and stability. This effective joint-working and consistency is particularly important for those children and young people who struggle with transitions. A comment in a child’s school report states: ‘Since [Name] moved into the home he has

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

overcome so many challenges and his personality is very much coming to the fore. There are many successes to celebrate.’ The children and young people’s healthcare needs are met. They are registered with local healthcare services, and children and young people who have more complex health needs have access to the specialist services that they need. The staff encourage the children and young people to live a healthy lifestyle that includes lots of exercise and fresh air, and they are offered high-quality nutritious meals. The children and young people are consulted to ascertain their views, wishes, aspirations and feelings. The staff employ a wide range of communication aids to better enable the children and young people to participate in their activities of daily living. This promotes the children and young people’s inclusion and their equality and diversity. A social worker said: ‘The staff are doing a fabulous job. There are some gorgeous photographs

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

of [Name] attending his school prom and it is great to see him joining in so many activities.’ The children and young people’s contact arrangements are clearly set out in their care plans and the staff actively facilitate contact visits within the community and in the Inspection report children’s home: SC429778 4 home. The staff have excellent relationships with parents, carers and the children and young people’s siblings. They are very welcoming to all visitors and they are supportive towards the children and young people’s families. This ensures that the children and young people can maintain strong emotional bonds with those closest to them. The children and young people are supported and encouraged to learn and develop their independence skills. The staff carefully plan individual independence goals that are realistic and attainable. As a result, the children and young people are progressing. Teaching the children and young people to become independent increases their well-

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

Safeguarding arrangements have significantly improved since the last inspection. The home has met a compliance notice to ensure that the children and young people’s safety is paramount. There have been no child protection referrals since the last inspection. The staff receive regular safeguarding training and the registered manager has good links with local safeguarding agencies. No children or young people are at risk from exploitation, going missing, radicalisation or extremism. The registered manager has carried out a review of how the children and young people’s behaviour is managed and the use of restraints. The behaviour management policy has been updated to ensure that, following a restraint, appropriate medical attention is sought. There is better scrutiny of restraints, and following each incident a thorough debrief now takes place. These improved measures promote the children and young people’s safety.

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

Risk management and the quality of risk assessments are improved. The staff are more involved in managing the children and young people’s known risks and how these will be reduced. Better recruitment practice ensures that all safety checks for new employees are carried out and verified. Consistent staffing levels maintain good supervision and observation of the children and young people, which maintains their welfare. A new recommendation has been raised to strengthen how the staff respond to children and young people who sustain accidental injuries. This relates to the registered manager improving the evaluation of what happened and why. Accidental injuries very rarely happen and to date the injuries have been minor. However, improved monitoring that includes ‘lessons learned’ will reduce the likelihood of more serious injuries occurring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is an experienced practitioner who has the skills and knowledge to carry out her role. She is supported by a committed assistant manager who strives to improve the outcomes for the children and young people. Together, they form a strong management team and have worked hard, since the last inspection, to address the previous requirements and two compliance notices. Positive changes to staffing arrangements are considerable. The registered manager has ensured that all staff training is up to date, and she has introduced a new recording system that clearly sets out when training updates are due. Staff duty rotas better Inspection report children’s home: SC429778 5 demonstrate that good staffing levels are maintained. Where agency staff are used, care is taken to ensure that the same staff work at the home to provide consistency for the children and young people. Staff recruitment is ongoing. The registered manager has evaluated the reasons for staff

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

turnover and she is exploring ideas to increase staff satisfaction at work and staff retention. Feedback from the staff at this inspection is positive. All of the staff said that morale is ‘good’. Comments from the staff include ‘I love it here, everyone does’ and ‘I have worked here for 16 years and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else’. A great deal of time has been invested to improve the children and young people’s residential care plans so that they are more individualised. The registered manager has set up in-house training for all the staff on care planning, which is showing positive results. There is a marked improvement in how the staff record information about the children and young people, which respects their dignity and confidentiality. A previous requirement to improve the interior of the home is met, with stunning results. A great deal of time and effort has been spent redecorating and refurbishing parts of the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

home to make the environment more child-friendly and homely. The children and young people were consulted, and they have actively contributed their wishes and ideas to the positive changes. Relationships between the registered manager and staff, and parents and other professionals involved in the care and support of the children and young people continue to be supportive and meaningful. There are some very good examples of effective partnership working that contribute to improved outcomes, and the feedback from parents is extremely positive. A social worker said: ‘We have very good communication with the home, and the families of my young people have complete faith in the staff.’ There is one new recommendation arising from this inspection.

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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: SC429778 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Atlas Healthcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Norcliffe House, Station Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 1BU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Maureen Richardson

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Inspector

Debbie White, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC429778 7 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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