Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC020630 1 SC020630 Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to accommodate up to six young people aged 11 to 18. Care and accommodation is provided to children and young people who have experienced trauma in their lives. There is a manager in post who is in the process of becoming the registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 September 2018

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2018

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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: SC020630 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/06/2016 Full Outstanding 16/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC020630 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The current young people have moved into the home relatively recently. However, each young person has made positive progress. Staff and managers are child focused and strive to encourage each young person to reach their full potential. Young people report feeling happy and safe living in their home. One young person has a college placement and is actively seeking part-time employment. Another young person has been accessing educational activities and focusing on revision while she waits for a personal tutor. Managers actively advocate for young people to ensure that their educational needs are met with minimal delay. There is a strong focus on therapeutic support with young people accessing weekly therapy. This is beneficial, as young people have the space and opportunity to explore their feelings and past experiences. Staff deliver weekly ‘workshops’ exploring topics such as positive relationships, online safety and risk-taking behaviour. This work is

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

overseen by the therapist to ensure that subjects are delivered in a sensitive manner and help to keep young people safe. Staff support young people to access medical attention when needed and ensure that they take any required medication. Young people are encouraged to lead healthier lifestyles through diet and exercise. This has had a positive impact on one young person’s health, helping them to lose a significant amount of weight. Staff support young people to develop their independence skills. This is done in a planned and considered way. Young people must demonstrate that they are able to manage certain situations before they can move onto the next stage of their independence plan. This is effective, as young people work hard to make progress to gain free time, have their own phone and cook their own meals. Staff showcase young people’s skills by creating records of achievements for each young person. These records contain certificates of courses that they have taken part in. This

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

supports young people in the future when applying for jobs and college placements. Staff have a good understanding of each young person’s needs and they know the young people well. This allows staff to provide individual care and adapt their approach accordingly when needed.

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

The manager and staff manage risks well and act quickly to ensure that young people are kept safe and feel safe. Risks assessments are detailed, and staff are supported to understand these, having the opportunity to explore these further in supervision and mentoring sessions if they need to. Risk assessments are updated immediately following any incidents. Debriefs with young people help them to explore what has happened, why the incident happened, and how they can be supported to prevent further incidents. This allows young people to explore Inspection report children’s home: SC020630 4 what has happened in a solution-focused way. Due to the rural location of the home, young people rarely go missing. When this does occur, staff act quickly and appropriately by following the missing from care protocols that are in place. Staff are proactive in managing potential incidents when young people may harm themselves by removing potential risks and providing a therapeutic and

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

supportive environment for young people. This approach is effective and has reduced young people’s risk-taking behaviour. The manager and staff provide clear guidance and boundaries to young people. Young people are rewarded for positive behaviour and appropriate consequences are implemented if young people make the wrong behavioural choices. Young people are given the opportunity to work towards reversing the consequence by demonstrating positive behaviour. While at times young people find this frustrating, it keeps them safe and supports young people to make safe choices. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and know how to respond to incidents should they need to.

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

The manager is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted. This process has been unavoidably delayed and the manager needs to ensure that this is now resolved in a timely way. However, under the leadership of the new manager, the service has met all the requirements made at the last inspection. Due to the consistency of the manager in post, the negative impact on the young people has been minimal. The manager has a clear vision for the home and is driving forward a therapeutic service. The manager utilities the onsite therapist to train staff and improve their skills. This provides young people with a consistent approach and promotes a therapeutic service. The staff team is in its infancy and is still expanding and developing. However, staff are supported through good supervision and mentoring sessions. This is beneficial as staff feel supported and have opportunities to develop their career.

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

Leaders and managers review serious incidents and reflect on lessons learned. As a result, amendments to practice have been made. One serious incident has taken place. Following the review of this incident, the manager made positive changes to the service. Staff training improved, and the use of mobile phones was reviewed. The manager has since developed her confidence in challenging professionals in a proactive manner to ensure that young people are safe and get the best possible care. The manager has positive relationships with professionals and parents. This is due to good communication and partnership working. The manager keeps young people’s needs at the centre of her decision-making.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC020630 5 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: SC020630 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC020630 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 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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