Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1240844 1 Registered provider: Care 4 Children Limited

p.1

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 two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager is appropriately qualified and experienced and has been registered to manage the home since September 2017.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 September 2018

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 good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 16 February 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1240844 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1240844 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 registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 15/10/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other serious incident to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 15/10/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 The child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15) This is with particular reference to when children are excluded from education, that staff provide educational activities and seek work from the school for the child to complete.

p.3

Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) This is with particular reference to the updating of risk assessments and risk management plans.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Through the care that young people receive, they grow in confidence, develop socially and are helped to manage their emotions. They are given care that is highly sensitive to their individual needs and growing sense of identity. One young person described living at the home as ‘being part of a family’. Inspection report children’s home: 1240844 4 Young people’s lives are enriched through being supported to develop their talents and interests and they are given opportunities to take part in a wide variety of experiences. For example, both young people enjoyed a summer holiday abroad and one young person is competitively training in his chosen sport.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the staff and young people are positive and warm. The genuine regard and understanding that young people receive help them grow in confidence and resolve any incidents that might occur.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both young people attend education and are making progress against their starting points. One young person has developed a clear career plan for his future and is fully engaged in making this a reality.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When temporary exclusion from school has been necessary for a young person, there has, on occasions, been active liaison between the staff and the school. However, during the period of exclusion, staff did not ensure that the young person completed educational work.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Ongoing therapeutic support is offered to young people in a timely manner. This regular input complements and enhances the daily work and time that staff spend with young people.

p.4

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

Young people do not engage in behaviours that would pose a risk to their welfare and safety, such as drug and alcohol misuse or criminality. Young people rarely go missing, and when this has occurred, it has been for short periods of time and staff were active in keeping in touch and locating them.

p.4

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

Young people feel a sense of safety through living at the home. This is underpinned by the manager and staff thoroughly understanding young people’s vulnerabilities. Disclosures from young people are managed sensitively and in a child-focused way. Subsequent staff discussion regarding the safety and welfare of young people includes appropriate liaison and advice from the therapeutic clinical team.

p.4

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

Some risk assessment and risk management plans have not been updated following incidents or disclosures. The agreed staff responses and actions are therefore not clear to staff who may temporarily work in the home, such as staff from other homes within the company.

p.4

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

Staff establish healthy routines for young people and this supports every aspect of their lives. Over time, young people accept, understand and adhere to the boundaries and expectations that are put in place.

p.4

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

Staff manage incidents with young people through an individualised approach, and de- escalation techniques are used effectively by the staff. Young people are encouraged to make positive choices and become more reflective in their responses. Inspection report children’s home: 1240844 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is appropriately qualified and experienced and has been registered to manage the home since September 2017. She is committed to achieving the right outcomes for young people and leads by example.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive good levels of support and advice from the manager. Young people are central to how the home is run and decisions that are made.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is creative in her use of budgets, and this has ensured that young people enjoyed a high-quality and experience-filled holiday abroad. The planning of this involved young people, for example, saving amounts of weekly activity monies and running fund-raising events. This meant that the holiday was not limited by financial restrictions.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff turnover at the home is low and this provides stability to young people with regard to establishing and maintaining relationships. A team approach is adopted by staff and it is clear that they understand the goals and aspirations for young people. The manager and staff say that they feel ‘proud’ of their young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

On the whole, information and documentation is kept up to date and evidences the progress that young people have made. However, some up-to-date key documentation, relating to care plans and pathway plans, has not been secured from the placing local authorities. These written plans are important to young people as they provide specific details of transition from the home and the services they can expect.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff build and maintain good working relationships with other professionals. Information is shared appropriately and the manager seeks to ensure that care given is collaborative and holistic. However, not all serious incidents relating to the safety and welfare of young people have resulted in a notification to Ofsted. This limits the regulatory body’s oversight of the home.

p.5

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.5

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 Inspection report children’s home: 1240844 6 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: 1240844 7

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Children Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1240844 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8