Children's Home run by Friends Therapeutic Community Trust in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC025733 1 SC025733 Registered provider: Friends Therapeutic Community Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A charitable community trust runs this home, which provides a therapeutic programme of care for up to 17 young people. The service caters for a specific range of needs, as detailed in the statement of purpose. The facilities include a registered on-site school and vocational workshops to support accredited work-based learning courses. The community is jointly registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The manager of the home registered with Ofsted in March 2010.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC025733 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2017 Full Outstanding 23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/09/2016 Full Outstanding 24/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC025733 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 prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; and

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(3)(a)(iii)(iv)(vii)) 15/03/2019

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, consider how certain areas of the building could provide a more homely feel.  Evaluation of incidents of missing from home should be undertaken. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.31) In particular, develop the evaluation of responses to incidents of young people Inspection report children’s home: SC025733 4 going missing from the home.  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s

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Recommendations

location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which enables them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) Inspection report children’s home: SC025733 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The overall experiences of the young people are positive. They benefit from therapeutic care and on-site education. Young people have trusting relationships with the staff. The large staff team embodies the therapeutic approach and community ethos of the home. Relationships are forged from open and honest communication during which young people are challenged and encouraged to voice their opinions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has an on-site school and provides training. Young people can attend a combination of core subjects. These include English and mathematics and vocational skills, such as mechanics and woodwork, according to their abilities and interests. The young people make progress in education and their attendance is high.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the young people to see their families when this is appropriate. The staff have good relationships with families and involve them whenever possible. Families feel involved in the young people’s lives. Family get-togethers are positive. A young person’s mother said, ‘The staff are brilliant. They bring him to see me and his family. It is quite simply the best place that he has lived.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people express their views and opinions freely through daily community meetings. The meetings are based on a therapeutic model. Any issue about community living can be discussed openly. Young people can speak individually with staff in weekly therapy sessions. Communication is fluid. Young people have regular access to an advocate and are confident in making a complaint if they need to raise an issue.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a very large building. Generally, it is decorated well, and a homely, nurturing feel is achieved throughout the communal areas. However, parts of the home have an institutional feel that detracts from what is otherwise a well-maintained and well-presented home.

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

The staff realise the value and the importance of effective, collaborative multi-agency working to meet the needs of young people. They build strong relationships with families and professionals, and feedback is consistently positive. A social worker said, ‘The staff are brilliant. The information that the staff feed back is clear and concise. If there are any incidents, I hear about them straight away.’

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

Positive reinforcement of behaviour is used to good effect. Consequences are used, rather than sanctions, in response to unwanted behaviour.

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

The staff de-escalate difficult and challenging behaviour well, and physical restraint is used rarely. However, staff have twice physically intervened to stop young people from fighting. This involved using unsanctioned restraint techniques. Records of these interventions are poor, and the time, location and duration of restraint were missing. Inspection report children’s home: SC025733 6 Failure to use recognised restraint techniques and accurately to record physical interventions could place young people at risk.

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

There are clear processes to respond to young people who go missing from the home or leave without permission. The staff are proactive in looking for them and encouraging them to return home. Such incidents are rare. However, there is a lack of oversight and monitoring of the records of the incidents that do occur. This means that the effectiveness of procedures and the responses to young people who go missing are not explored effectively.

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

Young people’s files are concise and well recorded. Individual risk assessments are current and updated regularly. However, the home’s location risk assessment does not assess risks in the local area in sufficient detail. Nearby towns, cities, local waterways and public houses are not considered as part of the assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2010. He has the necessary qualifications, experience and skills to manage the home. The home has produced two research papers, in conjunction with academic establishments, which give valuable insights into the specific needs of young people who live at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are trained in effective safeguarding practice and are clear about their roles and responsibilities. They receive regular, reflective, practice-led supervisions and appraisals in accordance with the organisation’s policy. The staff value these sessions as a forum to discuss their practice and their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New admissions to the home are risk assessed against the young people who live at the home. Following this, a rigorous five-week assessment takes place. The admission process assesses whether the young person will benefit from the long-term therapeutic intervention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home specialises in providing long-term placements. Young people leave the home in a planned and structured way, usually when they are 18. The home provides a clear pathway to prepare leavers for independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent visitor undertakes monthly visits to the home. The reports offer sufficient challenge and raise actions for the manager to address. The manager has systems in place for the monitoring and internal review of the quality of care that the home provides. However, a recent review was not submitted to Ofsted. Failure to submit reports in a timely way prevents Ofsted from having accurate information about the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC025733 7

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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 difference 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: SC025733 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Friends Therapeutic Community Trust

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Brock-Hollinshead

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Inspector

Ricky D’Arcy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC025733 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 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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