Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 1 SC060590 Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Limited part of the Priory Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company and is registered to accommodate three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home’s manager was registered in June 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 22 January 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2019 Full Good 24/01/2018 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/09/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 3

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Recommendations

 The specific responsibilities of the home towards supporting the health and well- being of each child should be agreed with the placing authority and recorded in the child’s placement plan. It is the joint responsibility of the registered person and the placing authority that this is agreed at the time of placement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.7) With reference to ensuring that local authority health plans are kept up to date.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress and live in a very supportive, nurturing and loving home. The group members are helped and supported to build solid relationships with their peers. Young people are helped to build resilience to overcome challenges and to have a better understanding of their own personal circumstances. Individuals living in the home benefit from supportive friendships in the local community and make outstanding progress in their day-to-day lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from safe and secure attachments with a consistent staff team whose members understand them well. Relationships between young people and their key workers are very positive. Staff listen to young people and offer consistent praise, love and guidance. This enables young people to grow in confidence and to improve their self-esteem. It makes young people feel loved and they have a real sense of belonging and ownership in the home. It also helps young people to feel secure and to build positive relationships with adults who they feel safe with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are encouraged to have their own identities and to be their own person. For example, through key-work sessions that took place at a local farm, a young person is now a regular volunteer at the farm. She had the confidence to approach the farm to offer her help. In return, she is happy and fulfilled. Her excitement and joy when recounting her day at the farm is evident. She is rewarded for her efforts. However, the motivation is purely to be around animals that she loves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Another young person loves to do gardening. She has been supported to plant the front Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 4 garden. The young person has a special spot at the bottom of the garden, which is fondly known as the fairy garden. A tree is decorated with fairy lights that light up at night. She can view the tree from her bedroom window when she goes to bed. The young person will often sit under the tree in the daytime and is content in her surroundings that she has created. The young person has been encouraged to have a real sense of belonging and ownership. It is important for this young person as she has struggled to settle into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make excellent progress with their education and they exceed expectations. Education plans are bespoke and succinct. The plans support young people to go into mainstream education. Prior to this, young people have struggled to maintain education in a school setting. Education plans embrace core subjects but, more importantly, they are innovative. Young people have a full and enriched timetable of additional learning. This helps to enhance emotional and social development. One young person, alongside core subjects, has creative mentoring work. This includes creative artwork to help express and support her emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Another young person, who struggles with social anxiety, has been supported to have structured virtual education lessons in a school environment. Staff have carefully nurtured and supported this child for the past year. She will now progress to mainstream school with her peers in September. This is incredible progress for this young person who is educationally very bright and is assessed at being in the top sets. A teaching assistant will support this young person to ensure stability and support during school hours. Another young person has a bespoke package that allows a day release to a local college that specialises in animal care and welfare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have access to primary medical services in the area and all young people are registered with a dentist. All young people are up-to-date with their immunisations. Some young people have therapeutic support in the community. One young person attended a weekly group session where a team of therapists provided informal support on a range of issues. Initially, the young person was reluctant to attend, favouring time with her friends. However, at the end of the sessions, she found the support group enriching and it has helped her to feel more emotionally secure and content.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are helped and supported to develop social skills and to establish friendships and networks in the local community. Young people are encouraged to have the same opportunities as their peers. One young person spends time with her good friend from school and has sleepovers at her home. The home’s staff have fully risk assessed this. She also attended the local community daytime rave and left promptly when staff collected her, showing her respect for the home and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

With the support of a key member of staff, one young person has excelled through Army Cadets. She has taken pride in her achievement and can now progress to complete The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Prior to this, the young person was not achieving and was considered to be at high risk of sexual exploitation. The staff member who supported her said, ‘She has made such amazing progress in such a short space of time. She looks the part in her uniform, all smart and everything. I’m really proud of her.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 5 At the end of each day, staff sit in the lounge with the young people and end the day with a positive comment in the positive praise book. This is well received by young people, who like to see their daily achievements commended by staff. All staff have high aspirations for young people and are passionate advocates for them. This ensures that young people have the same educational, health, social and economic opportunities as

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

The registered manager and the team adopt an exceptionally secure safeguarding culture in the home. Staff are genuinely supportive, nurturing and loving towards young people. Consequently, young people feel extremely safe, loved and happy in their home. Staff help and support children to work through personal challenges and to build strength, resilience and independence.

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

Young people who were previously going missing, or who were at risk of child sexual exploitation, now have no issues. Incidents have dramatically reduced. Key-work sessions are exemplary and meaningful and make a dramatic improvement to the lives of young people.

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

One young person worked through a difficult subject area on sexual exploitation. This was done in a safe and supportive environment with key staff who knew her well. Key- work sessions occurred over several months to ensure that the subject was addressed sensitively. This allowed the sessions to go ahead at a pace suitable for the young person, allowing time for personal reflection. The staff member used a well-researched assessment tool and created a substantial portfolio of work with the young person. This is an exceptional piece of work completed by the young person and the member of staff. It highlights the dedication of staff and how young people are supported to tackle some difficult issues by forming trusting and meaningful relationships.

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

Young people are helped to understand their complex journeys into the care system and staff use a range of creative resources to help them understand their experiences with life story work. Care plan documents are lengthy. The registered manager recognises this and that they could be more child-centred. This is an area for development. However, there is enough detail that highlights a good understanding of young people.

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

Young people share their views at regular house meetings. Due to individual activities, young people are not always together at the same time. However, there is detailed recording whereby young people express their views.

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

Young people benefit from routine, structure and clear boundaries. This helps to maintain the status quo and running of the home. It also helps young people to feel safe and secure. Behaviour support plans and risk management plans are detailed and thorough. They are regularly updated to ensure that the most recent information is available. The missing from care protocol links to the area-wide protocol. This ensures clear consistency between the home and the neighbouring local authority. Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 6 Young people receive appropriate sanctions and there have been very few recorded as incidents are very low. There is mutual respect between staff and young people. Physical restraint is only ever used as a last resort to ensure the safety of young people and episodes of intervention are well managed and documented. Staff and young people have the opportunity for a full debrief following an episode of restraint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s manager was registered in June 2018. She is exemplary in her practice. She is a strong leader and has the utmost respect from her colleagues. Equally, the registered manager fully respects her staff team and commends the dedication and commitment of her team. The registered manager instils confidence in her staff team and fully supports and nurtures her team to develop and grow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is very child-centred in her practice. When talking about the young people, she is openly proud of their individuality and personal achievements. The home benefits from a stable and supportive staff team. One staff member has worked at the home for 14 years and spoke highly of her manager and her colleagues. She is passionate about the young people and loves coming to work. She said, ‘To me, it’s all about the kids and what’s best for them. We do go above and beyond.’ The registered manager described herself as being in a privileged position as staff morale and retention is very high. Consequently, the registered manager can take her time to select the correct person for the position should a vacancy arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Some staff are happy to take on additional management responsibilities. For other staff, the registered manager has found alternative roles so that staff have an opportunity to excel in another sphere. This helps to create a positive and committed work environment where staff are nurtured and supported. Young people benefit from a happy staff team whose members ensure that young people exceed expectations and flourish. One staff member said about his manager, ‘The energy that [name] brings is contagious. She is a young people person. A manager, to be a manager, is to lead by example. Staff morale is really high because of this. I have a lot of respect for her.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and staff know the children extremely well. The registered manager is not afraid to challenge and advocate for the young people. When considering new referrals to the home, the registered manager completes detailed and thorough impact assessments. The registered manager will have several discussions with the placing authority and key professionals to help inform her decision. From the assessments, the registered manager can fully understand how best to meet the young person’s needs or whether the home is suitable for a young person. The detailed impact assessments also help her to understand how each young person will get along with one another and if there are any influential risks. The registered manager is not afraid to turn down referrals to ensure the right suitability and match for her home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professional feedback is very positive and working relationships with key professionals are very good. One social worker commented, ‘Staff are really good on safeguarding Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 7 issues and communicate really well. It’s a very nurturing environment when you come to the home.’ Another social worker said, ‘The quality of handovers must be very good as every member of staff knows what’s going on when I call up. I’ve got nothing but positives to say about the placement and I am really very happy.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff handovers are detailed and thorough and an effective use of time. It is evident that staff know the young people well. Staff use the handover time to discuss several issues and to reflect on the progress that young people make. During handovers, staff also discuss any other issues relating directly to the home to ensure that health and safety requirements are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager will seek advice and support from the area missing from care coordinator with the local police to understand any local risks. She also liaises with the local authority child exploitation coordinator of the placing authority to ensure that a robust assessment is completed where necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

An independent visitor provides a monthly report that scrutinises the progress of the home. The registered manager uses this report, and any suggested recommendations, to help monitor and strive for improvement. From this report, the registered manager has updated her area risk assessment. The registered manager has a development plan for the home and this includes ongoing improvements to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

By her own admission, the registered manager is aware that her paperwork is one area that she neglects as the young people take priority. Her love for direct work and hands- on approach has meant that some paperwork is not up-to-date. This does not have a direct impact on the day-to-day arrangements of young people. However, it is important that case records are kept up-to-date. Recommendations have been made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

More recently, the registered manager has had a two-month temporary oversight of two homes. The registered manager was honest and admitted that she has felt stretched. However, the temporary arrangement has had no impact on the young people in this home. This is testament to the resilience of the registered manager and her staff. The post-holder’s cover over two homes has now come to an end, as the other home has a new manager in place. Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 8

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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: SC060590 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Limited part of the Priory Group

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Armstrong

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Inspector

Kamal Bhamra: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC060590 10 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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