Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC066187 1 SC066187 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people, aged between 10 and 18, who have social and/or emotional difficulties. The home provides emergency placements as well as planned admissions. The home is privately owned. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2014.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 19 February 2019

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC066187 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2019 Full Outstanding 13/02/2018 Full Outstanding 23/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/11/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC066187 3

p.2

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. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is in regard to ensuring that the young people’s bedrooms are redecorated to reflect the standard across the rest of the home.  As set out in Regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations

p.3

Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) This is in regard to ensuring that when staff are recruited to the home that all relevant checks are completed prior to the staff member commencing in post.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The team of care staff supports the manager to ensure that young people receive a consistently high standard of care. As a result, young people make excellent progress in a variety of areas of their lives, including education, health and well-being. Two of the three young people are in full-time education and are making substantial progress. The third young person is being supported with education in the home while a suitable provision is sought.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff quickly form trusting relationships with young people. This helps young people to start to trust adults and to invest in their placement. Consequently, young people thrive emotionally, physically and socially. Two of the young people engage regularly in activities outside of the home such as youth clubs and gymnastics. Staff are supporting a third young person with her anxieties around social engagement by promoting activities that she is interested in. One young person’s social worker told the inspector: ‘The young person has thrived in the placement. Staff demonstrate real warmth that has enabled the young person to feel valued there.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work closely with young people to help them review the progress that they are making and to agree new goals. Staff use a range of creative and age-appropriate materials to support young people’s involvement in their care plans. Inspection report children’s home: SC066187 4 Staff work exceptionally well with other professionals, such as teachers, social workers and counselling staff, to ensure that young people’s needs are fully understood and met. This well-coordinated support means that young people’s achievements, school attendance and access to support services, such as counselling, are having a positive impact on young people’s experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment that the young people live in is highly personalised. For example, there are photos of young people displayed across the home. Young people’s bedrooms are personalised. The home environment is generally very well maintained and young people have access to everything that they need. However, two young people’s bedrooms require further redecoration.

p.4

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

All staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and are vigilant in safeguarding young people from harm. Managers and staff understand the risks that young people face and keep themselves well informed about these.

p.4

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

Staff work creatively to ensure that they maintain a climate where mutual trust, respect and confidence are fully embedded into their care practice. This support helps young people to begin to make sensible choices and to be safe.

p.4

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

Young people do not go missing from the home. Young people are invested in the home and appreciate the care and support that they receive. The positive relationships that staff have with young people mean that they can recognise and respond quickly to changes in behaviour and offer additional support. As a result, behaviour rarely escalates. A young person’s social worker told the inspector: ‘Incidents are well managed, and I am notified when they occur.’

p.4

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

Staff ensure that they keep high-quality risk assessments up to date so that they can keep young people safe. These detailed records reflect changes in young people’s behaviour and their vulnerabilities. Staff use these records daily to ensure that they maintain an excellent understanding of young people’s individual needs and risks.

p.4

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

Staff rarely use physical intervention. Instead, they focus on de-escalation of young people’s behaviour. As a result, there are minimal incidents. On the rare occasion when there is an incident or safeguarding concern, staff respond swiftly to ensure that young people are kept safe.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment is generally excellent within the home. Some minor issues identified on inspection were rectified swiftly by the manager. These initial oversights did not place young people at risk.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since 2016. She is suitably qualified and experienced and provides excellent leadership. Inspection report children’s home: SC066187 5 The registered manager is highly innovative and is respected by staff, young people and partner agencies. Young people achieve excellent outcomes because of the registered manager’s attention to detail and the motivation of the staff team. She fully understands each young person’s presenting needs and how to achieve the best outcomes. The manager’s consistent leadership inspires staff and the young people to want to be the best that they can.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and the staff team have developed strong relationships with all of the relevant professionals, including school staff and social workers. As a result, there is excellent communication between them, which promotes young people’s welfare.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff described the manager as being supportive and available. There is a comprehensive and relevant range of training opportunities, including essential courses such as safeguarding and first aid. In addition, staff undertake a range of training courses that are specific to the individual young people’s needs. These include training around child sexual exploitation, autism awareness training and training in relation to self-harm. Seven staff are appropriately qualified and have a level 3 diploma in residential childcare.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers maintain a firm grip on all aspects of the running of the home. The high quality of recording, as well as monitoring systems in place, enables careful scrutiny of the progress and safety of all the young people. The registered manager can, therefore, evidence young people’s significant progress and positive experiences.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The statement of purpose is up to date and together the manager and staff team provide a safe, warm and nurturing environment in which they treat each young person as an individual. The home is making a positive difference to the lives of young people who live there.

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 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: SC066187 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Road, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

p.6

Inspector

Debbie Holder: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066187 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.

p.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7