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 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 provides care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care to children who may have suffered from emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and who may have experienced trauma and rejection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is managed by an experienced manager who was registered in June 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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: SC060590 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2019 Full Outstanding 22/01/2019 Full Good 24/01/2018 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC060590 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A consistent and supportive staff team has created a family home where children thrive. Children have an opportunity to express themselves and are supported to develop their identity without judgement. This home continues to provide high-level and consistent care for children. Children live in a nurturing, loving and supportive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals state that communication with stakeholders is very good. One social worker said, ‘Staff go above and beyond.’ Positive progress of children is evident, and children make stable and good progress. Children with complex emotional needs are given the opportunity to form positive attachments. Children are understood by experienced staff who understand the needs of children in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children continue to make good progress with their education. Children who have been out of education for a while are provided with additional tutoring to prepare them for moving back to mainstream school. Specialist provision is identified to support those children who may require additional support in line with their education and healthcare plans. There is evidence of excellent multi-agency communication to help support successful changes back to school. Children have access to primary health services. Additional assessments, in accordance with child and adolescent mental health services, support children with complex emotional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with independence plans to assist them when they eventually move on from the home. Detailed plans ensure that children feel comfortable with their journey to independent living. Staff facilitate contact arrangements to ensure that children see their family members in a safe and supported environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home requires some ongoing maintenance to ensure that the age and style of the property are upheld. Boundary walls to the property require attention to ensure safety for children and members of the community. External and internal decorating would help to improve the overall appearance and add some freshness to tired paintwork. Some adaptations are required to ensure that children of younger age are kept safe and secure within the grounds of the home. This is part of the ongoing maintenance of the home. A requirement has been made to address these matters.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views of children are not routinely gathered. A recommendation has been made to address this matter. Inspection report children's home: SC060590 4

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. There are currently no children who are known to be at risk of criminal exploitation and/or sexual exploitation.

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

All children have detailed risk assessments in place. Some children have individualised phone and internet contracts, to ensure acceptable phone use and online safety. This ensures that there are additional safety measures and clear expectations.

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

Detailed behaviour support plans ensure that there is a consistent approach to managing challenging behaviour. Staff manage behaviours effectively as they have a good understanding of emotional triggers. Staff use effective de-escalation techniques to defuse behaviour, and they offer children the opportunity to have a debrief if necessary.

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

Children can enhance their development and personal growth by experiencing new activities. Structured activities provide stimulation in the environment they live in. Consistent routines and boundaries help children feel safe and secure. Children can explore their emotions safely through age-appropriate therapy, such as play therapy or pet therapy.

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

Due to the nature of one situation, which involved a number of serious incidents relating to one child, the manager agreed that a Regulation 40 notification to Ofsted was necessary. A requirement has been made to address this matter and ensure transparency of sharing information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager continues to strive for high standards and has high expectations for children in her care. Despite a challenging year, the manager provided a consistent approach even though she was not always on site due to personal reasons.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

During the pandemic, the manager made an appropriate decision not to take any further referrals but to focus on the needs of the child in placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of on-going maintenance to the home and has requested support from her senior managers. A requirement has been made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager continues to have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The home provides stability to children because the core staff team is made up of staff who have been in post for many years. There are changes in the wider operational service and senior management team. However, the manager remains a strong advocate for the children and her staff. An example is her request to senior managers for maintenance approval to ensure that fire safety Inspection report children's home: SC060590 5 measures are completed. A requirement has been made to address this matter to ensure immediate safety for children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The established and supportive staff team recognises each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The stability of the home is due to a staff team that has worked together for a long time, backed by a supportive management team. All staff and managers have a thorough understanding of the needs of children in their care. Staff do not differentiate and enjoy being in work, seeing it as a, ‘home from home’ situation. Staff are happy in work and ‘love’ their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is relevant and up to date. Staff have annual appraisals that help them to visualise their progress. Some staff have taken on senior roles as part of career progressions. All staff have regular supervisions. Supervisions are not routinely reflective, and a recommendation has been made to include reflective aspects to supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some important documents, such as medical record sheets, are handwritten and not legible. Handwritten key-work sessions and supervision records are not clear. Such documents are presentable if typed and clear. A recommendation has been made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal and external monitoring is essential to help reflect and understand the ongoing development of the home. A recommendation has been made to address the timeliness of reports that review the quality of care. Inspection report children's home: SC060590 6

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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, the 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 notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 30 November

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home . (Regulation 25 (2)(a)(b)) 30 November

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 30 November Inspection report children's home: SC060590 7 This includes the overall maintenance of the home, including exterior walls and the safety of the external back door and back yard.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that the report, which is a review of the quality of care, is compiled at least every six months and is submitted to Ofsted with 28 days. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person must ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording with children’s records and medical records. 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)  The registered person must ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC060590 9 to 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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