Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 1 SC489416 Registered provider: Care 4 Children Residential Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for up to four children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: 16 September 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: Further to a monitoring visit in December 2020, compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 2 of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. These compliance notices were met in January 2021. Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/04/2019 Full Inadequate 17/07/2018 Full Good 16/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 4

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outstanding

Children living at this home are cared for by an extremely passionate, committed and stable staff team. The staff provide a nurturing, comfortable and welcoming environment that supports the needs of children. Staff consistently deliver exceptionally personalised care plans and intervention programmes that encourage children to be involved in their daily care. Managers and staff are extremely motivated and have high aspirations for each child in their care.

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outstanding

Children benefit from detailed internal placement plans and behaviour plans that clearly identify their individual needs. Managers consistently review and amend internal placement plans and talk to children about the progress they have made, and then communicate this to their social workers. Furthermore, children are involved in developing their own pen picture when they move into the home. This provides a synopsis of each child’s needs and includes a section on ‘what works well for me’ and ‘what may upset me’. This helps staff to understand from a child’s perspective how best to guide and support them.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged to discuss any changes to their plans. This means they take responsibility for their actions and personal development. For example, one child had successfully negotiated with staff the use of his mobile phone after school hours. A contract was made and the child told inspectors that he understood the implications of not sticking to the contract. He was positive about the support of staff to achieve his goals.

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outstanding

Consultation with children is exceptional in all aspects of their care. Staff undertake regular and effective individual sessions with children to address a range of topics relevant to the individual child. These sessions include risks in the home and community, substance misuse, gang affiliation, exploitation, and online safety.

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outstanding

Observations of children with staff are very positive and show that children have trusted and secure relationships with them. Staff treat children with dignity and respect. For example, staff meet children’s cultural needs sensitively and they listen to what children want in relation to this.

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outstanding

Children said, ‘This is the best children’s home I have ever lived in. I know the staff really do care,’ and ‘The managers are like a supportive mum and dad and they both really care. The managers and staff are my family.’ One child said, ‘The staff are helping us to make changes in our lives for the better.’

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outstanding

Managers challenge professionals if there are any unnecessary delays, and all staff are strong advocates for children. One child said, ‘For the first time, I feel like someone has my back.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 5 Children attend education and staff provide practical assistance so that children can attend. Children’s attendance at their education placements has significantly improved since they moved into the home. Children speak positively about education and recognise the persistent efforts of staff to improve their attendance and achievements.

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outstanding

Children enjoy a range of activities, many of which they enjoy with the staff. Children have paid memberships for a local gym and staff join in activities with them. As a result, children are supported to lead healthy lifestyles.

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outstanding

Children’s health needs are understood and met. Staff proactively promote the emotional, psychological, and physical health needs of children through established and effective partnership working with general and specialist health services. Staff attend regular meetings with the company’s own therapist. Discussions around intervention strategies then take place with children. This means that children benefit from an integrated approach to meeting their emotional health needs.

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outstanding

Partnership work between the staff and other agencies is outstanding. As a result, children receive extremely effective all-round care and this means that children’s self-esteem and confidence improve. The highly effective partnership working that the home promotes underpins the excellent progress that children are making.

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outstanding

Staff understand the importance of family time and think of new and creative ideas of how to make the time children spend with their families enjoyable. When families visit the children at home, they spend time cooking together and going out for walks. Staff work with families to equip parents with the necessary skills to continue to support and develop children. One parent said, ‘They [staff] are amazing. They have made a significant difference in just a short space of time in my son’s life and I can’t praise them enough. They always keep me updated. In my eyes, they are all outstanding.’

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outstanding

Children are well protected by staff because staff know the children well. Staff know the children’s vulnerabilities and how best to support them. Children are clear that they feel very safe and happy living in the home. They say that this is because they know that staff care about them. Furthermore, relationships between the children are strong and children try to help each other when they are struggling. One child describes another child as ‘like his younger brother’. This reflects the strong sense of family in the home.

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outstanding

Staff understand what action to take if children go missing from home. Children experience well-coordinated responses and staff communicate with the relevant agencies and children’s families.. Staff follow children and talk to them to ensure their safe return. Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 6 Proactive and creative safeguarding practice means that children have a strong sense of safety and well-being. Children are involved in creating ways to de-escalate situations. Children contribute to risk management strategies in their risk assessments and their risks significantly reduce as a result. This is a huge achievement given the high risks for the children prior to moving into the home. These include substance misuse, gang affiliation and going missing from home.

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outstanding

Children take increasing responsibility for making the right choices, while remaining protected from harm. The development of children’s awareness is apparent, as children no longer go missing from home and there has been a significant reduction in incidents of substance misuse, smoking and physical aggression. Children recognise the progress that they have made. They say that, because staff value them, they have learned to appreciate a safer and more positive lifestyle.

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outstanding

Thorough induction assessments ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to work safely and competently with vulnerable children. Continuous supervision and feedback from managers emphasise the importance of open, reflective and transparent practice, to help children keep safe.

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outstanding

Staff are appropriately trained in a range of multi-disciplinary child protection courses appropriate to their roles. They use this knowledge well, to assess the risks posed to individual children, and create strategies to minimise them. Key workers devise, monitor and review careful risk management plans to enhance the safety and well-being of children. These are shared and discussed with children to encourage them to identify risks themselves and manage them safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a newly registered manager in post. The manager is inspirational and ambitious for children. He is supported by a competent deputy manager, who shares his enthusiasm and high expectations of staff, and a dedicated responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have created a culture of high aspiration and positivity, and this was apparent throughout the inspection. Managers have been influential in changing the lives of the children who are currently in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff carefully assess and record the progress made by children against their placement plans. The manager has developed and designed a daily journal for each child. This shows the progress that each child has made. The journal includes photographs of important events, milestones, and daily achievements for each child. Children’s views are captured, and the company therapist also has an overview. This is an outstanding piece of work and demonstrates that the manager has a clear understanding of the progress that children make. Children, staff and leaders show great pride in children’s achievements, no matter how small. Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 7 Staff benefit from regular and developmental supervision. Staff say that this helps them to reflect on their performance and ensures that they continually improve the quality of care they provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works with the provider to identify training and development needs of the team and ensures that this is reflected in the development plan for the home. Children also have access to the online learning platform and have completed the same training as staff in exploitation, radicalisation and substance misuse. This has provided opportunities for children and staff to learn together. Furthermore, children have attended staff meetings to talk about things that are important to them. This creates an open culture of learning and development in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff maintain excellent quality records that capture each child’s life in detail. They include the views of children, staff, managers, and the company’s therapist. This ensures that all parties understand the child’s life, experiences and plans for the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager conducts thorough monitoring of the home. Through reflective discussions and carefully planned approaches, the manager continues to develop and deliver services that have proven to be of benefit for children. Children see the managers as central to their lives, and children speak warmly about them and the efforts they make on their behalf. Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 8

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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 for children's home: SC489416 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Children Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Care 4 Children, 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2SR

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Inspectors

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Michelle Edge, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children's home: SC489416 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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