Children's Home run by Cannon Children Services Ltd in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 1 Registered provider: Cannon Children Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by an independent provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection. The home is decorated to a high standard and feels homely and comfortable. Children can choose how to decorate their bedrooms to reflect their personalities and interests. Staff are proactive in making changes to the home that best suit the needs of the children. Children are settled and content in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered opportunities to share their feelings through regular key-work sessions and children’s meetings. Children can share their preferences regarding what they eat and the activities they wish to take part in. Staff are proactive and act on requests made by children where possible. Children are beginning to trust the adults who care for them and seek them out to talk to them and confide in them. There are nurturing and strong relationships between staff and the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is an ethos of being kind and considerate to others. Children receive incentives for being respectful to others. Staff model kindness by offering children positive praise and encouragement. One child enjoys receiving positive comments from staff on a wall in their bedroom. This child is now better able to communicate how they are feeling and to repair relationships following incidents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are engaged in education. One child has been supported to explore potential job opportunities now that they are no longer in education. When children are not in education or employment, the staff remain proactive to ensure that children’s daily life remains structured. However, this area could be further strengthened by encouraging children’s engagement in reading and educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. They are registered with local primary healthcare services. One child is currently accessing specialist mental health services. The staff are also working with these services to ensure that they care for the child and meet their therapeutic needs. Another child, who is known to smoke, receives the professional advice required to help them to reduce or stop this behaviour. This will prevent habitual use developing for this child and promote their good health.

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

Children’s individual risk assessment documents contain a good level of detail. They place challenging behaviour in the context of what children have experienced. The staff understand what action to take to prevent worrying behaviours escalating and know how to respond to risk-taking behaviour. The manager is aware of any new risks to children emerging. The manager assesses these risks and provides staff with the advice and direction they need to keep children and staff safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 4 One child’s behaviour can be challenging, especially in public spaces. On occasion, this has led to staff having to use physical intervention to keep the child and themselves safe. When physical intervention is required, this is proportionate and is followed up with a debrief for the staff and children involved. Staff are committed to learning from incidents to ensure that children can safely spend time away from the

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

home. Children are offered activities that they enjoy and which encourage good behaviour. For one child, this is spending time in less-busy spaces and in nature.

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

Children rarely go missing from care. There are clear protocols for staff to follow when children are away without permission. Children respond to staff when away from the home and recognise that staff care about their well-being. Insufficient staff on shift has meant that missing-from-care protocols have not always been followed. On one occasion, staff did not search the local area for a missing child. As a result, this child was at increased risk of harm.

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

The manager ensures that when there are incidents of concern, these are recorded well and staff take the correct action. Staff and children are encouraged to reflect on incidents and share their feelings. The manager communicates with external professionals following incidents but does not always notify Ofsted. This prevents Ofsted from having oversight of safeguarding practices and ensuring that children’s welfare is being prioritised.

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The effectiveness of and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager and enjoy their work. The staff receive regular professional supervision. Staff feel that their views are listened to and acted on where necessary by the senior leadership team. There is a strong team identity and staff feel that they can rely on and trust each other. There is a shared commitment to the children having positive experiences while living at the home.

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The effectiveness of and managers: good

Staff are offered opportunities to build on their knowledge and development. The manager provides regular ‘learning circles’, which helps to develop consistency in care practice and responses to children. Specific training is offered where it is felt it will strengthen the care staff offer to children. Consequently, children are cared for by staff who are well equipped to understand their experiences and manage their behaviour.

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The effectiveness of and managers: good

There are systems in place to track the progress that children make. Daily logs capture the children’s experiences and are written in a way that focuses on children’s strengths. The manager supports staff to record information effectively and identify areas for further improvement. Consequently, the manager is better able to recognise if children’s behaviours are increasing or decreasing.

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The effectiveness of and managers: good

Recruitment practices are thorough and strong. They ensure that suitably qualified and experienced staff come to work at the home. As a result, staff can respond confidently to challenging behaviours and care for children in an empathetic way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 5

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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 home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that sufficient staff are on duty to manage a child’s assessed risks. 6 February 2023

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. 6 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 6 (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the manager ensuring that Ofsted is notified of any incidents in the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the ethos of the home supports each child to learn and emphasises the value of independent study and reading for enjoyment. The home must make available suitable facilities, equipment and resources for learning and ensure that the home’s routines do not form barriers to children wishing to use the home resources to study. Staff must support children with home study by encouraging them to learn independent study skills and helping them to practise those skills. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)  The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and, where necessary, work to change negative

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Recommendations

behaviours in key areas of health and well-being. These include, but are not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet, exercise, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception and misuse of legal highs, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: 2691235 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cannon Children Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Calais Hill, Tyler Hill, Canterbury CT2 9LT

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Inspector

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 8 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 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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