Children's Home run by My House Calow Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 1 Registered provider: My House Calow Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to three children with learning disabilities. The suitably qualified manager is registered with Ofsted.

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 good

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: 8 November 2022

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/08/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 3

p.2

outstanding

Two children were living at the home during this inspection. Significant improvements in care practices mean that both children are making exceptional progress from their starting points when moving to the home. Children who previously experienced high degrees of social isolation have been supported to access the community, social and educational opportunities. Trusted relationships between staff and children mean that children have benefited from a wealth of positive experiences. Children have made exceptional progress in all areas of their development.

p.3

outstanding

The children do not have verbal communication. Staff have worked creatively and resiliently to develop effective means of communication with the children. Specific training and research-informed practice ensure that staff remain skilled and knowledgeable in this area. One child is now communicating extensively with signs, symbols and pictures to make his needs and views known. This ensures that the child has a voice in his care. One child has spoken their first word and can make noises to the tune of his favourite nursery rhyme. Staff are incredibly proud of the children’s progress, and this is testament to the excellent progress made.

p.3

outstanding

There is a holistic approach to supporting children to access the community. Careful planning and constant risk assessment mean that children enjoy daily activities and fun experiences. Children have weekly activity planners informed by their choices. Children are very well prepared through the extensive use of signs, symbols and social stories. Staff understand the importance of children experiencing consistent and predictable routines. This is fully embedded in children’s day-to-day care planning. As a result, there is a reduction in behaviours that challenge and significant incidents.

p.3

outstanding

Feedback from external professionals and parents is exceptional. There are excellent working relationships between staff, professionals and families. A representative from a local authority praised the staff team for its care of children, stating that, ‘Care was of an excellent standard.’ One parent told the inspector, ‘If my child cannot live with me, there is nowhere else I would want him to be, the home is amazing.’

p.3

outstanding

Children’s individual characteristics are respected and celebrated. One child is Muslim and receives extensive support to engage positively with his faith and culture. His cultural and dietary needs are respected and carefully managed. He is supported to shop and dress in ways that meet his cultural needs. During the inspection, a child was supported in his prayer routine during an important annual Islamic pilgrimage. Children’s religious, cultural and individual needs are recognised as being a critical part of children’s identities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 4 There is thoughtful, bespoke planning for children moving into the home. Extensive discussions and numerous visits take place in a multi-agency way with staff, children and their families to promote successful transitions. This careful planning and thoughtfulness have led to successful transitions for both children. A social worker

p.3

outstanding

said, when talking about a child’s move to the home, ‘The transition was positive, the home took on board all advice and made this almost a seamless process for him. The home is welcoming, all the staff I have met have a positive outlook and appear to be dedicated to their caring roles.’

p.4

outstanding

When a child struggles to settle, staff provide flexible support and are responsive to behaviours. Managers are not afraid to challenge placing authorities when they believe children’s needs are not being met. This ensures that only the right children live at the home and those who need it can have access to specialist care and support.

p.4

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

Children receive high-quality care from staff who know them very well. Children’s plans and risk assessments are intricately detailed, with regular reviews, making it clear to staff what they need to do to keep children safe. This effective safeguarding practice promotes children’s safety. It also means children are supported to take measured, age-appropriate risks in line with their development.

p.4

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

Children live in a home environment that is safe and secure. They all have bedrooms that are designed to their individual needs, tastes and preferences. Indoors and outside, children’s individual sensory needs have been thoughtfully considered. There are areas designed for fun activities, periods of quiet and calm, and lots of space for privacy. Families regularly enjoy visiting their children at the home, spending quality time together in a safe environment. Decorated and furnished to a high standard, children who live here enjoy a warm and welcoming home.

p.4

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

Staff undertake a broad range of good-quality training in safeguarding matters. There is excellent communication with safeguarding partners in placing local authorities. Extensive learning has been undertaken following previous inspections and safeguarding incidents. Safeguarding themes are now regularly explored in staff supervision meetings, team meetings, handovers and exercises focused on staff development. The staff understand the importance of an open safeguarding culture. As a result, staff now know how to recognise, report and act on any safeguarding concerns that they may have.

p.4

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

Careful recruitment and regular monitoring of safeguarding checks are now in place. Managers have made improvements to such systems to prevent unsuitable adults working in the home. This is no longer a shortfall in safeguarding practice.

p.4

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

Any use of physical restraint is a last resort after extensive proactive measures are tried. Managers assure themselves that each incident of restrictive practice is proportionate. However, the records of such incidents require improvement to ensure that all relevant and necessary information is captured. Managers do not Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 5 always record in detail reflective discussions with staff or ways in which they have attempted to secure a child’s views. This prevents a full evaluation of the practice and impedes children having a view of their care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

This home benefits from having a consistent, stable and dedicated management team. The team members have, over time, and through extensive learning, become ambitious and confident leaders. The responsible individual, manager and deputy managers have created a culture of high aspiration and positivity. There are high expectations of staff, which mean children are always kept in mind.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are positive about the support they receive from managers. They are regularly supervised in a reflective way and new staff receive excellent inductions. Staff appreciate an open-door policy from managers, and this promotes effective communication throughout the staff team. Morale is high, with staff having admiration for each other and for the children they work with. Staff report that they ‘love’ working at the home and, despite all the challenges faced, remain exceptionally committed to their work. This caring ethos ensures that children are receiving safe and consistent care from adults who are passionate about their work.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff recognise the importance of looking at each child’s behaviour as a means of communication, particularly for those who are non-verbal. Staff have undertaken extensive communication training and now actively use signs, symbols and pictorial aids with children to improve their levels of communication and interaction. The staff are trained to a very high standard and are excellent at problem-solving. It is apparent that children make significant progress and are provided with opportunities to achieve and have fun, despite living with complex health and care needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers provide extensive and creative support to staff in several key areas of practice, including understanding the concept of closed cultures and the inherent risks to disabled children in care. Managers regularly use trusted sources of learning and published research to develop the team’s knowledge and skills. The team is highly committed, and drives plans forward to continually improve children’s care and experiences. For example, relentless communication and sharing learning from practice with health professionals mean that one child has recently been diagnosed with a lifelong health condition. The tenacity of the manager in this situation ensured a positive outcome for the child.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive relevant training and mentoring opportunities to equip them to do their jobs very well. The manager is very organised. Regular auditing and competence checks provide clear evidence of management monitoring across all processes in the home. Feedback from others is always taken seriously and used as an opportunity to drive improvements for children. This is exemplary management practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals were unanimously positive about the service. The inspector was told that working relationships with partner agencies are excellent and provide the best Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 6 possible care for children. Weekly and monthly update reports are welcomed by professionals and families alike. Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 7

p.5

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.7

Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.7

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

p.7

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 8 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 8 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the recording of incidents being of the required detail.

p.8

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: 2660470 9

p.8

Inspector

Rachael Sprigg, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2660470 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.9

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 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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10