Children's home run by Cynhenid Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2667401 1 Registered provider: Cynhenid Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides residential care for up to four children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2667401 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2667401 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, the manager ensures that a thoughtful and meaningful introduction takes place. The manager and staff visit the children and children are invited for tea and to meet the children who live in the home. This helps them to settle and become familiar with their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to enjoy a range of activities. Some children like to spend time with staff in the home playing games and watching TV. Other children like to spend time in the community with friends, going fishing, playing at skate parks and going white-water rafting. The memories that children make are captured in individual photo books which become a memento that they can cherish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have influence over their day-to-day care. The staff support children to participate in a weekly house meeting where they share their thoughts and choose varied meals and activities. In addition, staff use these meetings as an opportunity to give children praise and messages of encouragement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a welcoming and well-maintained home. All children have personalised bedrooms which suit their individual tastes. Since the last inspection, the home has been repainted and there are pictures of staff and children enjoying time spent together. The home’s new garden room is still to be completed. The children said they are looking forward to choosing consoles and decorations for this space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care needs are well understood by the manager and staff. However, children’s set targets are not consistently recorded in care plans. This could lead to inconsistencies in the care received.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all children are attending education full time. When children are waiting to start at their new provisions, staff have not established a routine that prioritises learning. This means children are not being prepared to attend education when a place is confirmed.

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

Children said they feel safe, and staff have a good understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and risks. Children’s written plans give staff an outline of children’s presenting risks and behaviours and the individualised strategies staff should use to keep children safe.

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

The use of physical intervention is proportionate and takes place only when necessary. However, there are times when staff have failed to record the Inspection report for children’s home: 2667401 4 intervention, in line with regulation. Staff do not always record the location or the duration of the intervention. In addition, on one occasion, one child did not have an opportunity to talk about what had happened. This prevents learning being identified to improve practice.

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

Children rarely go missing from home. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident of a child going missing. Staff took appropriate action in response to this incident. The staff recorded the steps taken to locate the child and worked collaboratively with police, family members and the local authority. On return, the child was welcomed back to the home and encouraged by staff to talk about where they had been. This practice ensures that children feel supported and helps the manager and staff to gain information to inform children’s care planning.

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

A personalised rewards system is used effectively by staff. Each child has a chart which motivates them to earn additional pocket money and achieve their goals. This practice encourages children’s positive behaviour and supports them to develop their social skills.

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

Staff recruitment procedures are thorough. This helps to ensure that staff working at the home are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a new registered manager has started at the home. He is passionate about providing high-quality care to children. The manager is supported by a committed responsible individual and operations manager. Together, they have high ambitions for the service and how it can improve outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support provided by managers and feel that team morale is high. Staff receive effective and regular supervision sessions. The manager uses direct sessions to prioritise staff’s well-being, discuss service development and understand the challenges that are experienced by the staff and children. This practice helps to support consistency of care and stability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have created a learning environment. Staff have undertaken training tailored to children’s specific needs. In addition, staff complete leadership and management training which prepares them for further career development. This means that children receive care from staff who are suitably skilled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong connections with partner agencies. Professionals are positive about the communication from staff and the care provided for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use effective monitoring systems. Leaders have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Following the last inspection, a detailed action plan was put in place to ensure that all requirements set were met. These systems help managers to develop the service and ensure that children receive good-quality care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2667401 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, 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; and

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that staff provide structure and routine for children when they are not attending education. 27 October 2023

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; and

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Requirement Due date

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. 27 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2667401 6 (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv) (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that records meet regulatory requirements and debriefs with children are conducted appropriately.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information should be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child and take into account any relevant plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2667401 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Swift Accountants, 1b Chowley Court, Chowley Oak Business Park, Bolesworth Estates, Chester CH3 9GA

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Inspector

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2667401 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 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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