Children's Home run by Cheshire West and Chester Council in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2736861 1 Registered provider: Cheshire West and Chester Local Authority

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There are four children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 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

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2736861 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2736861 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved into the home. The manager has taken care to ensure that children’s admissions are well planned and that children feel welcomed into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are nurtured by staff. This has helped children to settle in quickly and form positive relationships. Staff spend time with children at bedtime to help them prepare for sleeping. Children are encouraged to reflect on their day and identify positive things about themselves. This routine helps to promote a positive self-image. One member of staff said, ‘We all put the children first, we listen to their wishes and feelings. Children know that we care about them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy spending time with each other and with the staff who care for them. Important milestones are celebrated by everyone. For example, staff and children organised a surprise prom party for one child. In addition, two children have been on holiday to celebrate the end of their exams. Staff capture these special moments in memory books for the children to keep.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement with education has been mixed. Two children have completed their GCSEs and have secured places at further education colleges. Other children are struggling with their attendance. Staff are persistent in encouraging children to attend school. They work in partnership with schools to find creative and child-centred ways to support children to re-engage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain contact with their families and people who are important to them. This is a positive and safe experience for children. Staff work with children, their families and social workers effectively to repair and sustain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. They are all registered with community healthcare professionals and supported to attend health appointments. One child is working towards managing her own medication. This is being done in a planned way to ensure that the child’s safety is not compromised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a welcoming and spacious home. It has a large garden, which is well equipped with games and activities for children to play with and enjoy. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and children have chosen how their rooms are furnished and decorated. All the children care for the home’s pet hamster and one child is looking after the school pet over the holiday period. Staff are promoting and encouraging children’s interest in caring for animals and this experience is teaching children about responsibility. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736861 4

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

Children are quickly building trusting relationships with staff. Staff promote a culture of openness, which encourages children to tell someone if they have concerns or worries about their safety. One professional said, ‘[Child’s name] is opening up more. [The child] feels safe and is starting to talk about [their] feelings. This is amazing progress.’

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

There are risk management plans in place to help staff to keep children safe. These plans are agreed with the children’s social workers and relevant health professionals. Staff discuss these plans with children to ensure that they understand why certain restrictions are necessary. However, some of these restrictions detract from the homely environment that the staff are trying to create. A recommendation is made to address this.

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

Some children communicate their anxieties and distress through self-injurious behaviours. Staff understand children’s behaviours and offer emotional support, warmth and reassurance. The manager is proactive and ensures that appropriate safety plans are in place. This has included a temporary increase in the numbers of staff caring for the children.

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

Staff use lots of praise and rewards to reinforce children’s positive behaviours. This is successful and helps to boost children’s self-esteem. Children enjoy choosing rewards that are meaningful to them, such as fidget toys and tickets for concerts.

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

Staff follow clear procedures in the event of a child going missing from home. Staff maintain contact with the child whenever possible and are proactive in encouraging and supporting them to return to the home safely. They also ensure that children can speak to someone independent on their return. This helps to identify if there is a particular reason for the child going missing from the home.

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

All staff have received training and guidance should they need to hold a child to keep them safe. Staff manage challenging situations effectively and have rarely needed to hold a child. Children are always given the opportunity to talk about the incident and how being held made them feel. This helps the manager to understand what happened from the child’s perspective and consider whether changes to staff practice are necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced to undertake the role. She has been instrumental in creating a child-centred culture in the home and she models good practice to the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager spends time with children. She listens to and values children’s views and opinions. The manager acts when children say that they would like things to change at the home. For example, when children said they would prefer to be consulted in a different way, the manager made the changes they asked for. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736861 5 The manager knows the children well and she understands the progress that they are making. However, children’s plans do not always contain all the details of the strategies staff are using to care for children. In addition, information about children’s needs is recorded in multiple plans. This has not had an impact on the way children are cared for, but it is confusing. A recommendation is made to improve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the home and expresses a commitment to continuous improvement. She has lots of ideas about how she wants to further enhance staff practice and to streamline processes in the home. She has not been able to put all these ideas into practice yet. A recommendation is made to use the home’s workforce development plan to prioritise her ideas and to track progress of their implementation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals value the close working relationship with the staff team. They highlight good communication as a strength of this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home. They are proud of the progress children are making. One member of staff said, ‘I enjoy spending time getting to know the children and being a positive role model for them. It is great being able to spend time doing activities with the children and seeing them have fun.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by their managers. Team meetings are regular and are used to share information about children’s changing needs and agree shared approaches. The manager uses team meetings to ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities. One member of staff said, ‘We are a new team, and we are still learning what works best for us. [Manager’s name] is really experienced, she shares her knowledge with the team but is always open to new ideas.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2736861 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan is updated to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that, as far as is reasonably practicable, the children’s home maintains a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. This is in relation to the volume of door alarms and the accessibility of snacks to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children’s care plans and risk management plans detail all the strategies that staff are using to care for children safely and consistently. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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: 2736861 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cheshire West & Chester Council, The Portal, 4 Civic Way, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 0BA

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2736861 8 regulates and inspects 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 2736861 9

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