Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children's Services (2) Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Unique reference number SC398386 Inspection date 04/06/2013 Inspector Martha Nethaway Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 13/09/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is part of a range of children's services within a private care organisation. It is registered to accommodate three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The home is effective and delivers good outcomes for young people. Young people’s individual needs are taken into account. They are making good progress in relation to their health, education, welfare and safety. Young people say they are safe and feel safe.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s views positively influence the running of the home including the daily routine of the home. This enables young people to develop their self-esteem and sense of belonging. Young people form positive working relationships with staff. The home’s culture and ethos is supportive and nurturing.

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Overall effectiveness

The leadership and management of the home are good. Leaders and managers accurately assess the performance of the home and are clearly working towards making further improvements. However, one good practice recommendation has been raised to ensure the on-going monitoring of young people's outcomes and to secure improvement.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure copies of Regulation 34 reports forwarded to Ofsted on a six monthly basis clearly identify any trends and issues of concerns in order to improve quality of care provided. (Volume 5, statutory guidance, paragraph 3.14)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people progress and their development is good. Young people are beginning to develop good interpersonal skills such as, sharing problems with staff when they feel anxious or under pressure. One young person commented, ‘I have really improved. I am now able to control my temper better and talk to staff. Relationships with staff have improved.’ As a result, young people’s emotional resilience is increasing.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s health is good. All young people are encouraged to attend regular appointments with their doctor, dentist and optician. Where young people refuse or decline, this is directly addressed and given the utmost attention with the young person and their social worker. Young people are actively encouraged to keep themselves physically fit including joining in activities such as, swimming and walking. This helps to improve their well-being. Young people are additionally protected because they can access, directly, the company’s professional and clinical services. For example, young people regularly visit a psychologist and counsellor to help with addressing deep rooted emotional traumas. As a result, young people are receiving the correct level of support to help their emotional and behavioural needs.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s educational progress is good. All young people attend the company’s local college where they access their education. Some young people are making exceptional progress with their educational studies and their school attendance is high. When young people are struggling with education they receive good support. For example, young people are able to access a reduced timetable. As a result young people’s attendance is improving and they are beginning to make progress with their educational achievements.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s participation and contribution to the home is good. All young people enjoy attending their house meetings. Their meetings provide a structured time to discuss a range of issues and concerns. Young people have positively helped to influence changes with the menus, activities, holidays and their free time away from the home. As a result, young people feel valued and listened to.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s contact arrangements are well supported. Young people are able to remain in contact with family, friends and those people who are important to them. All young people’s contact arrangements are agreed and clearly documented in their care plans. Young people’s contact arrangements strengthen their sense of identity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are becoming more self-confident in their independence skills. One young person commented, ‘I can now do my laundry and use the washing machine on my own.’ Young people are encouraged to keep their bedroom clean and tidy and earn incentives to help them to remain on track to achieve this. Young people are encouraged to do simple cooking tasks and also prepare their evening meals with staff support. As a result, young people are beginning to develop key life skills.

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Quality of care

Broadly, young people enjoy good positive relationships with their peers and staff. The atmosphere and culture of the home is positive and nurturing. One social worker commented, ‘I am very satisfied with the improvement that I have seen in the young person. They are less angry and they have a good relationship with the vast majority of staff. Staff are more attuned to the young person’s needs and triggers.’

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Quality of care

The arrangements for consultation and gaining the views of young people are good. All young people know how to make a complaint and young people are confident they are heard. Complaints are addressed and resolved. Staff ensure that young people’s house meetings are regular and that they positively address actions and concerns raised during these meetings. This ensures that young people are confident that their views are taken seriously and are acted upon. In addition, all young people are provided with individual keyworker meetings. This helps to improve opportunities for young people to reflect and discuss issues about their education, behaviour, health, welfare and safety. This empowers young people to make real changes in their lives with the emphasis on good partnership working.

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Quality of care

Care planning and implementation is good. All young people have an individual care plan which is consistent with the local authority care plan. Young people know and understand what they are working towards. One young person explained, ‘I am working towards my future and I am building on my confidence and independence.’ As a result, young people’s individual needs are being met.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy a good range of activities. Young people are members of their local guide club, swimming club and trampoline club; they also take part in other out of school activities. Young people also enjoy a range of recreational activities in their home such as, listening to music and watching films.

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Quality of care

Young people’s needs relating to their cultural background and personal identity are identified and positively addressed in both daily living and care planning. Young people say they are treated fairly and given fair chances. This is further supported because they have direct access to an advocate with whom they can independently talk over any issues or concerns. This inclusive and child-centred approach supports young people’s diverse needs well.

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Quality of care

The home is in a good state of repair, decoration and cleanliness. The home is spacious and well equipped. All young people have their own bedrooms which are personalised to their taste and reflect their culture. When some young people cause environmental damage the company’s maintenance team work quickly to repair and mend the damage. Young people say they enjoy living in the home. One young person commented, ‘It is a really nice home and has great staff in it.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say they feel safe and are safe. The staff clearly understand their obligations to safeguard and protect young people. This is underpinned by good quality training, policies, procedures and effective monitoring. Young people say they do not identify bullying as a problem at the home. This is attributed to staff providing good supervision levels and the strong commitment of staff to prevent incidents of bullying occurring in the first place.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The arrangements in place for responding to young people missing from the home are good. Some young people have gone missing. In all cases the home has been proactive with the police in seeking for young people and returning them to the home. In all cases the home has instigated multi-professional meetings so that a full and detailed review takes place to identify emerging patterns and underlying causes and to develop more effective prevention strategies. More recently, young people’s desire to go missing has significantly reduced. This is attributed to the effective action that the professionals and the management team have taken to address this unnecessary risk taking behaviour. Young people now understand and accept the importance given to their safety and welfare and as a result their behaviour is beginning to change.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s behaviour is well managed and staff training related to behaviour management is up to date. All young people are provided with a behavioural management plan. Young people know and understand that this is integral to how the home responds to challenging behaviour. Over time young people make good progress with reducing the number of challenging behaviour incidents. Since the last inspection, the use of physical intervention has been reduced. Young people are beginning to develop more socially acceptable behaviour through staff encouragement and the incentives to reward positive behaviours.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff recruitment and the selection of staff is good. The home consistently follows the company’s safe recruitment practice and the appropriate employment checks are undertaken. The management team are satisfied that staff working at the home are suitable to work with vulnerable young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Good systems are in place to ensure that the home is physically safe and secure to meet the needs of young people. All young people are provided with an individualised risk assessment which is reviewed when circumstances change. Young people are additionally protected because they take part in fire evacuation drills so that they know what steps to take in the event of an emergency. As a result, this promotes young people’s safety and welfare.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good . This home is managed by a permanent Registered Manager and they are responsible for managing another children’s home run by the same company. The home has suitable arrangements for staff to deputise in the Registered Manager’s absence. Leadership and management are effective because they provide a well-run home that focuses on achieving good outcomes for young people. The home meets the Statement of Purpose’s stated aims by providing care that safeguards and promotes the welfare of young people. The home is financially viable and adequately resourced. Since the last inspection, there have been no concerns or complaints received by Ofsted.

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Leadership and management

The home’s quality assurance monitoring is good. The home has addressed the one requirement set at the last inspection related to the physical environment. The bathroom has been fully refurbished and the outdoor grounds are now in a good state of repair. Overall, the home is well maintained. An independent visitor visits the home and ensures scrutiny of young people’s outcomes, the quality of care and how the home promotes the welfare of young people. The home’s internal performance is monitored through a monthly programme. However, the reports submitted to Ofsted every six months do not clearly summarise how the home is improving the quality of care and tracking this to the outcomes achieved by young people. This is a minor administrative issue and has no direct impact on continued good outcomes and quality of care that young people receive.

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Leadership and management

The arrangements for staffing including training, supervision and development are good. All staff are provided with a clear programme of training including the required mandatory training for working in residential care. All of the staff are suitably qualified and properly supervised. As a result, staff know that the care that they provide is consistent with good practice. Young people benefit because their care is monitored and staff are fully supported to provide proper care for young people.

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Leadership and management

The home’s notification system is good. The home, in all cases, reports correctly to the relevant agencies. This helps to protect young people’s welfare because all the correct actions are taken and issues are resolved.

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Leadership and management

The management of record keeping is good. All young people’s case files clearly chart their individual needs, progress and development while living at the home. A key strength of the home is the quality of the monthly reports provided to the young person’s social worker. Young people are encouraged to read and sign their records. Young people know and understand what the plans are for their future. This inclusive practice ensures young people have an understanding of their history and progress.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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