Children's Home run by Tulip Care One Limited t/as TulipCare in Kent

Unique reference number SC361090 Inspector Janet Hunnam Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Registered person Tulip Care One Limited t/as TulipCare Registered person address Unit 19-20, Bourne Court Southend Road WOODFORD GREEN Essex IG8 8HD Responsible individual Sabiha Musa Registered manager Helen Julia Shaw / POST VACANT Date of last inspection 23/10/2013 2 of 11 Inspection date 06/05/2014

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Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection Three requirements were made as a result of a visit on 12/12/2013. An action plan was submitted by the home to address these requirements.

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe adequate Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides young people with good standards of care, support and guidance enabling them to make good progress. Within a safe and nurturing environment, young people experience positive, trusting relationships, which help them develop their confidence, self-esteem and allow them to accept the support staff offer. Young people are consequently improving their behaviour, their attendance in education and reducing their offending behaviour.

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Overall effectiveness

Care planning is of a high standard and promotes the individual needs of young people. Input from a clinical psychologist is supporting the staff team to understand young people’s behaviour and implement successful strategies to develop young people’s emotional resilience and coping strategies.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager is working effectively with the committed and enthusiastic staff team to develop and improve the standards of care to enhance young people’s outcomes and future life chances. Recent changes in approach to behaviour management are having a positive impact on young people. 3 of 11 Two requirements and three recommendations are made as a result of this inspection. Although the manager is monitoring the standards of care at the home on a day-to-day basis, there is no clear system for monitoring and reports of this monitoring are not being submitted to Ofsted. Incidents of physical intervention are well recorded but do not include the young person’s comments. One incident of physical intervention did not meet the criteria for physical intervention. Care plans clearly identify young people’s individual needs and strategies to support their development but young people’s progress is not clearly recorded.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children's home provides residential care and support for up to five boys with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home adjoins an independent school, registered for seven male pupils. The school is included in the resources available to young people placed at the home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/10/2013 Full adequate 16/08/2013 Full inadequate 14/03/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 19/09/2012 Full good

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the registered person establishes and maintains a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at least once in every 3 months (Regulation 34(1)(a)) 07/06/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the registered person supplies to HMCI a report in respect of any review conducted by him for the purposes of paragraph (1), and make a copy of the report available on request to placing authorities where the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. (Regulation 34(2)) 07/06/2014 5 of 11

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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 that information about the child is recorded clearly and in a way which will be helpful to the child when they access their files now or in the future. Children are actively encouraged to read their files, other than confidential or third party information and to correct errors and add personal statements (NM 22.5)  ensure that where any sanctions, disciplinary measures or restraint are used, children are encouraged to have their views recorded in the records kept by t home (NMS 3.18)  ensure that restraint is not used as a punishment, nor to force compliance wit instructions where significant harm or serious damage to property are not otherwise likely. Use of restraint is set out in the home's behaviour manageme policy and is in line with any relevant government guidance on restraint and approved approaches to the application of physical intervention and restraint. (NMS 3.14) 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are making significant progress at the home especially when taking into account their starting point at the time of admission. Highly individualised support helps young people develop trusting relationships with staff. This increases their confidence and self-esteem so they feel valued and respected. This approach provides opportunities for staff to talk through issues with young people and consequently reduces the incidence of young people’s challenging behaviour.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from close attention to their health needs. Staff support them to lead healthy lifestyles and they receive specialist guidance and intervention when necessary. The emphasis on young people’s emotional health is enabling them to gain a more positive self-view and develop stronger emotional resilience resulting in improvements in their behaviour, social skills and interaction with others.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Educationally, young people are making significant improvement. They gain from living in an environment where education is valued and is integral to their placement at the home. Young people with a history of poor school attendance show considerable improvement in their attendance, allowing them to make progress academically. They participate in activities in the community to widen their social experiences and pursue their individual interests. Links with local community groups provide them with opportunities to volunteer in socially enriching activities.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from the home’s proactive support in helping them stay in contact with their families in accordance with their placement plans. Consequently, young people have re-established regular contact with family members and staff support enables them to maintain and improve their relationships.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Staff prepare young people for a successful transition to independence or moving on from the home. Structured programmes enable then to acquire life skills such as budgeting and cooking to prepare them for the reality of taking responsibility for themselves. Young people who have recently left the home have made a successful transition to live with their families or into semi-independent living accommodation.

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Quality of care good

Young people live in a nurturing environment where staff value them as individuals. Staff are responsive to young people, giving them confidence to trust staff, develop constructive relationships and react positively to the support offered to them. Relationships are supportive and good humoured and young people have access to senior staff on a regular, informal basis. Staff are sensitive to and mindful of 7 of 11 changing dynamics within the group when new young people move in. They assist young people to cope and deal with issues arising from learning to live alongside others.

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Quality of care good

Staff value young people’s views and actively consult with them individually on a daily basis and more formally through regular key working sessions. Young people put forward their views on the day-to-day running of the home and have influenced decisions such as appropriate bed times and how they receive their pocket money. Young people were consulted regarding their choice and preference regarding redecoration and new furniture at the home. This involvement allows young people to feel appreciated and develops their self-esteem and sense of belonging at the home.

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Quality of care good

Comprehensive care plans identify young people’s individual needs and the support they require to make progress in all aspects of their lives. The home’s clinical psychologist plays an active role in supporting staff to compile the care plan and identify specific needs and strategies to support their progress. However, the progress and achievement of young people is not clearly recorded to demonstrate to the young person their development and advancement and thus increase their confidence. The clinical psychologist provides on-going advice and guidance to staff. This enables staff to review the care plan and strategies of support with a greater level of understanding of young people’s individual needs.

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Quality of care good

Young people live in an environment that actively supports their physical and psychological well-being. Staff closely monitor young people’s health and have established close links with the local doctor (GP) who visits the home to consult with young people and ensure they are receiving appropriate health care. With the support of the clinical psychologist, staff are developing therapeutic ways of thinking about young people and advancing their knowledge and skills resulting in positive ways of supporting young people. Consequently, young people are making significant improvements in their psychological and emotional health and their behaviour. Young people have the opportunity to engage in direct work with the clinical psychologist when appropriate. They receive guidance on specific health issues such as substance misuse and sexual health form external, specialist agencies through the on-site school enabling them to make informed decisions about their own health. A robust

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Quality of care good

system for the administration of medication is in place, ensuring staff administer medication safely.

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Quality of care good

The home is very proactive in working with external agencies and using community resources to support young people effectively. The local police officer is attending the home informally to meet young people and provide them with a positive experience of police officers in addition to addressing issues relating to their behaviour. The home also uses the expertise of the local fire service to work individually with young people when their risk assessments highlight the need for specialist input to address their risk-taking behaviour. 8 of 11 Education is highly valued at the home within a culture that supports and encourages learning. The on-site school is an integral part of the home with school staff working closely and effectively with the home’s staff to assist young people to attend education and to achieve to their full potential. Staff support for young people’s education improves their chances of achieving their education capability and

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Quality of care good

enhances their opportunities in adulthood. Staff encourage young people to pursue their individual interests during leisure time and to use their time positively to widen their social experiences and make friends. Staff actively support young people’s choice of activity and facilitate their attendance at leisure projects in the community. Young people are benefitting from this experience by acquiring appropriate social skills and behaviour and making positive peer group relationships. Young people enjoy one-to-one time with staff and various activities on-site, which enables them to build positive relationships with staff and other young people at the home.

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Quality of care good

Young people live in a comfortable home situated in a semi-rural environment but close to local amenities. Recently, areas have been redecorated, alterations made to the staff office and new furniture and items purchased for communal areas providing a homely setting. Young people have opportunities to personalise their bedrooms helping them to develop a sense of belonging and self-identity.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Recent improvements at the home focusing on reducing the criminalisation of young people and creating a culture where challenging behaviour is understood and managed effectively without the resort to physical intervention, is having a positive impact on young people. In a calm and relaxed atmosphere, young people interact with staff and their peers in a friendly and good-humoured manner. Routines, structure and boundaries are in place to provide a sense of safety and security for young people. In recent months, the number of incidents involving physical intervention has reduced dramatically and there has been only one such incident since the end of January. Police involvement at the home in response to serious incidents and young people’s offending behaviour has reduced significantly due to staff’s positive safeguarding approach.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

A new behaviour management policy is in place alongside training for staff in a different model of behaviour management, which is proving successful in de- escalating potentially serious situations. Young people have no concerns regarding their safety at the home. Staff understand the specific vulnerabilities of young people and appropriate measures are in place to protect them. Individual, detailed assessments identify risk taking behaviour and outline appropriate measures to protect young people and minimise potential harm.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Strong, meaningful relationships between staff and young people underpin young people’s safety at the home and staff use physical intervention as a last resort. Staff are clear that restraint is appropriate only where significant harm or serious damage 9 of 11 to property is likely but there has been one incident where physical intervention was used to prevent young people leaving the home where there was no immediate risk of harm. The recording and monitoring of such incidents is good but the records do not include the views of the young people concerned. Sanctions are rarely used as a measure of behaviour management. Instead, the home is developing a restorative approach with staff discussing unacceptable behaviour with young people to support them in improving their behaviour.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Clear procedures are in place if a young person is absent from the home without permission. Staff are proactive in their actions to keep young people safe and support them individually to reduce the risks they face if they do not return to the home as agreed. Young people have made considerable improvement in reducing the incidence of being away from the home without permission. The home has an effective relationship with local police to protect young people if they are absent without permission.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Staff receive regular training in child protection and safeguarding. Managers are keen to ensure staff receive high quality training in all areas of safeguarding to protect young people. Staff are enrolled on a course to raise their awareness of keeping children safe online. Senior staff are enrolled on an advanced child protection course to equip them with the required level of knowledge and skills. Managers respond effectively and appropriately to safeguarding concerns and have made notifications of significant events to the relevant authorities.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

The home takes the health and safety of young people seriously and measures are in place to protect them from harm. Regular checks, tests and routine servicing of equipment are completed. A recent fire risk assessment, audited by the local fire service, is in place identifying potential hazards and risk-reduction measures. The home follows robust recruitment procedures thus protecting young people from unsuitable people working at the home.

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Leadership and management good

The manager of the home, who has considerable childcare experience, has been in post since December 2013 and has applied to be registered as manager. A decision on her suitability is currently pending. Since her appointment, she is working closely with the responsible individual to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She is working with passion and commitment to develop the quality of care provided for young people to enable them to make progress and achieve good outcomes.

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Leadership and management good

All requirements and recommendations from the last inspection and visit have been addressed. Risk assessments now accurately reflect young people’s levels of risk with appropriate risk reduction measures. The home makes notifications of significant events appropriately to the relevant authorities. The home has a comprehensive fire risk assessment in place, which has been assessed by the local fire service as 10 of 11 demonstrating suitable and sufficient measures to satisfy the requirements of the legislation. Fridge temperatures are now recorded ensuring medication is stored safely and all medication is stored securely. The home monitors sanctions to ensure they are appropriately applied. Overall, the manager is changing the culture of the home and developing staff to focus on a therapeutic, individual approach to understanding young people’s behaviour, building meaningful relationships with young people and positively managing challenging behaviour. These changes are

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Leadership and management good

having a positive impact on young people with significant improvement in their behaviour, educational attendance and social interaction.

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Leadership and management good

Effective monitoring processes are in place to ensure the home continues to develop and maintain high standards of care. An independent visitor attends the home each month to monitor the quality of care and highlight any areas requiring attention. The manager monitors records and staff practice continuously but she has not submitted a report of this monitoring to Ofsted within the required time scale. The responsible individual takes a proactive role in visiting, monitoring and supporting the home exemplifying a commitment to improving and maintaining high standards of care to promote positive outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management good

Through this period of transition and change, the home has recruited new staff. Staff are enthusiastic and committed to improving young people’s future life chances. Currently there are sufficient staff to meet young people’s needs and the recruitment process is continuing to achieve the optimum staffing capacity to care for future admissions to the home. New staff complete appropriate induction programmes and all staff receive appropriate training to work safely and effectively with young people. Support systems are in place for staff including regular individual supervision sessions, practice forum meetings and input form the clinical psychologist to extend staff knowledge and understanding and assist them in developing appropriate strategies to meet young people’s individual needs. The level of training and support ensures staff are competent and confident in supporting young people to improve their future life chances. Staff report that managers are ‘very supportive and are

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Leadership and management good

constantly available to give support and guidance’. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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