Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Staffordshire

Unique reference number SC398481 Inspector Julian Mason Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Young Options College Limited Registered person address Turnpike Gate House Alcester Heath Alcester Warwickshire B49 5JG Responsible individual Graham Baker Registered manager Lorraine Theresa Gregory Date of last inspection 10/03/2014 2 of 10 Inspection date 17/07/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit significantly from their nurturing, stable and well-established placements. They continue to make excellent progress and experience improving outcomes in many areas of their lives. The home provides an exceptionally high level of individualised care that is consistent, reassuring and familiar.

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Overall effectiveness

Excellent management and staffing arrangements prepare the way for young people to make significant progress in comparison to their previous circumstances. Young people’s needs and views are central to all aspects of how the home operates and organises its routines. Young people are very comfortable and relaxed in the home, their feedback is uniformly positive about how safe they feel. Young people reflect, ‘people care about you, they are nice people,' and 'it’s the best place ever.' Parents and placing social workers are all extremely positive about what the home provides and the on-going and sustained progress young people make. One social worker stating ‘I would describe the quality of care provided to be of a very high standard, it is clear that staff put the needs of the children in their care first.’

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Overall effectiveness

The home is soundly managed with experienced, knowledgeable and supportive leadership for staff and young people. The Registered Manager places a strong emphasis on providing high standards of care through continuous improvement and development. Experienced and skilled staff who are well supported provide young 3 of 10 people with a strong base from where they can grow up safely and prepare for the future. Staff work in an ‘honest and open culture.’ The Registered Manager’s monitoring of the service enables effective and on-going improvement to further develop the home for the benefit of each young person. This results in the team having a clear child-focused approach on achieving the necessary goals and outcomes for young people to lead successful lives. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2014 Interim good progress 04/12/2013 Full outstanding 21/03/2013 Interim good progress 23/08/2012 Full outstanding 5 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people enjoy positive experiences where care, therapeutic support and education are uniformly child-centred. Young people who have been in crisis previously are provided with a nurturing environment that enables them to develop new skills and to improve their self-esteem and emotional resilience. There is a strong emphasis on providing personal, social and behavioural education that impacts directly on the progress each individual makes. Since being at the home, young people’s placement stability has grown; anti-social and offending behaviours have reduced considerably; family relationships have improved; attendance and attainment in education is very positive and overall risk taking behaviours have diminished. One placing social worker stating, ‘my young person has progressed enormously since being at the home, confidence and self-esteem has increased significantly.’

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people who have experienced multiple placement breakdowns before arriving at the home are able to recover from these experiences. They are encouraged to reflect on their individual circumstances and to express what might be best for them in the future. For example, young people who have previously been fostered are able to positively consider a return to foster care as part of their proposed future plans.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress, establishing strong routines and clear boundaries that enable them to use newly learnt strategies for managing their emotions and daily life events. Young people are provided with the right environment to help them explore and express their previous experiences and feelings. Structured but flexible routines ensure young people are kept occupied and actively engaged within the home and local community. For example, young people’s interest in nature and wildlife are fostered by enthusiastic staff. Young people are provided with sensitive support to maintain and keep in touch with significant people in their lives. Arrangements follow agreed plans and are negotiated and arranged sensitively in consultation with young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people are making significant progress in their educational attainment and attendance. They have been helped to overcome major difficulties that had previously affected their potential to achieve and engage at school. Young people with previous histories of poor or none attendance now attend full time and are fully engaged in the school curriculum. One placing social worker stating, ‘he has come on leaps and bounds, attendance and achievements are fantastic in comparison to previous circumstances.’ Young people also experience very familiar weekday routines within the home that support further learning and the completion of homework. This has happened because the Registered Manager and staff team are resolute in their approach and attitudes for young people to engage in every opportunity that will help them reach their full potential irrespective of previous difficulties or barriers. 6 of 10

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Quality of care outstanding

All young people experience significant placement stability over a number of years. They are able to make progress and sustain improvements in many important areas of their lives because the quality of care is exceptional. Young people experience care and support that consistently promotes positive social interactions and respectful behaviours. They have significant histories of difficult and challenging behaviours but staff work positively and patiently, following agreed plans that help change anti-social and risky behaviours. This is because young people are able to form attachments with team members that become influential and enabling. Staff spend lots of individual time with young people to help them resolve their difficulties and find ways to do things differently.

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Quality of care outstanding

The Registered Manager pays particular attention to planning and coordinating young people's support to ensure that positive progress is achieved. Detailed plans are devised in conjunction with placing authority plans. Risks are assessed regularly and are reflected in written information that staff use to guide the way they work each day. Staff are able to adapt and change their practice quickly to ensure risks are managed effectively. The home is excellent at tailoring the home’s routines to ensure it carefully meets individual needs and manages risks safely.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people live in a healthy environment where their physical, emotional and psychological needs are well known and met. The home has effective links with a range of health and welfare services that provide support to young people and where necessary, guidance to the staff team. Frequent discussions with young people help them make informed choices about their health and welfare. Staff are influential and consistently enable and guide young people to access the right services to improve their health and well-being. Young people’s health is closely monitored especially around longer-term conditions and that any reviews of treatment remain beneficial to each individual.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people's views and choices are central to practice within the home. They participate in frequent meetings where matters important to young people are discussed. For example, arrangements for activities, food choices, domestic routines, through to peer and adult relationships. Arrangements for consultation and listening to young people are further enhanced because of the number of individual key worker and one-to-one discussions young people have with staff and managers. In addition, young people are very well supported to participate in a range of different meetings where they can share their views with others who are involved in their care. This ensures that social workers, parents, carers and other helping professionals are informed and take account of what young people want to achieve from their placement. Young people feel consulted and listened to and have a say in the running of the home and what happens in their lives. One young person stating,

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Quality of care outstanding

‘staff and the manager are caring, if I have a problem there is always someone I can 7 of 10 talk to.’

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people’s rights are comprehensively promoted by the team, information and help to access external advocacy services is clearly available. Young people know how to complain if they are not happy about something. They are listened to and any complaints are resolved quickly. Because staff are very attentive and listen to young people, resolutions to concerns or grumbles are quickly found. Staff negotiate and compromise, promoting the use of these skills with young people as a way of helping them develop consideration for others and positive social skills.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people participate in an excellent range of leisure and recreational activities that help them enjoy their free time. Staff actively consult young people about what they would like to do and they are instrumental in ensuring young people’s experiences are varied and diverse. Young people live in a clean, comfortable and safe environment that reflects a welcoming residential setting. Young people are able to personalise their bedrooms and their belongings are safe. The atmosphere is homely, with young people freely accessing communal areas when they choose. In particular the use of outside areas to; spend time together, play football, cultivate vegetables and watch wildlife in the garden. One placing social worker stating, ‘It's a lovely homely place, can't fault them.’

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Young people are safe and feel safe in the home because the Registered Manager and staff team have a clear focus on keeping everyone safe. Detailed assessments are in place, which identify areas of risk and vulnerability for each young person. Staff use this information to shape their daily practice and routines. They receive child protection training and know how to respond to allegations or suspicions of abuse or report concerns about a young person’s safety. The Registered Manager has well-established links with the local safeguarding team and police who work together for the protection of vulnerable young people. Young people reflect, ‘I feel very safe here’ and ‘they are here to keep me safe.’

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff use the home’s policies and notification procedures to help reduce the risks young people may experience when they are away from the home without permission or missing from care. Overtime, the risks young people have experienced through this kind of behaviour has reduced greatly. Currently, young people do not go missing because the work undertaken by the staff team has been very successful.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Young people are supported to behave well and say staff are ‘fair’ when it comes to helping them with their behaviour. This includes a clear focus on supporting positive, improving behaviour as well as the use of de-escalation techniques to manage difficult or risky situations. Physical interventions are sometimes used but the need for this approach is rare. Methods of behaviour management are regularly discussed in team meetings and with visiting therapists, which helps the team formulate very 8 of 10 consistent and effective practices. Young people receive frequent feedback about their behaviour and understand what is expected of them. They benefit from having individual behaviour management plans that include agreed targets that attract rewards for behaving well. Young people’s potential and ability to change risky behaviours is fully explored, encouraged and supported because of this approach. Social workers identify that the home has had a significant impact on helping young

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

people improve their behaviour and social interactions.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

The staff employed in the home are carefully selected and vetted to ensure that young people are properly looked after and effectively safeguarded. The home’s environment is physically safe and appropriately secure, taking into account the varying needs and circumstances of each young person. Young people’s health and safety is fully supported because maintenance and protective procedures such as fire safety are applied consistently.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Young people benefit from living in a home where it is organised and managed outstandingly well. The home has a strong track record of achieving excellent outcomes for young people. A very experienced, qualified Registered Manager with a child-centred approach provides the staff team with a clear focus on necessary practices and tasks needed to successfully help young people move forward in their lives. The Registered Manager is well supported by the deputy, seniors and residential care team who all contribute positively to the culture, ethos and working practices developed in the home. Consequently, the whole team are able to shape and help secure excellent progress for each young person. Staff reflect, ‘it’s a strong staff team who work to a high standard to give excellent care to our children’ and ‘it’s a great place to work, a real team effort.’

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Leadership and management outstanding

Although there have been some changes within the staff group the core team are qualified and experienced, they have worked together for some time, achieving a consistent, focused approach that provides young people with outstanding quality of care. They understand their roles and responsibilities and work extremely well with the management team to address and meet young people’s diverse and individual needs. One young person stating, 'it’s a really good home, I like all of the staff.’

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Leadership and management outstanding

Managers have an on-going programme of formal supervision and annual appraisal, which is used effectively to promote the professional development of the team and maintain high standards of work practice. Staff regularly participate in core training events to update their knowledge and skills as well as more specialist training to address any specific areas of need. This means that staff are able to develop their knowledge and skills so they can address and meet young people’s needs more effectively. Professionals are very positive about how the Registered Manager and staff team work in partnership with them to secure and sustain the best possible outcomes for each young person. 9 of 10 The Registered Manager can readily demonstrate the home’s capacity for continuing improvement, which is based on its record of previous outcomes and successes. Young people’s placement stability and continued good progress is regularly tracked

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Leadership and management outstanding

and evaluated. The Registered Manager has a robust range of systems in place to ensure on-going monitoring occurs and that these systems inform improvement and development. Strengths and potential shortfalls of the service are clearly understood. This information is used to formulate the home’s development plan which is reviewed and updated regularly.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The Registered Manager has systems in place to notify relevant agencies, including Ofsted of significant events which detail the actions taken to keep young people safe. Young people’s case files are kept up to date and provide a comprehensive record of events and progress. The files are safely and securely stored to support young people’s privacy and confidentiality.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Staff continue to provide and develop pictorial and written evidence in a ‘life book’ for each young person which reflects the events, activities and relationships they experience. Because of this, young people are able to access an additional and substantial record of their time in the home in a format that is accessible and unique to them. This excellent practice really benefits young people as it makes a significant contribution to their life story record. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management outstanding

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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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