Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Oxfordshire

Unique reference number SC482296 Inspector Jennie Christopher Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Hillcrest Childrens Services Limited Registered person address Langstone Gate Solent Road Havant Hampshire PO9 1TR Responsible individual William Mathew Crosby Registered manager Sadie Rebecca Dangerfield Date of last inspection 23/10/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 19/03/2015

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Previous inspection outstanding Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

The home was last inspected in October 2014, where it was judged as outstanding overall and good at safeguarding young people. Two recommendations were made in relation to gaining young people’s views on sanctions and restraints and including the use of the external door alarms in the Statement of Purpose. Both of these have been achieved.

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This inspection

Staff continue to make a positive difference to lives of young people living in the home. They work tirelessly to ensure all individual needs are met in a warm and caring environment. Staff continuously nurture positive relationships with young people. Observations showed young people seeking staff help and guidance in addition to appropriate physical warmth. On the return walk from the on-site school, some young people discussed their day with staff while others enjoyed a piggy back to the home. The positive parenting approach to young people results in excellent outcomes. Examples include basic skills such as sitting at a table where they were previously unable to and understanding the key social skills of conversation and listening to others.

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This inspection

Young people are positive about the home and their relationships with staff. In particular they enjoy the activities on offer both within the home and grounds and in the community. A young person is increasing their social skills by playing football in a local team while others enjoy trampoline club and equine therapy. Of particular interest to all young people is the newly dug out pond with frogspawn. Young people have made sculptures and figures from natural materials to place around the pond.

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This inspection

Planning prior to young people moving into the home is extremely thorough. In the event of emergency admissions, the manager seeks to gain as much information as possible in order to support the young person well. Planning meetings and statutory 3 of 5 reviews in these instances have also been carried out within agreed timescales. Partnership working is embedded into daily practice. Communication between the on-site school, social workers, family and key professionals ensures consistency in approach and an outstanding quality of care for young people. When moving on from the home, individuals benefit from clear, well-planned transitions to ensure they are ready for their move to family or foster carers. Young people who have recently moved on have had planned outreach sessions and remain in contact with staff and other young people.

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This inspection

Staff are skilled in creating a nurturing environment where young people feel safe. Consistency in approach to behaviour management ensures young people have a clear understanding of the home rules and agreed consequences. Restraint is used, however staff focus on de-escalation and only use holds when all other approaches have proved ineffective. Observations saw staff facilitating discussion between young people regarding disagreements. While they struggled with this, it served to resolve the concern and prevent escalation or retaliation. There is excellent evaluation of incidents, resulting in a reflective approach to practice in response to anxiety or distress.

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This inspection

The suitably qualified and experienced Registered Manager effectively leads the keen and motivated staff team. Staff are confident in their roles and new staff feel well supported by the management and senior teams. Independent monitoring of the home and practice in line with regulation 33 is of a very good standard. It provides a sound level of reflection and challenge for the home. However the reports are forwarded to the home manager and not directly to Ofsted. Similarly, managers monitoring is of an equally high standard. It highlights areas for improvement and any significant trends and patterns. While it notes that consultation with young people, parents and key professionals has taken place, it does not indicate the result of this or include their views. The homes development plan reflects external and internal monitoring. Plans are clear and time limited reflecting improvements for both the fabric of the building and care experience for young people.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children's home provides care and accommodation for up to eight young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It was registered in 2014 because of a technical change to the companies house number. The service was previously operated under URN SC046353 and this is a continuation of that service.

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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 when the independent person produces a written report about a visit, they provide a copy of the report to HMCI (Ofsted) (Regulation 33(9)(a)) 30/04/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure reports produced include consultation with children accommodated in the home, their parents and placing authorities. (Regulation 34(3)) 30/04/2015 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Reg. Requirement Due date

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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