Children's Home run by Headway Adolescent Resources Limited in North Somerset

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people have made good progress in all aspects of their lives from their starting point on admission to the home.  Young people feel safe and are enabled by staff to develop their own understanding of risk and develop self-management strategies to keep themselves safe. This work has led to a reduction in risk taking behaviours by young people.  Young people develop an understanding of the reasons for them coming into care. They work with staff in the development and review of their plans which will enhance their future prospects.  Staff and young people have effective, good relationships.  Young people are at the heart of all work undertaking by the staff team. This is supported by safeguarding processes that are robustly adhered to in practice.  Staff have a good understanding of the needs of the individual young people they care for and are committed to providing them with high quality care.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff receive good quality training which enhances their development and practice.  The staff team have developed very effective working partnerships with fellow professionals which has contributed to the progress made by young people.  Young people live in a well-furnished, comfortable home which has a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere.  Leaders and managers have robust internal monitoring processes and a clear evaluation of the homes strengths and areas for improvement. This has enabled them to develop a development plan to drive the service forward.  Not all staff currently receive an annual appraisal as required.  The independent visitor does not routinely gather the views of young people’s parents and social workers about the quality of care provided in the home. In addition, reports do not demonstrate consultation with young people and staff in sufficient detail.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)) 31/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44(2(a)) 31/10/2015

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people with emotional and behavioural needs. This home is one of several children’s in the surrounding area operated by the same private company providing resources to adolescents. This provider also has several children’ homes in Wales.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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Good

Young people have strong and effective relationships with the staff that care and support them. Young people live in a stable nurturing environment that enables them to develop and grow. The staff team have an in-depth knowledge of the individual young people and ensure their identified and emerging needs are met. Young people said they feel the staff really listen to them and want the best for them. Some of the young people truly see the home as their home. The team review bespoke care plans to ensure they reflect the young people’s current needs. Young people are fully involved both in the development and review of these plans. This helps young people to understand what brought their personal histories as well as enabling them to make positive decisions about their future. Care plans clearly evidence the good and extremely good progress young people have made from their starting point upon admission to the home.

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Good

Young people and staff meet regularly to discuss individual targets as well as any incidents or concerns the young people may have. Young people said their relationship with their key worker was important but they also found the whole team very approachable and would be happy talking to any of them.

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Good

The education achievements of young people have been good, especially for those who were not engaging at the point of admission. The staff team work closely with the virtual school officers to devise creative alternative education programmes for those young people awaiting a fulltime educational placement. Fellow professionals praised the staff team for their support and involvement in this work.

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Good

Young people take part in a wide range of fun and purposeful activities that also build their self-confidence and self-esteem. Young people chose their activities and some said they have tried new things since being at the home. This has included physical activities to improve their fitness and health.

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Good

Young people are supported by staff to understand how to lead and maintain a healthy lifestyle, including therapeutic/emotional support. Young people at high risk and with a history of drug use have dramatically decreased this behaviour. Fellow professionals said the risks to the young person were huge and with staff support the young person has made an ‘incredible journey with the consistent support of a brilliant staff team’. The staff team help young people to develop self-management techniques for their behaviours and emotions which they will need for their adult life. This is linked with practical skills, building their self-confidence and personal identity. This work is tailored to the individual, their level of understanding and age.

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Good

The staff team enable and support young people to maintain contact with those people that are important to them. Staff help young people to develop an understanding of their personal history as well as maintaining and in some cases, re- engaging emotionally with their families.

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Good

Young people benefit from living in a well-furnished, comfortable, homely environment. They are able to have input to the homes decoration and furnishing especially their bedrooms, which are highly personalised. Repairs to the home are generally quickly addressed. The exception to this is a broken sofa in the young people’s lounge. A replacement was being sought but had yet to arrive.

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Good

Young people have their own pets which they care for very well. One fellow professional highly praised the staff for allowing pets at the home. This is due to one young person’s pet being the one consistent thing they have had in their lives for the past four years. Young people have attending training to ensure their pets are well cared for and staff have engaged behavioural specialists for the pets to ensure both young people and pets are safe.

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Good

Young people’s safety is increased by living at the home. The staff team have developed a robust risk assessment process which includes individual assessments for each young person. Staff adhere to robust strategies to reduce identified and emerging risks. Staff use screening tools to help young people understand risks of child sexual exploitation and educate them how they can keep themselves safe. Since the last inspection there has been a decrease in negative and disruptive behaviours.

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Good

Young people said they feel safe at the home. When there are issues with other residents the staff team are quick to try and resolve these. Young people said the staff are very approachable and they have confidence in them. The staff team are very conscious of not criminalising the young people in their care. They work with the local police and young people on this with reparation being a key tool in this area.

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Good

Behaviour management is based upon positive reinforcement of good behaviours and celebrating the young people making positive choices. The use of sanctions, room searches and physical restraint is minimal and appropriate. Records of these events are comprehensive and regularly monitored by the leaders and managers of the home. Information from this is used to improve the practices at the home. Since the previous inspection there have been no incidents of young people being missing from the home. There is a clear policy, in line with the local authority, placing authority and police procedures should this happen. Staff know this policy as well as each young person’s plan which identifies their individual risks.

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Good

There is a robust recruitment and vetting procedures which protects young people for adults which may wish to cause them harm. This is strictly adhered to in practice as staff see this as the first step in safeguarding young people.

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Good

Safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures are in place and well understood by the staff team. These include action to be taken where there are concerns over the practice of any staff member. Where any concerns are identified leaders and managers take swift and effective action to protect young people. The staff team have developed effective working relationship with the local authority designated officer.

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Good

The home has a manager in place with the appropriate experience and qualifications. The manager is currently undertaking the level 5 in leadership and management course. Currently this person is awaiting their registration interview with Ofsted. The manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weakness of the home as identified within this report and has developed a plan to address the weaknesses.

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Good

Staff receive regular, good quality supervision from trained senior staff. Formal and information supervision is reflective and enables staff to develop and improve their skills. The staff team receive good quality training to support their work with young people. At the point of inspection not all staff have received an annual appraisal. The manager has identified this and arranged dates for these sessions. Staffing levels are appropriate. The staff team and/or regular agency staff initially covered some vacancies to provide young people with consistent care. These vacant posts have recently been filled. The staff team have young people’s wellbeing and progress at the heart of their work. They challenge the placing authorities where they have felt the decisions being made were not in the best interest of the young people. The manager said the team felt it was an essential part of their role to act

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Good

as advocates for the young people they care for.

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Good

Leaders and managers effectively monitor the homes records, policies and procedures. Any weakness is quickly addressed. A development plan is in place and the team have dealt with the majority of requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection. Leaders and managers have developed very good working relationships with fellow professionals. Fellow professional acknowledge this and praised them and the staff team regarding their commitment to the young people. Some said the team have gone ‘above and beyond what you would expect from staff at a children’s home. Nothing is too much trouble for them’. As well as effective relationships with fellow professionals the leaders and manager have been proactive in developing their relationships with the local community.

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Good

The independent visitor inspects the home each month. They produce a report of their finding with actions as required. Currently the independent visitor does not routinely contact parents or social workers. In addition the record of the interaction with staff and young people is limited. The omissions decrease the effectiveness of this report as a monitoring tool. This was also a requirement at the previous inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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