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

Inspection date 03/09/2015

Previous inspection judgement Declined in effectiveness

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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:

 Staff provide highly individualised care which reflects a detailed knowledge of the young people. Young people respond positively and make progress across all areas of their lives.   Young people’s views are central to all aspects of their care. This is reflected in their routines, activities, and meals. Young people feel a strong sense of belonging and invest in their home. Young people develop emotional resilience as a result.   Leaders and managers ensure that staff are trained to meet young people’s specific needs. As a result, young people benefit from care which is tailored to them; their engagement is good and outcomes improve.   Staff are skilled in supporting young people’s participation in community activities such as football, karate and model airplane flying. This prepares young people for their future and provides positive life experiences.   Staff and managers develop proactive and effective relationships with the

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The children's home provision is good because:

police. This ensures that young people are not unnecessarily criminalised. Young people rarely go missing; however, a co-ordinated response minimises the time that young people are at risk.   There are some shortfalls. These relate to: decisions about new placements and the impact on young people already living in the home; staff awareness of safeguarding practice, and the quality of information that the registered manager obtains about people working in the home. The registered manager is aware of these weaknesses and has plans and the capacity to address them.  

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe,

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Requirement Due date

(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 07/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard with particular reference to staffing the registered provider must ensure that:-

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure the workforce provides continuity of care for each child. 07/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) that arrangements are in place to- (i) ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. 07/10/2015 The registered person must ensure that the information set out in Schedule 4 is kept in the home and ensure this is kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (2) (a) and (b)) 07/10/2015

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Information about this children's home

This home is part of a large private children’s care organisation and is registered to accommodate three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/02/2015 CH - Interim Declined in effectiveness

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good

Young people develop positive relationships with staff. They are interested and knowledgeable about young people’s circumstances and daily lives. They meet their need for routine, privacy, and personal space. They support young people to personalise their bedrooms and display their photographs in the home. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘I have met my young person’s key worker and could see the relationship was good and he understood their needs.’ Staff understand what is important to young people and advocate on their behalf. For example, staff support young people, including those who are placed a long way from home, to become more independent in their contact arrangements.

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good

Young people say that they feel safe in the home and are able to discuss issues which are difficult with staff. They develop and sustain positive relationships with staff and their peers, allowing them to experience holidays abroad together. Staff support young people to develop socially aware behaviour. They encourage them to take responsibility for their behaviour and to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. As a result, young people develop emotional resilience.

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good

Young people enjoy access to a range of social and recreational activities in and outside the home. Staff are successful in encouraging young people to engage in activities as diverse as football, karate, cadets and model plane flying. Young people develop skills and confidence, which promote their self-esteem and allow them to develop friendships outside of the home. They develop valuable emotional and practical life skills, useful to successfully manage their lives as adults.

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good

Young people’s educational outcomes improve. Young people attend school and achieve. Staff provide support for young people when needed in school. Young people are reassured and their behaviour improves. They become increasingly able to regulate their behaviour, resulting in full engagement with their education. A parent said: ‘We are very happy and pleased with our child’s response to the home and staff, it is allowing them to make progress at school as their behaviour has improved there too.’ Some young people are able to take public examinations a year early and are motivated to achieve. The registered manager liaises with school to ensure they share constructive dialogue. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘I am really impressed with the liaison between home and college.’

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good

Young people’s health needs, including their emotional well-being, are met. Staff are skilled in working with young people who have autistic spectrum disorder. They support them to access specialist help with the organisation’s therapists and with the child and adolescent mental health service. Staff understand how to safely manage medication and encourage young people to take their medication regularly. As a result, young people’s emotional well-being improves.

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good

Young people can identify a member of staff who they trust to talk to about their concerns. They have a good understanding of the complaints process but the staff and manager’s proactive approach regarding their concerns means they do not need to use it.

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good

Staff reinforce positive behaviour to good effect and young people develop improved self-regulation. Professional stakeholders and families alike recognise the positive impact of the home. A parent said: ‘Historically xx would have attacked the person or damaged property in response – this shows the progress they have made since living in the home.’

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good

Young people rarely go missing. Staff have effective relationships with the police and sound knowledge of missing protocols. This results in a co-ordinated response which reduces the risk of harm to young people. They work proactively with the police to prevent unnecessary criminalisation of young people. effective relationships have resulted in the police providing support and training about internet safety for young people. Staff understand the risks that the internet presents and monitor young people’s use: this safeguards their welfare.

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good

Staff understand child protection policies and inform placing authorities and the police appropriately regarding safeguarding concerns. At times, staff show robust responses to these concerns, for example in monitoring internet access. However, at other times staff have not ensures that young people were adequately supervised following allegations of abusive behaviour, or that risk assessments were updated. The registered manager recognises these weaknesses and has addressed them to ensure young people do not continue to be placed at any risk of harm.

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requires improvement

The suitably experienced and qualified registered manager has been in post for less than a year and is completing the level 5 diploma in leadership and management residential childcare pathway. The registered manager ensures that care is provided in line with the statement of purpose so that: ‘each individual young person follows their own programme in an atmosphere of high expectations, and achievable aims and where they are valued for themselves.’ The registered manager ensures the staff are supported by the organisation’s therapist in the delivery of the model of care for complex trauma. In practice, the therapist attends team meetings to support the staff in reviewing the young people’s care and in delivering specific training such as caring for young people who have autistic spectrum disorder. The therapist also offers individual support to young people. This approach promotes their welfare and they make good progress from their

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requires improvement

The registered manager has developed a new staff team. In the process, young people have experienced changes of permanent staff and the use of agency staff: this has not provided good continuity. She has not ensured that all the appropriate information is recorded about staff who have worked there. For example, the qualifications and experience of temporary staff.

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requires improvement

Leaders and managers have not always ensured that they give priority to the safety and stability of the group environment when accepting new admissions. As a result, some young people experienced a period of deterioration in their behaviour and feeling unsettled. Young people’s improved resilience means they have quickly settled when the new admission moved on. Staff successfully support young people’s transitions to new placements. A social worker said: ‘I just want to take this opportunity you thank you for all your support during this period.’

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requires improvement

Leaders and managers work proactively with professional stakeholders and families. The registered manager meets frequently with the organisation’s school to ensure continuity of care and behaviour management. Staff welcome parents into the home and promote contact where that is safe and in the young person’s best interests. Young people benefit from consistent care and good knowledge of their identity and background.

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requires improvement

The registered manager understands young people’s plans and ensures these are reviewed and targets reflect their development and progress. For example, ensuring young people’s supervision in the community and with family is appropriate to their increased self-regulation. The registered manager has introduced new tools to ensure that young people’s outcomes are more accurately recorded. She listens to staff and embraces their ideas to develop the service. For example, staff have engaged young people in developing their cultural awareness through food, sourcing and cooking food from around the world and understanding the significance of the food and rituals of food for different peoples. Young people’s experiences are broadened and the quality of care improves.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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