Children's Home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Hertfordshire

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:

 The setting is warm and welcoming. It is furnished and decorated to a high standard and has a homely feel.  Staff are positive and committed to young people. Relationships are warm and mutually respectful.  Young people are encouraged and enabled to develop independence skills to equip them for adult life.  Staff are creative and inventive in accessing educational provision that is tailored to young people’s interests and abilities.  Most young people achieve and make progress, which is recognised and celebrated.  Staff work hard to ensure young people have access to positive life experiences.  Policies and processes around keeping young people safe are clear, robust and understood by the staff group.  Behaviour is managed in a consistent, restorative way, with appropriate use of reward and sanction, which young people understand.  The registered manager leads a strong staff group by example and is

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The children's home provision is good because:

passionate and committed to improving outcomes for young people.  Staff make every effort to reduce the likelihood and opportunity for young people to go missing. When they do, there is a well-planned multi-agency response designed to ensure earliest, safe return.  Staff are not always clear about roles and individual responsibility for recording incidents and resulting actions and consequences.  Some young people smoke tobacco in and around the home.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): Ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being particularly with regard to tobacco use. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 35 paragraph 7.18)

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Recommendations

Ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should be clear about their role and responsibility to ensure that process is followed and records kept accordingly. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62 paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority children's home registered to accommodate six young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

05/11/2013 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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Good

The home is warm, welcoming and attractively decorated and furnished. Staff have created a homely environment, which is reflective of the young people who live there. Bedrooms are spacious and personalised wherever possible. Wholesome and healthy meals are served around a large table, where young people and staff regularly eat and talk together. Young people are encouraged to contribute to food preparation for the home and have their own small kitchen for snacks and drinks.

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Good

Young people have individualised support plans, which are clear and accessible, detailing primary aims and daily routines. Staff and young people review progress on a regular basis, against agreed objectives. Staff and young people have weekly reflection sessions where they review their targets and set new goals. Young people are encouraged to celebrate the positives and consider what they have found difficult.

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Good

Staff and young people build good relationships and develop strong bonds based on honesty, mutual respect and good professional practice. Staff focus on young people’s needs and know them well. Some young people who no longer live at the home choose to continue to have contact with staff and update them on their progress.

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Good

Most young people are attending a suitable educational provision. Where young people are not in school or college, staff are creative in finding educational opportunities and resources that reflect and build on individual interests. Some young people have progressed significantly and have achieved GCSE examinations, vocational qualifications and apprenticeship placements. Staff have nominated two young people for a special county award to recognise good progress.

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Good

Staff offer young people a range of activities and regularly go above and beyond to ensure they are able to access a wide range of positive experiences. Some young people went on holiday to Egypt and another young person, with staff support, was able to camp at a music festival.

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Good

The registered manager, in consultation with young people, has introduced a full independence programme. Workshops and training events covering a range of subjects such as sexual health, safety, body image, politics, tenancy, benefits, and money matters take place. Young people have the opportunity to earn rewards through attendance, which further encourages their involvement. As such, young people have the opportunity to learn essential life skills to begin to equip them to live independently.

p.6

Good

Wherever possible, young people arrive at and leave the home in a planned way. Before a new young person arrives, staff give careful consideration to the impact on young people already there and whether their needs are compatible. Where transitions do not happen in a planned way, staff ensure that young people receive some continuity of care even if they move away.

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Good

Some young people continue to smoke in and around the home despite ongoing work to educate and enable them to make positive health choices. Some young people roll cigarettes in the home and this gives a message of acceptance from the staff rather than motivating young people to quit.

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Good

Staff are well trained to recognise risk, particularly around young people who may go missing or are in danger of child sexual exploitation. Each young person has a risk management matrix that staff review and update on a regular basis. The registered manager also produces live risk assessments, sent to every staff member when a young person is at immediate risk. This enables staff to have access to the most recent information and make informed decisions to reduce risk wherever possible.

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Good

Young people have gone missing from this home on a number of occasions, despite the safeguards in place. There is a clear policy and procedure, which staff understand and are proactive in implementing. Young people have taken part in key work sessions and workshops to help them better understand dangers and develop strategies to reduce the risk of harm. Staff benefit from training and consultation with a specialist resource in child sexual abuse. Professional links with other agencies are well established and a coordinated response is in place. One parent said: ‘They did everything they could to stop her running, there was nothing more they could do.’ A police officer said: ‘I cannot fault them and their response to young people who go missing. They are excellent.’

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Good

Staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training, which is updated on a regular basis. They demonstrate a good understanding of policies and procedures and information recorded is clear and of a good standard. Records show that allegations against staff members are investigated robustly and the appropriate agencies are involved. Young people are offered a full response to any complaint made. Staff are confident and consistent in managing behaviour. A restorative approach is used wherever possible, actively encouraging young people to make links to their actions. Young people understand behaviour that is expected and that which is not tolerated and will lead to sanctions, such as loss of privileges. Staff recognise and reward positive behaviour. One young person is due to start driving lessons as a result of sustained positive behaviour. Staff attempt to de-escalate a situation where negative behaviour is taking place as a first option. Restraint is used as a

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Good

last resort and all incidents are recorded in detail and subject to management oversight.

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Good

One young person said that another young person regularly bullied him but that staff intervened and took appropriate action to prevent this. Records support there have been occasions when this has taken place. Staff understand and consistently implement the clear anti-bullying policy and procedure. Every incident and action taken is recorded and key work sessions with both young people follow, identifying triggers and strategies to reduce further incidents. The same young person said despite difficulties with other young people, staff ensured that he felt safe.

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Good

Young people are encouraged to reflect on their behaviour and how this has affected others. Managers are introducing a ‘Making it Right’ system, which offers young people the chance to think about the impact their actions may have on others.

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Good

Staff are not yet sufficiently clear about how all the processes designed to manage behaviour link up and what and where they need to record. Systems in place are currently too cumbersome and complex.

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Good

The manager has over 16 years’ experience of working with young people in care, with 13 years managing residential homes both in the private and public sector. She has an NVQ 4 in Management, a Registered Managers Award, is a qualified trainer and has recently enrolled onto the level 5 diploma. An able and experienced deputy manager supports her.

p.8

Good

Staff have regular supervision, which is both reflective and task focused. They undertake a full and detailed induction on arrival and are subject to continuous professional development and appraisal. They have access to high quality training and where they identify specific areas for development, for example child sexual exploitation, specialist resources are sought. Team meetings take place regularly and staff use this as an opportunity to share new information and examples of good practice. The core group of stable and experienced staff are passionate and committed to offering young people the best possible experience of care.

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Good

The registered manager is energetic and highly motivated to make a difference for young people. She is confident and able to evidence the real progress young people have made. She is creative and proactive in sourcing new and innovative resources to engage and enable young people. She focuses on young people and attempts to involve them in the running of the home. A young person contributed questions to recent interviews for new staff members.

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Good

The manager is able to talk with confidence and pride about the strengths of the home, whilst at the same time is able to recognise areas that require improvement. She has developed a clear and ambitious development plan, which she believes will further enhance the service the home offers to young people. The independence programme is currently in the early stages of development. However, discussions are taking place to consider introducing a semi-independent facility to the home once this is embedded. The manager hopes this will enable and assist young people to make the next step towards adult life.

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Good

The manager has introduced a new data collection tool to more accurately record individual young people’s progress. This is likely to provide precise information, which will enable future planning to focus on specific areas for development. There is evidence of good communication and joint working with professional colleagues and parents. An independent reviewing officer described working relationships as ‘excellent’ and a parent said ‘communication with us was really good’. The same parent also said that she is continuing to receive support from the home, even though her daughter has moved to another setting.

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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. 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

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.

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Information about this inspection

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 .

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Information about this inspection

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, 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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