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:

 Young people make notable progress whilst living at this home.  Young people are supported in education and attain high levels of attendance.  Staff receive a specific training programme which delivers a therapeutic model of caring to young people.  Risk assessments are robust which ensures the safety of young people placed.  Young people experience considered and well planned moves into and out of the home to ensure a smooth transition.  Managers and staff advocate well on behalf of young people to ensure that particular resources to meet their needs are available to them.  The home has a committed staff group who feel positive about working at the home and the changes they make to the lives of young people.  The wider professional team recognise the commitment of staff to the young people. They know them, care about them and help them to achieve good outcomes.  The manager has a good oversight of the service. She knows its strengths

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The children's home provision is good because:

and a plan sets out its areas for development.  This inspection identified shortfalls in two areas. Staff are undertaking supervised contact, however, no formal training in this complex area of work has been undertaken. The impact risk assessment of a potential new young person placed at the home does not fully consider the impact that he/she will have on the existing group of young people.

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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

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 staff supervising contact between family members and the young people the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 11/03/2016

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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 the registered person only accepts placements for children where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 56 paragraph 11.4)

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Information about this children's home

This service provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who may have sensory impairment, learning disabilities and physical disabilities. A local authority owns and operates this setting.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

13/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

27/02/2014 Interim Satisfactory progress

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Good

This home offers young people a warm, homely environment in which they are well cared for by staff who hold their welfare at the centre of their practice. A parent said: ‘He is offered a loving environment, a home from home, where he is happy and well cared for.’

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Good

Young people moving into the home experience a good introduction. Young people and their parents have the opportunity to view the home, meet staff and residents and decide on a colour of choice for their bedroom. A young person’s guide is available in a number of engaging formats. The home also provides an individualised guide to parents. These creative and informative guides help to reduce anxiety and helps young people to know how the home operates.

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Good

Staff undertake specific training which enables them to offer a therapeutic model of care. Central to this practice stands a culture of relationship building. Staff are committed and invest quality time into their relationships with each young person. They genuinely care about them and know each of them and their individual needs very well. Trusting relationships have been established and have significantly contributed to the positive change in some young people’s behaviour. Young people become more able to self-regulate as staff offer an opportunity for them to develop skills and strategies to manage their own behaviour.

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Good

All young people attend an appropriate school or college and achieve high levels of attendance. Staff work very closely with schools. The use of a home to school communication book, regular meetings and observations of the young people in the classroom ensure that young people receive a consistent approach across both settings. This has resulted in good educational outcomes for young people where they have achieved and grown in their abilities, social skills and independence.

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Good

Staff meet the wide ranging health needs of young people through a robust health plan. Many young people take regular prescribed medication for specific medical conditions. Staff are trained in the administration of medicine and first aid. This ensures that young people receive appropriate attention if an accident occurs. Staff have developed close working relationships with health professionals who appreciate the unique qualities of each young person placed. They therefore offer a variety of opportunities in which to meet the health needs of young people without causing them unnecessary stress. A healthy lifestyle is further promoted by offering young people healthy choices. Some young people access a range of activities which reflect their interests, such as dance, air cadets, soft play or dining out. These offer opportunities to develop social skills and competence. Young people had the opportunity to develop social

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Good

awareness during election time young people wanted to discuss political thinking and they undertook their own election.

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Good

Young people are able to have their views heard and contribute to their living environment. Weekly house meeting offer a safe space to discuss issues such as how behaviour affects the relationships between young people. They also contribute to how the home is decorated, recently choosing the colour of the carpets that are fitted throughout. These opportunities enable young people to safely express their feelings. They also demonstrate how young people’s views are valued and how the service is considered their home.

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Good

Staff recognise the importance of maintaining family ties and support young people with family contact in line with individual care plans. Staff have considered how contact is meaningful and offers the best experience for young people. Whilst much of the contact takes place within the home staff have worked creatively to offer a variety of opportunities for young people to share time with family members. For one young person this has meant enjoying music together, for others a trip to places of interest or enjoying a short break. The home has an increase in supervised contact arrangements. Staff do not currently have training in this complex area of practice which includes supervising potentially risky situations. Staff training is required to ensure the safety and wellbeing of young people.

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Good

Family members report that their young people are happy and well cared for. One parent said: ‘It puts my mind at rest that he is there, it’s a good place.’ The home operates a range of risk assessments to identity potential hazards or areas of specific vulnerability and provides care accordingly. Staff set clear boundaries and expectations which offers a predictable and consistent home environment ensuring young people feel a sense of security and safety.

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Good

Family members and the professional team report good attachments between young people and staff. These good relationships have helped to affect a change in some of the more challenging behaviour presented. There has been a decrease in the need for staff to physically intervene in risky situations and incidents of aggression have declined. Staff are particularly vigilant in monitoring behaviour which has led to identifying a link between behaviour and the physiological changes some young people experience. Young people are calmer and more in control of their behaviour. They experience a more settled home with staff who work in their best interests and effectively manage behaviour.

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Good

Young people placed in the home have a range of additional needs which may present with additional challenges for the staff to meet, such as little or no verbal communication. The vigilant staff team do recognise and record when a pattern of negative behaviour such as self-harm increases. In these instances the manager has secured specialist therapeutic resources. These assist the young person and the staff in understanding and managing to reduce the harmful behaviour.

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Good

Young people do not go missing from this home. Robust risk assessments and suitable levels of staffing ensure sufficient levels of monitoring are in place whether inside the home or outside on a community activity.

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Good

Some young people accessing the service may be at risk of child sexual exploitation. All staff have completed training in this subject ensuring they are knowledgeable in this area of child abuse. Staff are confident about identifying and responding to child protection concerns acting in line with policy to safeguard the welfare of young people.

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Good

There have been incidents of bullying between the young people placed. In each of these incidents staff have responded appropriately and engaged the young people in restorative conversations to reflect on the incident, its impact and to offer alternative management strategies. This works helps to protect young people and keep them safe.

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Good

The manager is appropriately qualified and brings a wealth of experience to the post which she has held since 2010 . Although the staff team have experienced some recent changes a collective passion for helping young people attain their potential is shared by all. The team are enthusiastic and committed to make a difference to the lives of young people in their care.

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Good

In the recruitment of staff, young people set a number of interview questions. Staff are also subject to robust safer recruitment practices to ensure that only suitable individuals work with this particularly vulnerable group of young people.

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Good

Staff receive regular supervision, offering them the time to focus practice on young people’s outcomes. They have access to a wide range of training to enhance their knowledge and skills. In particular, they receive training in attachment, self- regulation and therapeutic care. This is a therapeutic model of care is used throughout the local authority’s residential establishments. The manager recognises that young people placed may have experienced early life trauma due to poor parenting or significant events. So, to further expand staff’s understanding and skills base to meet the particular needs of young people the manager secures specific training. Each member of staff either holds the required level 3 qualification or are working towards it.

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Good

A real strength of the home is its working relationships with the wider professional team. Professionals comment of the high levels of good communication from the home. This is either through information uploaded to a central recording system, regular phone calls or their attendance at frequent meetings. Professionals also note how staff really know the young people and that their contributions are meaningful, add value and contribute to decision making and good outcomes.

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Good

Individual care plans reflect the specific needs of each young people in placement. Professionals and family members comment on how young people grow in confidence and self-esteem and how all make progress during their time placed at the home. The homes has good transition into adult services as young people reach adulthood and move on from the home.

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Good

A shortfall in the service is the compatibility assessment of a young person considered as a potential new resident. This does not consider the needs of young people in placement against those of a potential new resident. This omission leaves a vulnerability as negative influences can significantly disturb a young person’s experience and may lead to an unplanned placement breakdown.

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Good

There were no recommendations or requirements set at the previous inspection for the manager to meet. The manager is committed to ensuring the continuous improvement of the service and the quality of care delivered to young people.

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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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