Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children's Services (2) Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Changes in manager and staff have compromised the rate of improvement and as a result, the pace of children’s progress has fallen.  Improvements are necessary to the coordination of children’s care, including recording.  The management of children’s safety requires fine-tuning, especially regarding the systematic approach to behaviour management issues and certain other risks.  The promotion of social diversity is not fully understood by all staff, which increases the likelihood of children’s rights not being addressed.

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The children's home strengths

 Children make good relationships with staff who they trust to keep them safe.  Children receive one-to-one attention and their placement plans are adapted well when new problems occur.  Children enjoy a well-presented home that has large grounds and is centrally located.

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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 positive relationship standard, the registered provider must ensure –

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) that staff - (i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. This is with regard to behaviour plans providing clear guidance and describing how positive behaviour should be encouraged in individual cases. 11/01/2016

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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, the registered person must –

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate. This is with regard to having effective handover of information between shifts.

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Requirement Due date

(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

(g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 11/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must include in the statement of purpose a description of the home’s policy and approach in relation to children’s rights. This is with regard to clearly describing children’s 11/01/2016 rights and also reflecting this in the policy on the use of bedroom door alarms. (Regulation 16, schedule 1, section 9(b))

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Requirement Due date

Maintain records for each child which are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. Also, keep case records securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. This is with regard to storing electronic records in line with company policy and data protection guidelines. (Regulation 36(1) b and c and 36(2)c) 11/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

Review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)) 11/01/2016

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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 staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. This is with particular regard to keeping risk assessments up-to-date. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home has three beds for children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a large private organisation and is located in an urban area. A railway runs along the rear of the property.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

31/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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requires improvement

Children make satisfactory progress overall although temporary difficulties sometimes disguise this. They experience sensitive and personalised support from staff with whom they establish meaningful relationships. Attention is routinely given to children’s religious and cultural needs. Currently, these are addressed satisfactorily through discussions and positive role-modelling by staff. This sensitivity contributes to the pleasant atmosphere in the home. One child said, ‘It’s nice here and the staff are kind.’ Staff take the views of children seriously. Children express their opinions about staff, the property, activities and meals safely.

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requires improvement

Long-term patterns indicate improvements in children’s engagement with carers and therapists, in their social interactions and their independence skills. As a result, they are more able to take advantage of normal opportunities. This includes benefitting from routine dental health appointments, for example, and improved contact with their families. It also means that children enjoy a good range of healthy recreational opportunities, including holidays and local sports clubs. Children receive satisfactory attention to the targets described in their action plans. Key worker sessions have been improved so they address both acute and long- term issues. As a result, the progress that children make is more readily identifiable to them. This encourages them and improves their self-confidence.

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requires improvement

The home’s location provides children with easy access to local amenities, which is an important part of their preparation for adulthood. The type of support is adapted to ensure children remain engaged and learn as quickly as possible. Children who now live some distance from their home areas receive the support they need from local services. Children have good contact arrangements with their families, which improve through the efforts of staff.

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requires improvement

Children usually enjoy a high level of attendance in education. Any exclusions are followed-up promptly by staff so that progress is made, children’s rights are respected and they are treated equally to their peers. Packages of support are adapted to maximise the opportunities for them to succeed. For some children, this has resulted in them needing less support from staff when they are in class. This improves their self-esteem because they feel more integrated into their groups. For others it means successfully passing examinations and therefore being able to access further opportunities. Children understand the importance of education for their futures and have realistic ambitions.

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requires improvement

The company has improved the matching processes it uses when deciding on new admissions. As a result, children live with others who are sufficiently compatible with themselves. This is an important source of security. One child said, ‘I like the privacy I can have. I’ve settling in. There are cool staff here and the peers I live with are okay.’

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requires improvement

Children feel safe in the home and freely express their views. They do not fear each other or the staff. External agencies investigate any concerns raised by children, such as allegations. Consequently, children are kept safe and develop trust in the adults who care for them. The staff understand children’s needs and are usually able to protect them effectively.

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requires improvement

Incidents of children going missing and placing themselves at risk relate particularly to new children. The children’s social workers review the reasons with them and confirm that they are caused by factors outside the children’s home, such as children wishing to return to their parents. Staff are familiar with the risks to children of exploitation and the current likelihood of this occurring is low. When children go missing, staff review the strategies and adapt them accordingly. They involve other agencies and challenge them to respond promptly. This serves to keep children as safe as possible. Individual records identify the risks pertaining to each child. However, some of the individual risk assessments are not up-to-date, some do not calculate the level of risk and others are inaccurate. One indicated that a child had set fires when there is no evidence of this. This creates miscommunication between staff about the required strategies and in some cases

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requires improvement

delays children’s progress towards increasing protection of themselves.

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requires improvement

The management of children’s behaviour is a key part of the therapeutic regime. Nevertheless, the promotion of positive behaviour is not sufficiently well established in several areas. There is, for example, an additional and extensive document about safe caring for each child that only serves to confuse staff. Also, in some cases, staff are not clear what antecedents and triggers occur before violent behaviours arise. This prevents them de-escalating effectively. In addition, plans for children do not always show what steps should be taken to encourage positive behaviour. In other regards, social workers and children feel that the staff act in a fair way.

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requires improvement

The property itself is maintained to a good standard. Staff manage the risks, such as those posed by the adjacent railway line, appropriately. An assessment of the locality is in place but is incomplete and out of date. This raises a potential risk of staff not being aware of issues occurring in the neighbourhood, which could also compromise the safety of new admissions.

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requires improvement

The new manager started in September 2015 and is undergoing the registration process with Ofsted. This will be her first registration. Changes in manager are inevitably unsettling for the home, especially as the previous manager had only been in post since February. In addition, staffing arrangements have been a challenge for the whole organisation recently. Three quarters of the team have started since the last full inspection and half of the new members are unqualified. The findings of this inspection reflect these changes. The new manager spent several weeks with the outgoing manager in order to minimise the effect of the latest change, which was appreciated by social workers and staff. The manager is a reassuring presence in the home and has established good relationships with staff, other agencies and children.

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requires improvement

The manager has not yet had time to implement her development plan. She prioritises the needs of the children and understands how to promote their progress through effective teamwork. Consequently, the supervision and training of staff are up-to-date and the manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of individual team members.

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requires improvement

The management of individual shifts is of a reasonable standard and benefits from experienced and motivated senior personnel. However, some staff do not make themselves familiar with the latest information when they arrive on shifts. This compromises the care of children, especially when combined with the shortfalls in recording.

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requires improvement

Staff clearly follow the therapeutic model described in the home’s statement of purpose. They are supported well on a regular basis by clinicians, who also help the children. This is a strong model that provides substantial benefits to children. Part of the manager’s development plan is to improve the joint working with the company’s school, which most children attend. The statement of purpose document itself adequately reflects the service but is weak in several areas. The identification of children’s rights is not clear. The document also implies that bedroom door alarms are used routinely rather than only when needed. This misunderstanding of children’s rights reflects the poor understanding of some members of staff about social equality and diversity and reduces their ability to promote these issues with children.

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requires improvement

The use of monitoring tools used by the manager and independent visitors is firmly established in the home. Full consideration is given to Ofsted inspection reports although the last inspection raised no requirements or recommendations. The analyses by the manager serve to identify gaps in practice but are insufficiently evaluative to ensure that continuous improvement occurs. At the same time, there is also less use of questionnaires to obtain the views of children than previously. However, the reports by independent visitors are of a high standard and reflect positively on the welfare and safety of children. Recent improvements mean that the visitor’s conclusions are now stated clearly.

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requires improvement

The management of information is under review by the company. In the meantime, however, confidential data is held in a variety of places. This is contrary to the policy and means that some electronic records are not stored sufficiently securely. As a result of this mixture of electronic and paper-based systems, children’s official files are not all up-to-date, some are not signed, and some cannot be accessed by children. This shortfall also exacerbates the problems indicated above in terms of the coordinated management of their care.

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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

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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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