Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Oxfordshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Outstanding at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children continue to be well mannered and make visitors to the home comfortable; all of the children warmly welcomed the inspector and provided drinks throughout the time of the inspection. This inspection was carried out over the festive period and the school play was testament to the strong and supportive environment children are growing up and learning in. Children who struggled with their lines were supported and encouraged by others in the cast in a discrete and non- blaming way. Even though some children spoke about their nervousness about performing they took part in a mature way and the play was enjoyed by the audience which included care staff and children and young people from other homes belonging to the organisation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children’s meeting at the end of the day saw continued support from children towards each other when their points had or had not been what they had hoped for. Children are allowed to make mistakes and are very successfully supported to learn from them and not dwell on them unnecessarily. Moving on and learning from disappointments is the message that children are provided with and they understand this concept well. They want to succeed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Education continues to take a high priority and children attend and achieve well. They understand the value that their education will have on their futures and are eager to do as well as they possibly can.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children remain fully involved in setting their own achievable targets and this spurs them on to achieve further. Because children feel that they have been listened to and treated fairly they are inclined, more often than not, to listen, learn and move on. Children do not always observe the firm and consistent boundaries. When incidents do arise staff take swift action and are totally in tune with each child’s emotional turmoil. They view ‘bad’ behaviour in the context of emotional distress and ensure that children get the support they need when they need it. Reprimands are consistently applied for the shortest time possible. While there are tears and anger at times there is also lots of laughter, fun and affection and these are the prevailing themes. Safeguarding issues are dealt with effectively and thoughtful measures are put in place to ensure that risks are minimised or eliminated. For example, concern over

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

unsafe internet use by a child has been fully addressed and the measures allow safe access to the internet for valid reasons. There was a level of confusion about one risk assessment for a child expressing ideas of self-harm in specifying what the level of monitoring for him should be. This was due to conflicting information from external professionals.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home consistently provides a high quality of care to children accommodated and they continue to do exceptionally well in all areas. It is managed by a competent and child-focused manager who has the backing of the organisation’s leadership. She knows the strengths and areas for development well and ensures that there is continual improvement. There were three recommendations made as a result of the last inspection and these have been addressed. This has meant that: there is now clarity for staff about what to do should a child go missing; staff receive supervision on at least a monthly basis that is recorded; there has been continued encouragement given to children to make comment on the records of restraints and sanctions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team continue to show high commitment to their roles and children trust them unequivocally. The staff, under the guidance of the manager, take a holistic approach to caring for children that is multi-disciplinary, highly individualised, and effectively delivered. This enables children to begin to overcome their adverse past experiences and the emotional harm they have experienced. While children approach staff freely on a daily basis and are confident to talk to staff about anything worrying them, there was a minor shortfall in the frequency keywork sessions for one child.

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children's home provides care and accommodation for up to eight children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The organisation’s school is located on site.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

involve children and relevant others wherever practical in behaviour management; supporting each child to balance safety from injury (harm) with making appropriate choices; making sure the child’s rights are upheld. This is with specific reference to ensuring that the exact arrangements for monitoring a child at risk of self-harming are agreed between professionals. (Quality Standard 9.35, page 46.)

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Recommendations

support children to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. With specific reference to ensuring that children have the chance of a keywork session at the expected frequency. (Quality Standard 4.6, page 22.)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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