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:

 It is well furnished, decorated and maintained to a high standard and offers young people an exceptionally comfortable environment.  The majority of young people accessing the service are happy to be there and enjoy the wide range of activities and resources available to them.  All young people have individualised plans with clearly stated aims and objectives which staff regularly review and update.  There are effective systems in place to track and measure young people’s progress across all relevant areas of development.  Despite being a relatively new service, staff can provide evidence that indicates that young people are making progress, particularly in terms of better managing their own behaviour.  Parents, carers and social workers are clear that the combination of a short break facility and outreach service has improved outcomes for young people previously on the verge of care.  Young people are encouraged and enabled to be part of planning their short

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The children's home provision is good because:

break. They also complete regular feedback forms in order for them to contribute to regular reviews.  Staff are highly motivated and appropriately experienced to work with young people and their families to effect lasting change.  Although staff recognise and identify risk, young people’s individual assessments are too generic and lack detail of how to manage risk specific to them.  There has been an occasion when an emergency placement has disrupted the stability of young people accessing the short break service. The potential for this to happen again remains unless robustly managed.  Records held do not always clearly show if staff training has been updated on a regular basis.

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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, with particular regard to risk of harm, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (i) that staff 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 2/2/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose, particularly in relation to emergency placements (Regulation 16 (5)) 2/2/2016

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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 there are processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding and health and safety and mandatory qualifications). (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 53 paragraph 10.8)

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Information about this children's home

This local authority home is registered to accommodate up to 4 children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties under short break arrangements.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/03/2014 Interim Satisfactory Progress

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Good

This home offers a short break provision to young people already working with the outreach service. These young people are currently experiencing difficulties within their family unit and often on the verge of care.

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Good

The home is exceptionally well furnished, decorated and maintained. It provides young people with a comfortable and attractive environment. It is well resourced with facilities and materials to which young people have access during their stay. A fully equipped music room and separate games room are particularly popular with young people and used to good effect.

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Good

Each of the four bedrooms is themed. Young people have the option to choose which room they would most like to stay in. Wherever possible they are allocated the room of their choice for future stays. Staff endeavour to personalise the home to reflect young people visiting at any one time. For example, framed photographs in communal areas are changed depending on who is staying. During the outreach work and in preparation for their stay, staff gather information about young people’s interests and preferences. They then endeavour to ensure that activities and resources provided during their visit are particularly relevant.

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Good

Young people have detailed and individualised care plans, which provides all relevant information about their specific needs. Aims and objectives to work towards are identified and agreed with young people, parents, carers and referring social workers. All parties are invited to attend regular review meetings to monitor progress and consider whether agreed targets are still relevant. In addition recognised tools to measure social, psychiatric and behavioural functioning are used and reviewed regularly. Although the provision is relatively new, there is evidence from the information collated that young people are making positive progress, particularly around behaviour management. One young person’s parents said: ‘We think he is making progress. There were times, before he came here, when we thought that we couldn’t go on. We don’t think that now.’ Another said: ‘She has certainly progressed; little things add up to bigger changes, it has made

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Good

Staff plan each stay meticulously, with a full range of activities both in and outside of the home scheduled. Therapeutic work takes place in a safe and comfortable environment, in a non-threatening and accessible way that young people enjoy. Staff are enthusiastic and highly motivated to offer young people a really positive experience when they visit. They are warm and respectful and young people respond accordingly.

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Good

Because staff work with the young people in the community before they access the short breaks service, stays are well planned and managed at the young person’s pace. A short break is only arranged if a young person and their family agree that they want to access the service.

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Good

Staff working in the home ensure that a ‘house meeting’ takes place over dinner on the first night of the stay. Young people are encouraged to offer views and suggestions in a relaxed and informal environment. They are offered the opportunity to complete feedback forms at each review and an independent advocate visits regularly.

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Good

Staff identify risks specific to each young person using a risk matrix tool. This takes into account the needs and behaviours of individual young people and identifies possible areas of concern. Staff then produce risk management plans for each young person. These should reflect risks that are particular to individual young people and suggest strategies to most effectively manage. Currently risk management plans and are not sufficiently personalised. They are lengthy but are generic covering all possible risks for all young people which reduces their effectiveness. The impact on young people is minimal at present, because there are low numbers of young people accessing the service. Staff know those who do well and understand the risks that are specific to them. However, as numbers of young people using the service grow, and staff change there is potential for this to be of concern.

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Good

Parents and social workers are confident that young people are safe when staying here. The records for one young person clearly showed that her risk taking behaviour had decreased since accessing this service. Her mother confirmed that this was the case and added that this had improved significantly at home too. There have been no incidences of young people going missing from this home. The policy of this home is for young people to agree to the stay and generally they want to be there. Nevertheless, staff understand the specific vulnerability of young people in care and are well informed and trained with regards their role and responsibilities. There is a detailed and robust protocol in place and a pledge to young people detailing how staff will respond should they go missing. Staff share this information with young people as part of their induction to the home.

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Good

Staff have undertaken specific training around child sexual exploitation and e- safety as part of their mandatory safeguarding training. They also maintain close links with the local sexual exploitation unit of the police.

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Good

Staff are clear with young people about the basic rules of the home at the outset of their stay. This is reviewed regularly at house meetings and young people are encouraged to contribute to discussions. There have been no occasions of extreme behaviour, nor physical intervention required so far. Low level incidents are managed using de-escalation techniques and reinforcement of positive behaviour. Should an incident occur requiring a stronger response, the principles of restorative justice would be applied. The aim is to encourage empathy, responsibility for actions, an opportunity to make amends and re-assessment of actions. Staff offer positive feedback to young people about everything that went well at the end of each stay.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post since November 2015. She holds an NVQ Level 7 in Management and NVQ Levels 3 and 4 in working with children and young people. She has 12 years’ experience of working with children and young people in a variety of social care settings.

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Good

Young people are encouraged to offer regular feedback to staff about the service they receive. Plans made for their stays are very detailed but if young people are not happy with any aspect consideration is given to how this can be changed to better meet their needs. A high level of staffing ensures that staff are able to be flexible and responsive. Young people are central to all decisions made. Staff are creative and innovative in finding new ways to engage and interest them.

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Good

Although this service is new, the manager has implemented systems to measure progress made by young people. Early results indicate positive change is occurring and social workers and parents confirm this. Regular reviews of care plans, aims and objectives ensure that plans remain relevant and up to date.

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Good

An experienced and well supported staff group receive regular supervision which is both reflective and practical. They are also able to access systemic group supervision and mindfulness sessions from trained therapists working within the group. Staff are able to access all relevant training. They have their performance monitored and reviewed on an annual basis. Records held do not always clearly evidence if staff have updated training on a regular basis.

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Good

There are some vacant posts but this does not affect the consistency offered to young people. Any shortfalls are covered by a permanent group of staff from the home and associated outreach services.

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Good

The homes statement of purpose is recently updated and is clear about the service offered. Staff are aware of the purpose and content of this document and how it informs the work they do. The service offered is largely in line with the statement of purpose; however, there has been an incident when guidance on accepting emergency placements was not adhered to. This is in relation to the provision of an emergency bed. Guidance clearly states that the needs of a child requiring a bed will be assessed and due consideration given to the impact this may have on young people already there. A young person was placed as an emergency which had a significant negative impact resulting in another young person returning home early. Staff maintain that this was when the service was new and that currently, with the backing of senior management, they will refuse an inappropriate placement. However, any emergency placement is unlikely to be

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Good

Staff are able to speak with clarity and conviction about the strengths of this short breaks service. They are clear about their purpose and the difference this makes to young people on the verge of family breakdown. They acknowledge that they are a new and emerging service and will gain in experience and knowledge as they grow. Other professionals speak highly of the work undertaken. One social worker described the combination of outreach services and short break services as ‘an excellent provision.’

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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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