The Banyan Tree

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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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judge that it has Improved Effectiveness .

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Children continue to receive a high quality of care and are making notable progress against their starting points on admission. They live in a nurturing environment which enables them to develop their self-confidence. Some children are making excellent progress in relation to their education. For example, children who had not attended school for several months prior to admission are now enjoying and benefiting from fulltime attendance. Children speak with pride about the positive progress they have made in their education, which demonstrates improving self- esteem.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Children are happy and settled living here. They are extremely confident in the care they receive and have positive relationships with staff, based on mutual respect. Comments from children include: ‘The best thing here is the staff, they are all really nice’. Children confirm that they feel listened to and are able to make suggestions about care arrangements. Parents and involved professionals hold the service in high regard, confirming that joint working is highly effective. Comments include: ’Xx(child) is doing excellent, I am really pleased’. Also: ‘I could not praise them any better, I can talk to any of the staff they are all great’.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Safeguarding arrangements are very effective. There has been no incidences of children going missing or being absent without permission. This is because children are settled and engaged in their placements. Good management of behaviour means that there is a low number of serious incidents. It is clear that the staff team reflect and take forward learning where appropriate. For example, a reflective review of events and discussion across the team took place in order to explore the appropriateness of calling the police to support incidents. Staff understand that physical intervention is a last resort and managers closely monitor practice in this area. A recent improvement is the introduction of newly structured reporting logs which emphasis more detailed discussion with the child following the use of a physical hold. This means children’s views will be at the centre of reporting and management monitoring.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Children willingly engage in daily household tasks and are proud of their home. They assist with meal preparation and menu planning and help to keep the home tidy. A child was expressing excitement during the inspection, after being given a choice whether to move bedroom. He enthusiastically talked with staff about the move, planning a new colour scheme. This demonstrates that young people are fully involved in such decisions. A full week of activities are planned for the half term break. Children spoke about plans for a trip to a local activity centre and a further trip to a sea life centre. Also, plans to visit a trampoline park and a trip to London. This demonstrates that children have opportunities to develop their social skills and self-confidence. Free time during school holidays is balanced between relaxation time and keeping busy and physically active.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Leadership and management continue to be a service strength. Where areas for development are identified, for example through independent quality assurance visits, a prompt response is made to strengthen arrangements. The stable and very experienced staff team have worked hard to reduce the impact of the registered manager moving on to a new role. A new and permanent manager has been recruited, who has started the process of application to Ofsted for the role of registered manager.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The requirement and recommendations set at the time of the full inspection have been addressed. Healthy living is now central to service arrangements. The staff team have received training in relation to good nutrition. As a result the staff are empowered to support children to be healthy. Food purchases and menu planning have been reviewed and management monitoring in this area strengthened. As a result, children’s health is improving, including individual weight management. The management of medication is enhanced by the implementation of an additional monitoring and recording system. This means that medication which may be required when children are away from the home is always available to them.

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for five children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, who may also have a learning disability.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

14/01/2015 Interim sustained effectiveness

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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