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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The last inspection in July 2015 found that the service required improvement and made one requirement and six recommendations. Ofsted registered the new manager at about the same time and she has addressed these shortfalls. As a result, staff regularly review the risks posed by children to ensure the precautions remain suitable. Through this process, the manager closely monitors changes in the level of risk presented by each child. This contributes to the overall picture of children’s progress. Senior staff have also begun to use a new type of assessment that identifies the degree to which staff restrict the liberty of children. This serves to highlight any infringements of children’s rights. Closer attention to return home interviews after children have been absent or gone missing has also improved their safety.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has made other safety-related improvements, including closer liaison with the police and undertaking closer analysis of the issues raised by other children’s homes nearby. The potential for bullying has now ceased. When this was a live issue, the manager took rigorous steps to address it, which served to protect children and educate staff. Children are safe and are clearly happy in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, two children have moved positively elsewhere and one of them remains in contact with the team. This means the home has only one child in residence, who is making good progress. The reward system that staff use to encourage positive behaviour is effective. The young person who is currently in residence feels that staff are fair. Staff endeavour to liaise closely with other professionals although the support from some social workers is occasionally poor. The manager addresses these issues in order to meet children’s needs as promptly as possible.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager administers the processes for admission of new children thoroughly and calculates in detail their suitability to be with existing children. This process has proved to be successful under her guidance. The progress of children is evident in their academic success at school and in the low level of negative incidents for most of them. They experience new activities both on site and elsewhere, which have improved their confidence and interpersonal skills. Staff reflect on these experiences with the children so they learn as much as possible. Children benefit from a high level of consultation, which means that staff members thoroughly understand their wishes and feelings. Each child receives an account of their monthly activities and progress in an individual ‘newsletter’. This gives them an attractive and user-friendly document to keep.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children experience a high level of consistency of carer. Since the last inspection, the core team has provided most of the care with some help from a bank worker and none from agency staff. This provides the secure environment required by children with complex needs. The team benefit from clear leadership, which includes regular supervision meetings and appraisals. However, both staff and the manager rarely receive copies of their supervision meeting records, which is necessary for their reference and development. The manager holds clear ideas about how she wants the service to improve and has taken several steps along this route already.

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a large provider of children’s services.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

22/07/2015 CH - Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

22/01/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

04/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory progress

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Keep a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions and ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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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