Children's Home, Residential special school run by Hesley Services Limited in Doncaster

Inspector Debbie Foster

Previous inspection judgement Requires improvement

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people benefit immensely from the stable routines, daily structure and sound care practices of established core staff teams. Staff demonstrate a good understanding and knowledge of the young people they care for. They speak about them with affection and consideration. As a result, young people’s anxiety level reduces and they make progress in key areas of their lives. This is evidenced by their settled behaviour, their active participation in daily life, social activities, and increased attendance and learning in school.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Parents and social workers comment that young people have good relationships with the staff and they make progress over time. A social worker said, ‘I’m impressed with the people who care for X, they nurture X and this has brought him on. He has learnt independence skills and routinely makes his own breakfast. He can tolerate people being around him more. He came and sat with me for the first time on my last visit. This is massive progress.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people experience positive moves to adult services. Managers and staff deliver well thought-out and planned transitional arrangements. This is enhanced by strong collaborative work with the new identified services for the young people. Consequently, they meet and have time to adjust to new care staff. They visit their new home prior to moving. This has brought constructive, successful and manageable change for young people and reduces their anxiety level.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s daily life is enriched by the improvement in their home environment. They make decisions about the decorative colour scheme. New and good quality furnishings have further enhanced their experience of home life. Photographs, items of personal interest and specific toys individualise each house, to reflect and identify the young people who live there. A young person said, ‘My flat is the best, I love it.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The number of serious incidents have reduced for the majority of young people. When young people have been in crisis, prompt multidisciplinary meetings assist in devising alternative support strategies to curtail these episodes. Working in partnership with a number of health professionals provides additional resources to ensure young people have access to services and receive the right help to bring a positive outcome.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Action has been taken to implement all the requirements made at the last inspection. Staff routinely keep clear records of discarded medication to ensure that safe practice is adhered to.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s ability to communicate is improved by the staff’s consistent use of language and communication aids.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Proactive and timely preparation for young people’s transition to adult services takes place to make sure each young person will become acclimatised to their future placement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A good standard of cleanliness is kept throughout the service. Young people’s access to community-based social activities has increased, particularly at weekends, by using additional drivers. This action keeps young people safer and builds stronger attachments. Furthermore, staff have a full understanding of young people’s needs, and this provides new and varied life experiences.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people benefit greatly from the consolidation of core staff teams. Staff say, ‘We get good support and training, senior and care managers are always available and listen to our views. We work more consistently as a team.’ As a result, staff morale and commitment has grown. The senior management team gives priority to good training, improved recruitment and selection, and close monitoring of the service. This has been effective in bringing about vast improvement in the quality of care that young people receive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team monitors incidents of physical intervention. However, in a few instances, the detail on the young person’s behaviour leading up to the event is not sufficiently detailed. The record does not fully describe the presenting episode to clearly indicate why the restraint measure was required.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some improvement has been made in evidencing, recording and evaluating young people’s progress. Nevertheless, this is not yet consistent.

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Information about this children's home

This is a residential special school that is owned by a private organisation. The provision offers care and accommodation for up to 36 children and young people between the ages of eight and 19 years. Children and young people have severe learning disabilities and complex needs, including autism. The residential accommodation is registered and inspected by Ofsted as a children’s home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

02/02/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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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

The registered person must ensure that (a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes- the name of the child; details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; the description of the measure and its duration; the details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (the user), and of any other person present when the measure and its duration (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii))viii). In particular, the specific details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure must be clearly recorded. 28/04/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home's records as living documents, supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis (Guide to the quality standards, page 58, paragraph 11.19). In particular, the records include, detail and evaluate their progress and achievements, in line with their goals and targets.

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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 ‘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, work- based 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

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