Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kedleston (High Peak School) Limited in Cheshire East

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good 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

All the young people are happy and safe at this home and enjoy sound relationships with the staff and each other. There have been no disruptions since the last inspection. This is significant progress from the home’s starting point and demonstrates that the management structure and admission processes have strengthened. Comments from young people include, ‘I am happy here and we do lots of activities. I like my bedroom. I chose all my own stuff so it’s cool’, ‘I still feel happy and safe here and now we’ve got rabbits so I am very excited’ and, ‘Staff sorted it for me to go and see my family at Christmas. I was worried that I would get involved with my old mates that I got into trouble with, but I didn’t. I had a great time.’ The staff have excellent successes in encouraging young people back into full time education who have previously been excluded prior to moving to this home, and in securing excellent attendance thereafter. The majority of young people attend the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

company school located on the same site as the children’s home. This was recently inspected by Ofsted and judged to be good. Robust daily handovers between the teaching and residential staff ensure consistent care in both settings. Two young people have remained at the schools they attended prior to admission, recognising that this had been the only constant in their lives.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Another key strength of this home is the opportunities for young people to frequently engage in a wide range of age appropriate, stimulating and constructive activities both on site and in the local community. These serve to strengthen their sense of belonging. This is outstanding given some of their histories which include gang culture and drug misuse. There have been no incidences of alcohol or illegal drugs misuse since the last inspection which is also exceptional progress for some young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This service has a gymnasium, full sized swimming pool, tennis courts and extensive grounds so young people benefit from lots of physical exercise. One young person is very proud of his new bike which he earned for excellent progress. He thoroughly enjoys cycling long distances with his key worker in the surrounding countryside.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported which further develops their competencies and confidences. Examples include: a very talented artist; one young person who loves honing his excellent cooking and baking skills; and, another young person who has started volunteering at a local farm. He is now working towards a national qualification in equine studies. He said, ‘I love it, so I go in the evenings and at weekends. I help to care for the animals and I then I can ride the horses.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The three requirements raised at the last full inspection have been satisfactorily addressed. In October 2015, all of the young people were refusing to go to the dentist for routine check-ups. Records since demonstrate the perseverance of staff to try to allay their genuine fears and encourage them to attend. Consequently, four out of the five have now had a check and of those, three have good dental health. One young person is having significant ongoing treatment due to past neglect and poor diet. The company’s nurse has successfully advocated for the one young person who is still afraid to attend. As a result the surgery have agreed not to discharge him despite a number of missed appointments and to let him visit the hygienist as a positive starting point. Sanction and restraint records are now in good order. In particular, they demonstrate close scrutiny by the manager to ensure they are always appropriate

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and effective. There is also clear documentary evidence of timely reflective work with young people to try to prevent a re-occurrence. There was a sharp rise in incidents of restraints for one young person over the Christmas period and the company’s safeguarding committee immediately requested a report, then weekly reports thereafter. This demonstrates that this relatively new system is robust and effective. The internal monitoring of patterns and trends of exactly where, when and with whom these incidents occurred has also improved. From that intelligence, new strategies were put in place. For this young person, they re-introduced achievable daily incentives for good behaviour and effort and increased his constructive activities. This proved to be effective and he is proud of his achievements. This young person has a history of disrupting placements when he starts to feel safe and comfortable but the manager said, ‘We were not going to let this happen

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

again.’ This clearly demonstrates that this home places the well-being of individual young people at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the significant challenges they may present. One young person said, ‘Because I have been so good here I got a new television for my room, football boots, a bike, and lots of games for sharing in the house.’ Since the last inspection, the new registered manager has completed his first six monthly review report on the quality of care provided in the home. It is an honest and accurate reflection of the strengths and the areas for development. It details the numerous consultation opportunities for young people to positively influence their day-to-day care and their futures. However, there is limited evaluation of this information as a tool for continuous improvement. Moreover, there is a wealth of positive feedback from staff, parents and placing authorities that is not fully

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

captured in this report. For example, one social worker said, ‘My young person is receiving very good care. Her key workers and the manager are especially good at information sharing.’ Three recommendations were made at the full inspection. The first was in regard to ensuring timely independent return interviews. These have not been required because there have been no missing from home incidents since the last inspection. This is outstanding progress given young people’s histories.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The internal monitoring arrangements in place are continually being reviewed and revised to ensure a robust process. Since the last inspection there has been a change in the independent person, a new reporting format and an agreement to visit out of school hours to ascertain young people’s views. However, the reports provide very little evidence of feedback from young people’s parents and relatives and staff working at the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Training and more robust scrutiny has ensured that the quality of the recording in the home continues to improve.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A recent recruitment drive has secured more qualified and experienced residential staff. One member of staff said, ‘It’s great to have sufficient staff on duty to provide one-to-one activities with young people.’ Since the last inspection they have also increased their specialist therapeutic team to support young people’s unique and highly complex emotional needs and challenging behaviours.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff benefit from daily meetings and reflection time after every shift. However, the current tracking system in place does not ensure that all staff receive the frequency of formal individual supervision sessions as prescribed in the company’s own policies and procedures.

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Information about this children's home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 28 children and young people who may be experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is part of a company that also provides a school on the same site for day pupils and the majority of the residential young people.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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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

44: Independent person: visits and reports

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Requirement Due date

Demonstrate that independent visits to the home include discussions with children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home. (Regulation 44(2)(a)) 31/05/2016

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Demonstrate that internal review reports on the quality of care provided in the home: focus on the specific circumstances at the time; evaluate the experiences of children living there from a range of sources; identify strengths and weaknesses; and, identify any actions required for the next six months to ensure continuous improvement. (The Guide, page 65, paragraph 15.2 and 15.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that an effective system is in place for all staff to receive supervision at the frequencies prescribed by the home's own policies and procedures. (The Guide, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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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