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

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 judge that it has Sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff work with care and determination to assist young people to actively participate and enjoy everyday life. A young person made the following comment in recently completed questionnaires, ‘I like where I live. There are things to do and I like going to school’. Another young person said, ‘I like going to the gym and visiting my mum.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Each young person’s progress varies from his or her starting point. Young people benefit from having consistent boundaries and routines. This provides young people with a secure and stable environment where they feel safe. Overtime, this reduces their anxiety levels. As a result, their behaviour becomes more socially acceptable. Young people are able to take part in their education, social and leisure activities. They have become more independent, learning how do everyday living tasks with the support and guidance of the staff who care for them. For example, some young people are now able to feed themselves and undertaken aspects of their own personal care. Others enjoy spending time in their local community, eating out, going to the youth club or for the first time have gone on holiday with their family.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people who have no or limited speech benefit greatly from the further training staff have now received in Makaton sign language and the input from the speech and language therapist. This increases staff’s ability to communicate with young people. It also reduces the incidents where young people may become frustrated, as they can communicate their needs more easily. This gives young people a stronger voice; they can now make their own feelings, choices, and opinions more easily known.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff apply positive approaches to assist young people manage their behaviour constructively and within socially accepted boundaries. Staff demonstrate that the management of behaviour in the home focusses on de-escalation and redirection when young people become anxious and display difficult and challenging behaviour. In the main, staff exhibit a clear understanding of the strategies they use to support and manage young people’s behaviour in line with their training. There are a low number of incidents requiring physical intervention. However, an isolated unplanned intervention incident took place where staff held a door closed to prevent the movement of a young person. This is not in line with suitable and agreed practice to manage young people’s behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have experienced positive moves to adult services. Staff have carefully planned these moves. A young person visited their new home several times before moving. In addition, staff have moved to the new services with them for a specified time to minimise the amount of change for the young person This takes into account the young person’s diverse needs to ensure their transition is a positive one.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The service has taken positive action to implement the majority of the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. Overall, staff are clear on each young people’s day-to-day needs, their vulnerabilities, care and communication plans. There has been a review and update of a particular young person’s risk assessment. As a result, staff take further safety precautions. Work is ongoing to support the young person to make safer choices and to change the risk-taking behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The provider has more actively required placing authorities to provide transition plans and make decisions about future adult placements for young people who are 18 years of age.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A decoration and refurbishment programme has commenced to maintain the young people’s living accommodation to a good standard. Maintenance work has rectified the problem with the drains in one house.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Where the compatibility of young people sharing accommodation is an issue the service have reviewed these arrangements. This has involved seeking the views of young people. In some cases, young people have moved to other accommodation. This ensures that young do not continue to have adverse experiences in their daily lives.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The service has not fully completed one recommendation. A review and update of a risk assessment has not occurred after events affected the safety for a particular young person. A restraint record did not accurately detail specifically the full event.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the next inspection the one requirement where the timeframe to implement has not yet expired, will be checked. The manager has started to address this requirement; young people have completed questionnaires to give their views on the care that they receive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff receive positive support from the manager and senior team and morale is good. They receive regular formal supervision where they have time to reflect on their practice. Changes to the core staff teams allocated to work with specific young people; in the main has a balance of experienced and new staff. This assists in the provision of consistent care to young people. A young person said, ‘I love my key work X, she is great. We do lots of things together,’ This demonstrate the positive relationships staff establish with young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The independent monitoring undertaken by the regulation 44 visitor is robust. The manager takes prompt action to implement any recommendations made to improve the service. The registered manager monitoring includes undertaking visits to each house daily to meet with young people, staff, and observe care practice. Regular night time monitoring visits takes place. Since the last inspection, the deputy care managers have moved bases into the young people’s houses and flats. This increases their oversight of the quality of care provided to young people and affords addition support when required. However, there are still shortfalls in the monitoring of service. These include deficits in the review and monitoring of some records and relating practices. Some records have information omitted. In particular, in risk assessments, physical intervention records and the management evaluation of serious incidents. For example, an unplanned intervention recorded in

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

the restraint log, did not fully describe the event. It did not identify the door held closed to restrict a young person’s movement, the room this took place in, or the reason why this action was taken. There was a lack of detail on the decisions made and the action taken after this particular incident.

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Information about this children's home

This service, run by a company, is a residential school that accommodates young people that have complex needs and severe learning disabilities, including autisms. The whole school is registered 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

10 November 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

16 March 2015 Interim Sustained 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

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— (a) the quality of care provided for children; (b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children (Regulation 45(2)(a)(b)(c)).

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet this regulation, action must be taken to address shortfalls in young people's care and experience. Also acting and reporting on young people feedback on the care that they receive. 8 April 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the privacy of children is appropriately protected; any limitation placed on a child's privacy or access to any area of the home's premises- is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary and revised (Regulation 21(a) (c) (ii) (iv)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, cease and review the practice of holding doors closed to restrict the movement of a young person, consider, and implement alternatives solutions. 28 May 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees- undertake appropriate continuing professional development (Regulation 33(4) (a)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, thoroughly review, when staff use an unplanned physical intervention, and provide additional training to ensure the staff explicitly follow the individual young person's behaviour and help profile. 28 April 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):  Regulation 35 -39 detail the records that must be kept in children's homes. All children's case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely in the home. Case records must be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.3) In particular, complete all records accurately, including risk assessment and restraint records.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulation 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Clear records of the management analysis is undertaken after incident must to be more robust. The manager must keep a detailed record of the decisions made on these events. Including the action taken to address the deficits in care practices and record keeping.

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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

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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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