Children's home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Dacorum

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Risk assessments are too generic and do not reflect individual children’s needs sufficiently.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Staff do not always recognise and understand risk, particularly around child sexual exploitation.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Compatibility assessments at the point of referral are not always given due consideration when matching placements.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Children with high risk behaviours have been placed alongside vulnerable peers, resulting in increased numbers of children going missing on a number of occasions.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Staff do not consistently complete and update children’s care records to a high enough standard.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Allegations made by children against members of staff are not routinely forwarded as notifications to HMCI.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The statement of purpose does not accurately reflect, or contain sufficient detail about, the home’s ethos and proposed outcomes.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The registered manager is not currently ensuring that staff have the experience and skills to meet the needs of each child to a good enough standard.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Information about children’s progress is not regularly and consistently recorded.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Communication with other professionals is not of a consistently good standard.

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The children's home strengths

 The home is warm and welcoming, providing an attractive and homely environment. It is well furnished, maintained and resourced.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people have access to a variety of activities and pastimes.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff are committed to offering children safe and secure care. They work hard to gain trust in order to encourage children to begin to build relationships with trusted adults.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people appear to enjoy the stable and secure environment of the home.

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The children's home strengths

 Relationships observed between staff and children were warm and positive.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff are good at sharing positive feedback with children on an individual basis.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff are proactive in accessing an appropriate educational provision that meets individual needs. Links with education services are good.

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The children's home strengths

 Management are aware of shortfalls, having recently been through a period of review. The service is currently undergoing significant changes, which management are confident will improve the services offered to children.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular regard to appropriate matching of placements, individualising risk assessments and recognising risk of harm the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (i) that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

(iii) that staff have the skills to identify and act upon the signs that a child is a risk of harm. 23 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 23 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry with particular reference to risk matrices, risk assessments, direct work sessions and progress against aims and objectives (Regulation 36 (1) (b)(c)). 23 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the 23 June 2016 home or a person working there (Regulation 40 (4)(c)).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement (statement of purpose) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1 (2), particularly with regards the home's ethos, the outcomes that the home seeks to achieve and it's approach to achieving them (Regulation 16 (1)). 28 July 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that placements are only accepted for children where managers are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs as recorded in the child's relevant plans and where managers have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4).  Ensure that staff recognise and record the progress of the children (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.7).

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Information about this children's home

This local authority home provides short term placements for the assessment of young people’s needs. It accommodates up to three young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

1 February 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

10 March 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Systems are in place to provide children with individualised care plans linking aims and objectives intended to focus on specific needs. However, staff do not consistently complete and update these records and as such they are of little value. Staff maintain that children make good progress while staying at this home and give examples of improved behaviour, self-regulation and self-confidence. Recording systems are designed to measure daily and weekly progress against aims and objectives, but recording is inconsistent, brief and often not dated. This makes it impossible for staff to evidence and children and families to understand the influence of the home on children’s progress and experiences. Children’s therapeutic needs are identified and staff are required to plan direct work sessions to cover areas of individual need. Again, due to inconsistent recording it is not always clear what work has taken place and how the child has

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Requires improvement

responded. The home has good links with education services and access to a dedicated educational adviser. Staff are proactive in arranging early assessment of learning needs in order to access an appropriate provision for children. When this is not immediately available, interim arrangements are put in place to ensure that, wherever possible, children access some form of education as a matter of priority. Staff then support children to further engage with learning and have good facilities to enable them to do so. Systems are in place to obtain weekly reviews from children as to how they think they are progressing. They are asked to grade and comment on a number of standard questions designed to ascertain what is going well for them and areas requiring improvement. This information should then inform planning aims and objectives of the following week. However, staff are not consistent in their use of this tool. In some cases, where brief information is collated, it is undated.

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Requires improvement

Informed evaluation of progress over time is therefore impossible. A child spoken to during inspection said that he did feel that staff in the home had helped him to be ‘calmer’ and ‘manage his behaviour better’. Children’s meetings are held and minutes taken. Children are encouraged to offer views about the running of the home, contributing to menu and activity ideas. They also have the opportunity to discuss other matters, for example how it feels for them to stay there. Staff then ensure that any emerging issues are taken to their monthly meeting for wider discussion and dissemination. As this is a short term provision, every effort is made to organise a planned transition into and out of the home. Unfortunately, this is not always possible when placements finish unexpectedly or children arrive as emergencies. Wherever possible, staff support children on an outreach basis for a period of time once they

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Requires improvement

have left. The home is warm, welcoming and has a calm and ordered atmosphere. Staff work hard to ensure that the environment is pleasant and attractive. Staff carefully select furnishings and fittings to replicate, as far as possible, a home environment. Staff maintain and care for the home to a high standard. Children benefit from knowing that staff consider their well-being and comfort as a priority. There are high quality resources available to children, such as a very well equipped music room, an art and craft room and a chill out space with sensory equipment. Staff endeavour to discover what interests and inspires a child, and where possible provide them with the opportunity to undertake that activity. Children are also given the chance to engage in outdoor and sporting activities. Good quality, fresh home cooked food is provided, which young people are encouraged to choose and help to prepare. Relationships observed between staff and children appear to be warm and

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Requires improvement

nurturing. Children seem happy and relaxed in the company of staff and enjoy the interaction and attention received. Staff are motivated and committed to offering young people a good experience of care and work hard to encourage them to begin to build positive relationships with trusted adults. Children staying here are not placed a long way from home. However, staff make every effort to ensure that important links are maintained. Staff enable and support positive contact within the home or, where appropriate, within the local community. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

At the point of referral, staff undertake compatibility risk assessments designed to inform decisions about the matching of children in the home. This is intended to reduce the likelihood of vulnerable children being influenced by negative and risk- taking behaviours. On occasion, managers have made decisions to place ill- matched children together. This is often due to emergency placements being sought at short notice. Subsequently, there have been a number of incidents where children who may not otherwise have done so, go missing together. Risk matrices, identifying areas of individual concern for each child, are not used consistently or updated regularly. Where specific risks have been recognised, corresponding assessments and plans to manage risks are too generic and do not provide a sufficiently individualised response to each child. It is unclear if staff have sufficient training and experience to enable them to

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Requires improvement

recognise children at risk of sexual exploitation. Some information recorded indicates that a possible level of risk was identified in relation to a child staying at the home. It is not clear, however, what subsequent action followed to safeguard the child in question. Staff maintain that appropriate measures were taken but there are no clear records of this. Children do go missing from the home and there has been a short period of time when this happened frequently. Children for whom this was a common occurrence were influencing other children to accompany them when leaving the site. Records indicate that the response from the home once the children were off site was prompt and thorough. Staff appear to make every effort to maintain contact, locate and return the children safely. Liaison with other agencies is effective and coordinated. Each incident is subject to management oversight and sign off.

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Requires improvement

However, staff do not always follow up by subsequently reviewing and updating risk assessments accordingly. Safeguarding policies are clear but managers do not always ensure that Ofsted are notified of allegations made by children against staff. Although the local authority designated officer was informed of incidents, lack of notification to Ofsted does not enable the additional safeguarding scrutiny that is intended through such notifications. Staff are clear with children about what is expected in terms of behaviour from the outset. Expectations are clearly set out in accessible children’s guides. Positive behaviour is encouraged, praised and, where appropriate, rewarded. Weekly targets are linked and children have the opportunity to work towards their own identified rewards. Staff are good at giving children positive feedback and case files contain many examples of incidents and behaviours that staff have recognised and

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Requires improvement

praised. A restorative approach is used wherever possible, actively encouraging children to make links to their actions. All sanctions, including details of incidents and subsequent actions, are recorded in the ‘Making it Right’ book. This offers young people the chance to understand the impact of behaviours and the opportunity to offer reparation and consider future actions. Restraint is used rarely, and only on occasions where staff consider that there are no alternative options available to safely manage a situation. Recording is full and incidents appear proportionate. Children and staff are given the opportunity for debriefing at an appropriate time and each incident is subject to management oversight.

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Requires improvement

The manager has been registered in post at this home since November 2015. He holds an NVQ level 4 in management and social care, an NVQ diploma level 7 in management and a postgraduate certificate in child and adolescent mental health. He has the appropriate levels of experience and knowledge to undertake this role. The manager leads a group of staff who are committed to the children with whom they work and who strive to offer a good quality service. The manager acknowledges that while he believes that the quality of care is good and that children do make progress, evidence is scant. Staff are not able to consistently demonstrate that they have the experience or skills to meet the needs of each child. This is most evident in demonstrating how young people are progressing and effecting positive change. Tools are in place but are not regularly or properly used and as such do not provide any measure or guide.

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Requires improvement

A significant number of new members of staff have been recruited onto the permanent staff team. However, ongoing issues of sickness and absence have impacted on the opportunity to train and develop them to the required standard. The manager is aware of this and has a plan in progress to enhance and improve standards. A series of team training and team building days have been organised, as well as consultation and shadowing opportunities with another well-established team. Although the difficulties have affected the morale of staff, those spoken to remain optimistic and enthusiastic about the future. They say that they feel that leadership is supportive and appropriate with regular good quality reflective and task-based supervision. The home is in a period of transition. Management have recognised the limitations and inherent difficulties of the current model and have a comprehensive service development plan. The new plans have senior management backing and are

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Requires improvement

currently in a pilot phase. The proposed changes will significantly alter the service offer. As such, the current statement of purpose does not reflect the aims and objectives of the home. The quality of professional relationships is varied. Some social workers were positive about communication. Network meetings take place weekly for each child, and all involved professionals are invited to these meetings in order to update progress and plan forward. It was acknowledged that this was a significant commitment but helpful in terms of information sharing. Other social workers were less complimentary and said that communication was poor and that they did not feel consulted or informed. A parent spoken to said that she was now happy with the level of communication offered as it had recently significantly improved.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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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 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

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Information about this inspection

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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