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

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The service is progressing well and there are good outcomes for young people, because of the effectiveness of the manager.  Core staff are very familiar with the home and provide good continuity of care. The additional staff are also of a good calibre.  Young people are matched to the home and other young people well. This helps them to settle and make the most of the extensive opportunities.  Staff understand the difficulties that young people have faced before coming here and keep them safe. There is good communication with other professionals.  Team members are keen to do a good job and are well trained. The manager drives the team’s ambition to do better.  The whole company endeavours to promote young people’s progress. There is effective joint working between the home, school and therapists.  Once they have settled into the home, young people make clear progress in all areas.

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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 ‘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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, so that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe, the registered provider must ensure—

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(vi) that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

This is with regard to updating social workers about new disclosures from young people. 11 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the following measure is not used to discipline any child: imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation.

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Requirement Due date

This is with regard to only withholding young people’s pocket money for reparation (Regulation 19(2)(f)). 11 July 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):  Ensure that case records are kept up-to-date.

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Recommendations

This is with particular regard to young people's behaviour management plans and risk assessments ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.3).

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Information about this children's home

A large provider of children’s services operates this home. The service is for up to three children or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

2 March 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

22 January 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people enjoy a home that is comfortable and spacious. It provides easy access to local amenities, yet has a rural feel. There are large gardens, and young people’s bedrooms are of a generous size. There is an orchard in the garden and fields nearby.

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Good

Until about two months ago, there was only one young person, but now there are three. Young people usually arrive after gradual introductions have occurred and they have learned about the home. On admission, staff explain all the details to them. This provides the best possible start to their stays, although most young people naturally feel unsettled at first. The manager insists that social workers provide all the necessary information immediately, which helps to make this challenging stage as smooth as possible. This ensures that local authorities address their responsibilities and meet young people’s rights. A social worker reported that the high standard of matching new young people with the group meant that, ‘the possibility of conflict was minimised’.

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Good

The service is now focusing on the long-term care of girls who have experienced sexual exploitation. One of the immediate benefits to new young people is that they are safe. Consequently, the frequency of serious incidents falls markedly soon after their admissions. Similarly, other indicators of distress, such as self-injurious behaviour, also diminish. The risk of young people going missing is high, but the number of actual incidents is exceptionally low. The girls feel safe and know that only safe adults work in the home or visit it. They are also routinely involved in contact with their families, as specified by their social workers. These circumstances allow young people to refocus on positive activities.

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Good

The service consists of an effective combination of care, therapy and education. This collaborative approach contributes substantially to young people’s good progress. One young person said: ‘Staff look after me well.’ The social worker for another said: ‘My young person feels confident in the placement.’ The whole staff team establishes meaningful relationships with every young person, based on a high level of consultation. Each young person contributes to the home and their own care. The manager provides alternative means for individuals who find the usual consultative systems problematic. Currently, for example, activities and pictures have replaced some formal meetings.

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Good

Therapists assist young people individually and support the staff well. As a result, young people develop better emotional health. Levels of self-awareness improve and young people learn to regulate their emotions more effectively. Their excellent engagement is reflected in wide-ranging activities, which they enjoy enthusiastically, and progress further in school. Most of the young people regularly go horse riding. They all enjoy trampolining and playing football at home and one plays football in the school team. Those who have lived here longer pursue personal interests in the community such as drama, which markedly improves their self-confidence. Staff encourage young people to consider their effect on other people. They regularly arrange events that focus on different cultures and help young people to understand other points of view.

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Good

Education is a prominent part of the daily routine, and young people make substantial progress. From needing individual support in class, one young person is now likely to attain top marks in her GCSE examinations. Others attend school according to agreed programmes that re-engage them at an appropriate pace. One young person said, ‘I think I’m doing a lot better now: when people annoy me, I just go outside for ten minutes.’

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Good

Young people are safe because staff have a good understanding of the risks and act accordingly. One-to-one staffing levels and constant vigilance mean that staff anticipate and avoid major difficulties. In addition, young people have full and interesting programmes that keep them busy. The staff maintain close working relationships with the local police and other professionals. This is only preventative work, at present, because recently there have been no serious incidents. The manager monitors the changes in risk level for each young person. This is a useful method of showing changes. While allowing for individual fluctuations, the overall trends are extremely positive. The social worker for a new resident said, ‘Her previous negative behaviours have reduced drastically.’ The social hazards that young people face are serious, but the likelihood of these events falling.

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Good

Staff and maintenance personnel routinely address health and safety standards. Currently, a substantial amount of work is taking place outside to improve the grounds. Staff apply a thorough process for checking and updating any temporary staff and visitors.

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Good

The focus of the behaviour management process is to encourage good behaviour using a clear theoretical model. Young people learn how to avoid difficulties, and receive rewards accordingly. Staff derive the personal targets from the placement plan targets to ensure consistency. The reward may be a treat or an opportunity to do something new. Staff allow additional free time only when it can be justified, and liaise closely with social workers about any changes. Recently, because of the arrival of new young people and staff, there has been some delay in keeping relevant documents up to date. This has had minimal impact and the manager is addressing it. Staff and young people are clear about the boundaries. Staff undertake specific work with young people when they breach these standards. Staff correctly encourage young people to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. However, they inappropriately link the completion of these tasks to the provision of

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Good

pocket money. Young people ordinarily have a right to receive their pocket money promptly.

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Good

The use of physical intervention is relatively rare. Staff sometimes need to hold new young people, in particular. They undertake this appropriately and the level of incidence falls quickly. The manager monitors this closely and addresses any patterns that emerge, for example the involvement of particular members of staff.

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Good

Most young people have very unsettled backgrounds. They feel able to disclose sensitive historical information to staff, but often do so in uncoordinated, protracted and confusing ways. Staff are alert to this and effectively address the vast majority of such cases. However, in one recent instance, they did not pass new information to social workers. This has no effect on young people, but reduces the information available to social workers when investigating allegations.

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Good

The service benefits from strong leadership. The registered manager is relatively new, yet has substantially improved the service in the past year or so. She applies her appropriate management qualification effectively to staffing and childcare issues. After a period of substantial stability, the recent admission of two new young people has required an expansion of the team, including a new deputy manager. Qualified staff from other homes and bank team members have covered this period. Three new staff will start soon. However, maternity and other issues have required the use of some familiar agency staff. Overall, the senior team has managed this process well.

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Good

The manager has made several improvements to the service since the last inspection. Amongst these, she has addressed the recommendation from the last inspection and staff now have individual copies of their supervision records. This helps them to develop their practice. Also of note is her refinement of the staff team, which has resulted in a more competent and professional group. In March this year, an independent reviewing officer said, ‘The home is excellent in all areas, including the quality of the home, the care, communication with me and their reports.’

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Good

Staff members feel positive about the home. They apply the statement of purpose accurately, and with a positive effect on young people. One member of staff represented the views of many: ‘Since having a new manager, I feel the service that we provide for young people has improved and everyone is working together to continue to make improvements.’ Staff are prepared well for the challenges of the job by a rigorous training programme and regular supervisory meetings. They feel that the training prepares them for difficult situations and, as a result, they can prevent many incidents occurring. All but two staff currently have appropriate qualifications, and these two are progressing within timescales.

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Good

Young people are familiar with their records and routinely sign some of them. This transparency helps them to feel involved in the recording process and ensures that they have a clear understanding of the views of staff. Their placement plans and other records give a clear account of events, should young people wish to check later. They also show the progress that young people make, albeit in a largely descriptive way. The manager is working with the team to ensure that the records also provide quantitative and evaluative evidence.

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Good

The quality of monitoring is of a good standard. There is a steady flow of comments from other professionals, supplemented by ad hoc comments from other visitors such as tradesmen and children. These views serve to confirm the positive findings of the formal monitoring procedures, give her a basis to challenge other agencies on behalf of the young people, and to ensure that the manager has a thorough understanding of her service.

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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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 looked after children 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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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.

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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 0300 123 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

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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