Children's Home run by The Serendipity Centre Limited in Hampshire

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

The home has experienced several changes since the last inspection. There has been a change of manager, and the new manager has applied to become registered with Ofsted. The responsible individual was previously the registered manager. She resigned from the post in September 2015 but continues to have a great deal of involvement in and oversight of the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have settled and coped very well with the changes. They continue to make good progress since arriving at the home. Each of them is learning to self- regulate their behaviours and emotions, developing strategies to assist them when they become anxious.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff manage episodes of missing with good reporting, recording and referral to others as per individual plans. Staff have followed the plans, with them actively seeking young people in the area and using a variety of strategies to de-escalate situations. Staff meet with young people to debrief after incidents and discuss causes for them missing.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support young people to make complaints or raise worries. These are explored and investigated, with clear outcomes and actions identified. There have been discussions in ‘house meetings’ about ‘house rules’ and relationships between peers in the home. Staff manage and support young people to work through conflicts with peers and assist young people to restore and rebuild relationships.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff explore and investigate complaints, and respond to the complainant. Records and chronologies of events provide a robust overview, identifying points for improved practice and learning. Staff have responded to all concerns, queries and suggestions as complaints.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff report, investigate and refer allegations to others, as required. They have detailed records of investigations and outcomes, providing clarity of the actions needed. Staff meet regularly with young people in one-to-one sessions. These have provided invaluable education and learning about risky behaviours, and have included e-safety and social media use. One-to-one sessions have also been used to explore behaviours and feelings, with young people identifying strategies to use to assist them in self-regulating their behaviours.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff debrief young people after incidents of risk-taking behaviours. Staff educate and provide information to young people, to inform them of the risks associated with their behaviours. Staff have not amended and updated all plans to reflect how to reduce and minimise risks as they arise.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support young people to address their health needs and to seek additional assistance when required. The home’s multi-disciplinary team review behaviours and needs. However, they do not consistently record all of these reviews.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are thorough in their approach to safeguarding, with concerns well recorded, reported and referred. Clarity is required regarding staff roles and responsibilities within the home’s safeguarding policy and procedure.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff use a restorative approach to sanctions, with young people contributing to damaged items. Staff give many rewards, promoting and celebrating good behaviour and actions. These include praise and trips out to favoured places.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are proactive and supportive, role modelling and promoting positive behaviour for young people. Staff follow clear behaviour management plans that have a staged approach to supporting young people to manage their behaviour. Staff implement practical strategies to support young people, with debriefs and reviews of all incidents. Staff avoid physical intervention and use a variety of de- escalation techniques, teaching young people to self-regulate their behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are currently reviewing and updating the e-safety policy and procedure.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Medication procedures in the home are robust and effective, with several systems in place to identify errors and to manage the administration of medication.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers regularly audit health and safety within the home, with actions identified being swiftly addressed and implemented.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is managed by a house manager who is currently applying to Ofsted to become the registered manager of the home. The home’s manager is managing the home effectively. The manager has implemented and actioned all of the requirements set at the previous inspection. Staff receive regular effective supervision and appraisal of their practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff who are new to the home have completed an induction. Following a significant absence, returning staff, are reintroduced and inducted into the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Regular staff meetings take place, providing a regular opportunity to reflect and review practice and the quality of care provided in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers are effective, with good systems applied to review and monitor the quality of care provided. Evaluation forms the basis of the home’s development plan. The plan identifies key areas to improve and develop, and has clear action points. Robust independent visits take place, providing additional scrutiny and oversight of the quality of care provided. Managers use the evaluation to act on the areas identified.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned, and is registered to care for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The organisation which owns the home also has sister homes in the local area and a therapeutic education setting. The home specialises in caring for girls who have experienced physical and/or emotional trauma in their past, while also providing access to therapeutic services.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11 November 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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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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