Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Staffordshire

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:

 Staff are good at assessing how new admissions can affect existing young people so that every new young person receives good-quality individualised transitions into the home.  Staff work in partnership with other agencies to ensure that there is a multi- disciplinary approach to the care of young people.  Staff promote and encourage young people to engage with education.  Highly committed staff keep young people safe, providing clear and consistent boundaries. The care that young people receive is personalised and reflective of their individual needs.  Young people feel safe. They are able to identify trusted adults with whom they have good relationships. As a result, young people thrive and make good progress from their starting points.  Staff are able to identify, assess and analyse risk to ensure that young people are safe.  The manager is an experienced and enthusiastic leader who inspires her

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The children's home provision is good because:

staff to provide a high quality of care to young people.  The manager utilises monitoring systems to improve the quality of care offered to young people.  There are a few weaknesses. Staff do not always ensure that sanctions are restorative in nature. Staff have not taken sufficient steps to ensure that all young people are in full time education. Case records do not consistently reflect the views of the young person. The home requires changes to ensure that it feels homely and is free of unnecessary institutional features.

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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 staff provide a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. Staff will ensure that the home is a homely and domestic environment. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations; however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than an institutional impressions ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Ensure that children should be in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan, states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child's relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour, and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and to carry it out. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.38)   Ensure that children should be encouraged to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view ad contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis.  ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is one of a number of privately owned homes in the organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

21 March 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

16 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Partnership working, effective monitoring and strong leadership, all help to ensure that young people make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. The manager ensures that she has sufficient information about a young person prior to their admission. The manager is robust in assessing the impact of any new admission on existing young people. Staff plan placements well from the start, creating good-quality individualised transition plans for young people. As a result, on arrival at the home, staff know the young person’s needs well and are therefore able to support them to settle quickly. For example, the home identified that a young person felt more comfortable with males, and therefore a male worker, alongside the registered manager, visited the young person several time at their previous placement. This approach resulted in the young person settling quickly. This was a great achievement, given how chaotic the young person’s life was, prior

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Good

to arrival. A social worker said, ‘The transition planning has been really good. It’s amazing how well [the young person] has settled.’ An independent reviewing officer reported, ‘I was particularly impressed by the way staff went over and above to assist the process of [the young person] moving to this out of area placement, a move to which he was fundamentally opposed. His difficulty history and emotional needs appeared to me to be at the forefront of discussions and decision making.’ Staff take time to get to know young people. Staff understand young people’s backgrounds and past experiences. As a result, staff and the manager build good- quality relationships with young people. Young people feel comfortable and relaxed with staff, talking, laughing and enjoying one another’s company. One member of staff said, ‘I do love my job. It’s all about giving young people positive memories.’ Another member of staff said, ‘They [young people] are like an extension of my

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Good

own family.’ A young person said, ‘I like it here. I wouldn’t change anything.’ Staff and the manager create a warm and positive atmosphere. Staff use a highly nurturing approach, praising and rewarding young people’s success. For example, staff recognised that one young person, who has low self-esteem, struggled to accept positive praise. Following input from the clinical therapy team, staff implemented a positive comments book. This ensures that the young person receives positive feedback from staff daily, in a way that does not make them feel uncomfortable, helping to build the young person’s confidence and self-worth. Staff actively celebrate young people’s achievements and special occasions. For example, staff enthusiastically celebrated a young person’s birthday, with lots of fuss and attention given. This ensures that young people leave the home with lots of happy memories. Staff demonstrate an intuitive and caring approach to the

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Good

care delivered to young people. For example, when staff were planning the young person birthday celebrations, they were sensitive to the fact that the other young person may feel left out. They therefore involved the young person in the purchase of some of the birthday gifts. On the morning of the birthday, staff provided fishing equipment for both young people to enjoy. This demonstrates that staff are good at recognising the emotional needs of the young people. This means that young people feel reassured, secure and well cared for and as a result, their confidence and self-esteem grows. This approach ensures that young people are less likely to show negative attention seeking behaviours, reducing the potential for conflict and the need for sanctions. Not all young people are engaged in full time education. Staff have developed plans to help re-integrate a young person back into education. However, staff have

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Good

been too slow in commencing the process in partnership with the school. As a result, one young person has not been in education for four weeks. As such, the manager has not ensured that admissions planning sufficiently incorporates education attendance. Some good work is undertaken in an attempt to counter this shortfall. This extends to staff promoting good routine and engaging the young person in extra-curricular activities. For example, staff took a young person to a disused nuclear bunker in order to promote his learning, provide structure to his day and engage him. Staff are proactive in ensuring young people’s health needs are met. For example, when a young person required a brain scan, the manager challenged the child and adolescent mental health team about the delay in this being completed. As a result, the young person received the scan that they required in a timely manner. Staff and managers receive effective training, guidance and support from the

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Good

organisation’s clinical therapy team. This includes the clinical therapy team attending team meetings to discuss young people’s needs and progress. This ensures that staff are able to meet the emotional needs of young people effectively. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘He has also begun to engage in therapy. Bearing in mind this young person’s history and oppositional behaviour, I would see this as significant progress’. Staff utilise key-work sessions, young people’s meetings and well-established relationships with young people to obtain young people’s wishes and opinions. Staff and the manager listen to and respond to their views. However, staff do not formally capture the voice of the young person. This means that if young people wish to access their case records in the future they are not able to see how their views have contributed to their care. Young people have appropriate, carefully assessed and supported contact with

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Good

their families. Staff recognise how contact with family members can have an impact on the behaviours and welfare of young people. Staff work proactively and positively with parents to ensure that contact is safe, positive and does not have a detrimental impact on the placement. An independent reviewing officer reported, ‘Contact and liaison with birth family are being managed well.’ Staff’s management of family contact has ensured that parents feel empowered and included in the young person life, and that that young person has been able to settle quickly and they do not feel isolated. Staff ensure that young people live in a safe and pleasant environment. However, unnecessary health and safety signage detracts from the homely and domestic feel of the property for young people.

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Good

Staff have strong relationships with young people. Young people feel able to speak to staff about anything they are worried about and seek help and support as required. For example, when asked do they feel safe, a young person said, ‘Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?’. When young people are new at the home, staff plan well and anticipate issues. They learn quickly and are able to recognise triggers and indicators of risk. This includes the potential for a young person going missing, self-harm and the influence of their peers. This means that staff know young people well and are able to respond to their individual needs in order to reduce the potential risk of harm. Well-trained, knowledgeable and experienced staff are clear about safeguarding procedures and understand how to keep young people safe. The staff are alert to the potential risks associated with young people who go missing and are at risk of

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Good

child sexual exploitation. They are confident at responding to such scenarios should they emerge. Staff response to child protection and safeguarding concerns is swift and appropriate. For example, they are quick to inform the placing authority and other relevant parties of any incidents or concerns. This ensures that there is a co- ordinated and well-planned response to identified concerns. This in turn, helps to protect young people’s welfare. The manager ensures that robust behaviour management plans are in place. Consequently, conflict management is effective as staff understand the individual needs of young people and what strategies to use to manage their behaviour. Staff are good at rewarding good behaviour. For example, they give young people lots of positive feedback or identify incentives such as an activity out with staff. Staff take preventative steps to de-escalate situations such as taking a young person out

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Good

for a walk or arranging a key work session in advance of a difficult family contact. Staff have supported young people to develop strategies to self-regulate their emotions. As a result, physical interventions are rare. An independent reviewing officer reported that, ‘positive relationships with staff members were evidenced along with a reduction of serious incidents and missing episodes’. However, staff do not consolidate restorative justice into their practice, and therefore have missed an opportunity for young people to understand the impact their behaviour can have on themselves, staff and the wider community. The manager ensures that recruitment and vetting processes are in place to reduce the likelihood that unsuitable individuals getting to work with young people. This means that only staff who are appropriate and able to keep young people safe work in the home.

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Good

The registered manager took up her post in January 2015. The manager is currently completing the level five diploma in leadership and management. She is on target to complete her award by November 2016. The manager’s performance exceeds her relatively limited management experience. The manager is enthusiastic and driven to provide the best possible care for young people. The manager is able to identify areas of strength and weakness and is receptive to new ideas and different ways of working. The home has six staff. Four are qualified to the level three diploma in residential childcare. Two staff are working towards their award and are within the required time of 2 years to complete their qualification. The manager actively promotes a culture in which staff recognise the aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose. Staff embed this into their practice and this means that young people feel respected, valued and supported.

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Good

The child-focused registered manager ensures that staff understand the ethos of the home and they prioritise young people’s needs at all times. The manager engages with young people well, developing good relationships with them. She leads by example, creating a positive culture in which staff focus on the needs of young people. The manager has a comprehensive understanding of young people’s individual needs and ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge in therapeutic care to meet their need. Staff are highly effective and work successfully as a team, communicating well and focusing on improving the outcomes for young people. Consequently, staff work safely and consistently with the young people. This means that young people have strong secure relationships with staff who understand them well. Staff ensure that case records are up to date and well organised. As a result, staff are able to navigate case files and to locate required information easily. This

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Good

enhances staff’s ability to understand young people’s histories, backgrounds and current information. Clear processes are in place for staff recording of the progress that young people are making. This enables staff to identify patterns of behaviour that have a negative impact on young people’s development and to take the opportunity to devise action plans to address identified shortfalls. However, the child’s voice is not a strong feature of care planning. Induction programmes for new staff are robust and help them to acquire the skills and knowledge that they need to work with young people. For example, before a staff member starts in post, they are given off-site training to ensure they have completed all mandatory training, they have the opportunity to read case files and shadow more experienced members of staff. This ensure that new staff are well informed about young people’s needs and are able to offer the same consistent

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Good

care that young people are use to. The manager is aware of the training needs of her staff, responding swiftly to any identified gaps in knowledge, experience or training. The manager explores ways to enhance staff practice through non- mandatory training. For example, staff have started to complete training to improve their understanding of how to recognise and work with young people with autism. This ensures that staff would potentially be able to recognise signs of young person having autism who may not yet have a diagnosis, as well as being in a position to accept any new admission in which autism is identified as a need. The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision. Staff feel valued and listened to by the registered manager. Their needs, both professional and personal, are being taken into account. Staff attend regular team meetings, which are effective forums in which to learn, develop and share information. This ensures

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Good

that staff receive excellent support and guidance from managers and peers. As a result, staff are happy and motivated and enjoy their jobs. This helps to ensure that the staff team is stable, which in turn provides consistent care for young people. The manager and staff manage care planning, child protection matters and young people’s contact with family effectively, because they have good relationships with placing authorities and partner agencies. The manager’s links with local police representatives has led to a clear consensus and understanding of good practice when young people go missing. The manager will challenge placing authorities when there is a shortfall in the service that they deliver to a young person. For example, when a young person was moving to a new placement, the registered manager recognised deficits in the proposed placement; the manager escalated these concerns to the social worker, team manager and local authority

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Good

commissioning team, which resulted in the authority re-assessing the suitability of the chosen placement. The manager has implemented and utilised a range of monitoring systems to assess the quality of care provided by the service. The manager uses this information to inform staff practice and to review the care delivered to young people. Staff and the manager learn from placement successes and breakdowns and apply this learning to practice. This enables the service to continue to evolve and develop to meet the needs of young people.

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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 that 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 that 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 whom 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

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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