Children's home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Havant

This monitoring visit

This visit follows the full inspection on 21 and 22 June, which resulted in an inadequate judgement. Ofsted identified five regulatory shortfalls. These included failure to ensure that the registered person enabled and inspired a culture that promoted young people’s welfare, and that the staff had the experience, skills and qualification to meet the needs of each child. A culture of collusion and secrecy developed, in which some staff were able to exploit young people. The registered person failed to recognise this culture and to assess the risk of harm to young people. The registered person also failed to ensure that staff identified and acted upon signs that young people were at risk of harm from other staff members. The registered person failed to notify Ofsted about serious safeguarding events. It is Ofsted’s view that the failure to meet the regulations put young people at risk. Ofsted therefore restricted accommodation at the home, to prevent any new

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This monitoring visit

admissions, from 30 June to 11 August 2016. There are currently thirteen young people in the home, but this number is reducing as young people leave and there will be five remaining in placement by the end of August. This inspection identified a number of significant improvements in the management of the home, including a strong focus on the welfare and safety needs of the young people. The registered manager has responded rapidly to the concerns and requirements and has demoted a number of staff from roles in which they held an inappropriate level of responsibility. These staff failed to provide positive role models for young people. The registered manager has suspended one staff member, pending disciplinary action, after she failed to alert managers to clear risks posed to young people by another staff member. The registered manager has demonstrated a greatly increased awareness of the potential risks posed to young

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This monitoring visit

people by some staff, and this, along with a high degree of vigilance by managers, has resulted in young people being safer. The company has acknowledged that the registered manager had taken on additional management duties and had not benefited from effective supervision prior to the last inspection. The registered manager now has additional support from a new regional manager, who is providing her with daily consultation and regular supervision. This additional support is enabling the registered manager to regain her child focus and to proactively address the failures that led to some staff harming young people. The key aspects of the action plan provided by the registered manager include the restructuring of management. This will require the manager of each of the homes to hold a level 5 qualification, thereby ensuring high standards of qualifications, skills and experience. This is also to allow better overview of the homes. In

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This monitoring visit

addition, the registered manager has commissioned specialist training for staff in child sexual exploitation issues and for men working in care. This training includes addressing the possibility of staff grooming other staff. The introduction of group supervision will enable staff to reflect on their experiences and practice with young people who have been subject to child sexual exploitation. All staff have had to re-read the whistleblowing, safeguarding and complaints policies and are being tested on their knowledge and understanding. This increases their ability to recognise risks posed to young people in their care and to understand how to respond appropriately and quickly to them. The registered manager has liaised closely with a range of outside agencies and professionals, including the local authority designated officer, education, and an independent safeguarding expert. They are working together to monitor and

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This monitoring visit

support safeguarding in the service. This has increased the manager’s ability to identify and effectively address all safeguarding issues. The registered manager has recognised the importance of training, constant vigilance and multi-agency cooperation in ensuring the safety of young people. The registered manager has spoken to young people specifically to enable them to understand recent events and the reasons why she has disciplined some staff. She has emphasised that young people are blameless. Both the registered manager and her deputy are regularly spending time with young people in the homes, in order to be more visible and approachable. They have increased consultation with young people and, in response to a request by young people, the registered manager has placed a letterbox on an outside wall to enable them to post concerns to the manager with anonymity. The registered manager has responded immediately and robustly to a number of

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This monitoring visit

additional concerns raised by young people regarding the inappropriate behaviour of some staff. She ensured that all young people received child sexual exploitation training from the police. The evidence is that young people now have a much clearer understanding of what appropriate behaviour to expect from staff and are more confident to raise concerns directly with the registered manager. In order to provide young people with additional support, the registered manager has commissioned an independent advocacy service and a sex and rape advisory service to come to the home on a regular basis to be available for young people. This strong focus on hearing young people’s voices and on their emotional well- being is supporting their ability to keep themselves safe. There is evidence that staff now have a better understanding of risks, and of how to respond to them in order to keep young people safe. Additional training and the

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This monitoring visit

restructuring of the management and staffing arrangements are ongoing and remain necessary to ensure sustained change in culture and the effective safeguarding of young people. This is a timely and appropriate response to the judgement and requirements in a very a complex and challenging situation.

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to care for up to 21 children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home offers an on-site college educational facility, which is registered with the Department for Education. The majority of the young people attend the college. The home currently offers care for children and young people aged 12 to 19 years.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. in 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 this 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 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

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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