Children's home run by Wessex College Limited in Dorset

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 provide young people with a homely, safe and stable environment in which to live and thrive.  Young people have strong relationships with the staff team who care for them. These relationships are based on trust and respect.  Procedures for safeguarding young people are comprehensive and staff demonstrate a good working knowledge of these.  Young people benefit from having personalised plans for all aspects of their lives. These are kept under review to ensure that they are current. With staff support, these help young people to understand their background, their behaviours and develop self-management strategies.  The home has benefited from the appointment of a new manager who is in the process of registration with Ofsted.  Staff have developed effective working relationships with fellow professionals. These have improved since the appointment of the new manager.

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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

13: The leadership and management standard The registered person use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home 13 (2) (g)h 30/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports When the independent person is carrying out the visit, the registered person must help the independent person- of they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working in the home 44(2)a 30/11/2016

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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

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30).  As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. In particular, the record of staff interviews should include an explanation of the scoring system used to decide whether to employ or not. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1).  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should

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Recommendations

record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, key worker records should reflect more detail of the discussions which take place. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4).

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for four young people, of either gender, with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is one of four children’s homes operated by a private organisation. The organisation also provides an independent school, which young people from this home can attend.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

21/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11/11/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people develop effective, trusting, stable relationships with the adults who care for them. These relationships form the foundation for the work the team undertakes with young people. Young people spoke very positively about their staff team. One said, ‘They look after us really well.’ There are various avenues for young people to express their views, not only on the home and their care but also on the organisation as a whole. One young person said, ‘I feel listened to and my views are valued.’ The admission process is well managed to make moving in as smooth as possible. As well as gathering pre-admission information, staff complete an impact risk assessment. Staff understand the young people they care for and their needs very well. They develop effective working strategies to address both young people’s emerging and identified needs. Bespoke plans are in place to provide guidance on how to meet

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Good

these needs and to ensure that young people’s behavioural, health and emotional needs are addressed. These include effective strategies for reducing self-harm and drug use. These plans link to the organisation’s therapist’s input. Staff carry out key worker sessions with young people. These cover young people’s identified or emerging needs, incident and events. The quality of these records varies. Some do not reflect the two-way nature of the discussions or the young person’s input. Staff work with young people to provide them with a wide range of activities. These include the young people’s present interests and encouragement to get them to try new things and have new experiences. All young people at the home attend the organisation’s own school. They are making good progress from their starting points on admission. Staff teach young people to understand the importance of education. This has led to young people

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Good

having higher aspirations for their futures. The home provides young people with a warm, welcoming, safe and secure environment in which to thrive. The accommodation is furnished to a high standard and young people are fully involved in the choice of decor. Young people are proud of their home. Staff enable young people to maintain contact with their families, providing transport and support where needed.

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Good

The risk-taking behaviours of young people have reduced since the points of their admission. For some, this is still a work in progress. Young people said that they have developed their understanding of the risky situations they have placed themselves in. Each young person has a detailed behaviour plan, risk assessment and care plan, which provide strategies for the staff and the young person to reduce these behaviours. Staff work effectively with young people who self-harm. In particular by helping them to develop alternative strategies for dealing with their stress, anxiety or anger. There continue to be incidents of young people going missing from the home, again these have reduced. Staff work closely with external professionals in this area. Within young people’s plans, their risks of going missing and their levels of vulnerability are identified. These bespoke plans are kept under review and all

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Good

incidents of young people missing from home are monitored. Where young people have gone missing from home, staff will, wherever possible, follow them. Currently return home interviews are carried out by a member of the organisation’s education team in agreement with placing authorities. This arrangement does not provide sufficient independence. The safeguarding policies and procedures are strong and are adhered to in practice by the staff team. Staff interviewed demonstrate a good working knowledge of these and their duty of care. Staff receive good quality safeguarding training with regular updates to ensure that their practice remains current. Young people benefit from living in a safe and nurturing environment. They say that they feel safe and well cared for. The use of physical intervention is seen as a last resort. Where this does happen, records state that it is appropriate and proportional to the young people’s

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Good

behaviour. Sanctions record evidence that they are appropriately used. There is clear evidence of a focus on restorative work as part of behaviour management. Young people said that they liked this approach as: ‘We get a chance to put things right.’ Linked with behaviour management are the positive reinforcement systems. Young people are able to earn vouchers which translate to money, which they can then spend. Recruitment practices are effective and help protect young people from those who would harm them. Recruitment records currently have no explanation of what the scoring system for interviews means. This would clarify how a decision to employ is reached.

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Requires improvement

Leaders and managers have met the recommendations from the last inspection. Since the last full inspection there have been changes in the management of the home. The current manager has been in post since July 2016. They are currently undergoing registration with Ofsted. Improvements made since this appointment include, improved communication and stability within the staff team. . The managers monitoring systems did not identify the shortfalls found during inspection. This includes some minor inconsistencies in the home’s records. The manager’s monitoring does not evaluate the records or follow up on actions where shortfalls in records have been found. This reduces the effectiveness of the manager’s monitoring in improving practice. An independent visitor visits the home monthly and produces a report of their findings. The report of the last three visits do not show evidence that the visitor has contacted the young people’s parents or social workers for their views on the

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Requires improvement

care being provided. This reduces the effectiveness of these monitoring visits. Staffing levels at the home are in line with the needs of the young people placed. There have been four new staff since the full inspection. At the time of inspection, one member of staff was on long-term sick leave. Their hours are being covered by the organisation’s sessional staff, and occasionally staff from the organisation’s other homes and agency workers. The manager strives to keep the number of different people working at the home to a minimum to aid continuity of care. Rotas inspected provided evidence of this approach being carried out. New staff have to complete a comprehensive induction programme. This programme links into staff’s ongoing training programme. The staff training programme is comprehensive and is responsive not only to young people’s needs but also to developments in childcare practice. Staff praised the organisation for

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Requires improvement

their commitment to developing the staff team and the individual. Of particular note is the Aspire programme, which the organisation has developed to support staff who have the potential to become leaders. The quality and the frequency of staff supervision has improved since the previous inspection. Supervision is reflective and is used to develop the individual as well as to identify future training needs. The statement of purpose accurately describes and reflects the work undertaken by the home. This is reviewed at least annually, as are all policies and procedures. Notifications of significant events are made appropriately, in a timely manner and to the relevant bodies.

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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, 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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