Children's home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Stratford-on-Avon

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:

 Young people receive a good service because the manager focuses on meeting their needs.  There is a calm and supportive atmosphere in the home.  The staff are striving to improve and there is a trend of better standards.  Staff receive good support based on the therapeutic approach of the service. They keep up to date with developments in the profession.  The staff are competent and engage well with young people. They establish meaningful relationships.  Young people’s views make a noticeable difference to the service.  Young people make clear progress from their starting points.  The negative effects of young people’s behaviour are minimised through proactive advocacy with other agencies.  Staff handle difficult decisions, such as those about young people’s moves to other placements, sensitively.  Young people are engaged in attainable education programmes, which help them to learn and achieve.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 There are no requirements or recommendations arising from this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

A large provider of children’s services operates this two-bedded home, which provides care and accommodation for up to two children who have emotional and/or behaviour difficulties. The children’s home is located in a rural area.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.4

Recent inspection history

03/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.4

Good

Young people confirm that staff treat them well. They feel respected and have their needs fully met. There have been no new admissions since the last inspection, and this has facilitated stability. Staff engage young people and their families effectively. Families and social workers report that staff communicate with them well, which provides an important contribution towards young people’s welfare.

p.5

Good

The relationships between staff and young people are good. Staff engage young people in important conversations about their circumstances, which contributes to the progress of young people. The manager is revising the planning of key worker sessions to make them as effective as possible. Therapists contribute significantly to discussions about young people and meet them in person. Consequently, young people learn to value this work to the extent that one of them recently asked for greater input. This helps them start to understand the effect that their backgrounds have had. Because young people feel safe in the home, they engage in strategies that help them to develop emotionally.

p.5

Good

The progress that young people make is rarely straightforward and some young people have moved to placements that are more suitable. Even during very demanding periods, staff manage these transitions with great consideration towards each young person’s needs and feelings. This helps young people to feel positive about the moves. One professional from an authority a substantial distance from the home confirmed that ‘the care for our young person is excellent, despite his issues’.

p.5

Good

Young people experience a wide range of recreational and sporting activities, from indoor crafts to joining sports teams in nearby towns. Staff currently support young people to attend a gym, go bicycling, and spend time with animals. One young person particularly enjoyed a recent trip to a zoo. Sometimes, these activities successfully lead to long-term interests and college courses. The arrangements for the summer holidays are in place. Computer and online games are popular and staff carefully control young people’s access to these.

p.5

Good

The company operates a school that young people attend and staff give formal education a high priority. Some young people attend most days and others find it more difficult. Their educational progress reflects these patterns. One young person successfully completed examinations this summer. Others use different programmes of education that maximise their engagement and learning. The manager routinely involves fellow professionals, such as education colleagues, to obtain what young people need.

p.5

Good

The needs and wishes of young people are at the centre of the service. Staff always integrate young people’s views into day-to-day and longer-term plans. Consequently, young people have had an effect on the presentation of the home, activities and holidays, and are currently working to create a better children’s guide. Staff also address young people’s religious and cultural needs and discuss topical issues with them, such as the recent referendum about Europe. Young people meet people with different backgrounds and discuss their prejudices with staff. One young man made marked progress in accepting other people because of this process, which he demonstrated by reducing his racist language.

p.6

Good

The manager identifies risks and devises remedial strategies very well. She and her team engage in a high level of collaboration with other agencies, such as the police and social workers. This has been necessary since the last inspection to keep young people safe and minimise the effect of their negative behaviours. Although serious incidents have occurred, the patterns and seriousness of events such as young people going missing generally improve.

p.6

Good

Staff employ effective and personalised behaviour management strategies. Subsequently, young people go missing less often, show less aggression, and follow positive routines. Young people themselves appreciate the difference this makes to how they feel. Consistent practice between the three staff teams is critical and the manager continually applies ways of improving it.

p.6

Good

The young people are not at risk of exploitation but some have posed threats to others. Staff manage these issues well. In the home, bullying happens occasionally but staff do not allow it to persist. Young people know how to make complaints but feel safe in the house and rarely have any concerns about the staff.

p.6

Good

The house provides a physically safe environment. Routine checks identify any shortfalls, which staff then address, such as car maintenance. Staff have also improved security after a review of the home’s locality assessment and an incident in which they were locked out of the house. One implication is that staff now have closer contact with other children’s homes in the area. This information sharing serves to provide a higher level of protection to young people. Judgement grade

p.6

Good

Ofsted registered the manager last year. She has a registered manager’s award, which is a relevant qualification in the management of children’s homes. Her substantial leadership has served to stabilise the service and create an effective team. She is particularly influential in focusing staff on the therapeutic needs of the young people through team meetings and one-to-one supervision meetings. This educates staff and helps young people to progress as efficiently as possible. This approach extends to the property too and to making it as homely as possible. Staff receive additional support with challenging issues, which helps them to provide a good service for each young person. One member of staff said, ‘She’s the best manager I’ve ever worked with!’

p.7

Good

Diagrams on each young person’s file clearly show the progress they have made over time. This gives a useful summary of their successes and clearly highlights areas for further work. Young people are engaged in this process and have access to their files.

p.7

Good

Changes to the staff team have reduced, although agency staff are engaged to meet young people’s needs. The company is reviewing the size of its team of bank staff, which could reduce the need for agency staff and improve consistency. However, the use of agency staff remains within reasonable limits and has minimal effect on young people. The manager anticipates further improvements to the consistency of working practices as the new senior team becomes established. Work is underway to increase the delegation of duties, for example, and to address the promotion of social diversity in a more coordinated way.

p.7

Good

All team members are either qualified or on track to qualify within the required timescales. Staff benefit from a well-organised training programme, which the manager supplements with training during staff meetings. She has recently updated staff about Sir Martin Narey’s review of children’s residential care in England. This helps staff to understand the wider context of their work. Improvements have continued since the last inspection with the two requirements for the home being addressed. As a result, staff prioritise the maintenance checks of the home’s vehicles. This has improved the safety of staff and young people. Staff also have a greater understanding of the legal rights of young people because they are now summarised in the latest statement of purpose.

p.7

Good

The statement of purpose accurately reflects the service provided to young people. The manager has reviewed it in light of the recent amalgamation of the company with another and has clear plans for the development of the service. Routine monitoring of the service effectively serves to identify shortfalls that could detract from this. The team gradually address developmental targets, which ensures that the service continually improves. This is to the credit of everyone involved.

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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 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, 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

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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