The Banyan Tree

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Children with highly complex histories and individual needs make exceptional and sustained progress in all aspects of their lives. Some children are in long-term placements resulting in them being extremely settled and happy. A parent comments that their child, ‘is doing the best I have ever seen, and is the happiest I have seen’.  Educational attendance and achievement has improved for each child, for some the progress is significant compared to their starting point on admission. Because of the outstanding level and quality of support, children who previously struggled to engage in education are now doing well.  Children feel safe and learn protective behaviours, which consistently improve their safety and well-being. Comprehensive and effectively implemented risk management strategies keep children safe.  Children and staff have excellent relationships. Attachments formed over time help children to begin to talk openly about their feelings and issues

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

which are important to them. As a result, behaviours improve and children show evolving coping strategies and emotional resilience.  Staff are passionate about their role and want only the very best for the children in their care. A broad and effective training programme ensures that staff understand their responsibilities and effectively promote positive outcomes for each child.  Leadership and management are a strength of the service. The responsible individual sets extremely high standards and consistently drives forward service development.  A recommendation has been set to further improve safeguarding arrangements by supporting children to access a cycling proficiency awareness course.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. In particular, this relates to making arrangements for children who cycle in the community to take part in a cycling proficiency course. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9).

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Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care and accommodation for five children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, who may also have a learning disability.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/11/2015 Full Good 14/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/06/2014 Full Outstanding

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Outstanding

Children with highly complex histories and individual needs make exceptional and sustained progress in all aspects of their lives. This is because every child is consistently afforded the highest level of personal attention and exceptionally nurturing and well-planned care. Staff are enthusiastic and totally committed to promoting improving and positive outcomes for the children in their care. Parents and professionals consistently report excellent progress for individual children. Comments include ‘[a child] is much more mature than I have ever seen, and is doing great, really great’. A social worker notes that another child is ‘so much more relaxed, comfortable and able to talk’. The stability provided has supported children to maintain long-term placements. One child has resided at the home for four years and another for three years. These children see this as their home and are relaxed in the knowledge that they

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Outstanding

are to remain here for the foreseeable future. Comments from children include ‘I really like living here. I am very happy’. Children who have moved in more recently receive excellent support to settle and to begin to take advantage of the broad services and support available to them. Parents say that living in this home has had a significant impact on their child’s life. One parent said, ‘I could not have wished for a better home.’ Another parent reports, ‘This is the first time in a long time he is in a place where he may get the help he needs.’ Staff encourage and support children to engage in a range of stimulating opportunities and activities, both in the home and in the community. This summer one child has become more self-assured after a holiday to the USA. Another child is very enthusiastic about recently joining a rugby club. Children who have never been to the seaside have enjoyed beach visits and camping holidays near the

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Outstanding

coast. These trips and associated activities have ensured that children have grown in confidence and learned new skills. Each child is making notable progress within very personalised and well-supported education plans. While the team promotes educational achievement, it also recognises when individual issues prevent children from successfully attending school. At such time, the intensive support provided helps children to move forward and return to full engagement in school. The routine in the home for 30 minutes of educational activity each day on return from school enhances children’s learning experiences. One child is developing new skills with a sewing machine, purchased by the service to promote her interest in fashion design. Each child is able to choose magazines and is encouraged to read. This has helped children to improve their literacy skills. One child has made remarkable progress having achieved a

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Outstanding

reading ability several years ahead of his chronological age. Staff go out of their way to promote opportunities for children to share their views and to be involved in decisions about day-to-day living and personal care planning. They readily engage in house meetings and know that their views are seen as important. Independence is promoted in an age-appropriate and risk-assessed manner. As a result, children begin to develop the skills and confidence that they will need to live independently in the future. One child spoke with new confidence about how she had been shopping recently with a member of staff and for part of the time was left to shop alone. Children are expected to keep their rooms tidy and to share daily living tasks around the home. Children are healthy and benefit from the excellent promotion of good physical and emotional health. Healthy eating and physical exercise are encouraged. As a result,

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Outstanding

some children have improved their health and associated self-confidence by losing excess weight. Staff work closely with health professionals to support specific individual physical health needs. It is apparent that the team pushes for the very best outcomes and opportunities to improve health conditions. Staff have an excellent understanding about generic issues of mental health and the individual needs of each child in relation to emotional well-being. A clinician team lead by a clinical psychologist works closely with staff and at times directly with children. This work drives forward emotional well-being. Staff also work closely with the local child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) to support mental health needs. As a result, children’s emotional health improves and needs are met to an extremely high standard .

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Good

Children feel safe and become safer because of moving to this home. For some children, this is the development of coping strategies resulting in a reduction in aggression. For other children, this is benefiting from the emotional security of the safe environment and high quality support provided. The feeling of safety enables children to relax and to take advantage of the services and support provided. The well-organised supervision of each child ensures that staff know where they are at all times. Staff are very in tune with children’s demeanour and mood, which means that the potential for escalating anxieties is identified and acted upon promptly. Highly effective risk management planning reduces the potential for harm for individual children and group living arrangements. Whether this is trips out, fire safety or a bedtime routine, each area of care considers the potential for harm to occur and ensures that risk reduction is prioritised.

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Good

Each child’s behaviour is an improving picture from their starting points. Well- planned behaviour management strategies ensure sustained improvements in behaviour. Consistently implemented boundaries ensure that children know what is expected of them and contributes to a sense of security and well-being. A notable step forward for one child is where previously staff were frequently having to use physical intervention to manage dangerous behaviours, no such interventions have been necessary since April 2016. The excellent relationships between staff and children underpin the positive progress that children make with their behaviour. It is clear that children are learning coping strategies, they want to please staff and benefit from the praise that they receive. Safeguarding concerns are recognised quickly and reported on in line with multi- agency procedures. A local authority safeguarding officer contributes that ‘they do

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Good

a difficult job very well and I would have no concerns about placing a child there’. There have been no missing child incidents since the last full inspection. One incident of two children leaving the home without consent was well managed, resulting in children being returned to the home quickly. This demonstrates that children are kept safe from going missing from the home. Recruitment practice meets the requirements of regulation. The staff being ‘right for the home’ is seen as very important and final decisions always involve the children meeting potentially new recruits. This means that they feel involved and consulted. The registered manager and provider showed commitment during the inspection to strengthening practice further. Requesting checks from the country of origin when a member of staff has previously lived abroad will further enhance safeguarding arrangements.

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Outstanding

The excellent leadership and management of this home underpins the highly effective care provided and extremely positive outcomes for each child. Morale within the staff team is high, which is linked to the passion and pleasure that staff show for their role in caring for children. The expectation of only the highest of care standards is clearly set out by the provider. She is directly involved in the operation of the home and uses her extensive experience to ensure that decisions such as placement matching are rigorously explored before new placements are accepted. The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She is aspirational for both the service and children, and is highly respected by the staff. Comments from staff include, ‘The manager is brilliant. She is really good at listening and always offers input into how we can improve care’. The management team is highly organised and promotes care which

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Outstanding

ensures that each child has every opportunity to reach their potential. Service development is always on the agenda. The management team recognises weaknesses and areas for development, which are responded to promptly. Recent improvements include the introduction of a new advocacy service for children and a ‘children’s council’. Both developments promote opportunities for children to air their views. As a result, children feel empowered and valued. The service is currently working alongside a health professional to trial interactive life story software. Managers are excited about the future use of this in engaging children in their personal records. Excellent partnership working ensures that high standards of well-planned care underpin all aspects of children’s lives. Involved professionals and parents consistently report communication is very good. This shows that the service is highly valued. A parent says ‘they are absolutely fantastic I have nothing bad to

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Outstanding

say’. Comments also identify that the outcomes for children, the quality of care relationships and therapeutic care approaches are seen as service strengths. A safeguarding officer from the local authority speaks positively about ‘innovative proposals’ put forward to address a current safeguarding concern. Plans are being developed in partnership with this external team to improve safeguarding arrangements through joint teamwork. Staff receive an outstanding level of support, guidance and training. All staff are on target to complete the required professional qualification by the relevant date as stipulated in the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. In addition to an induction programme and core training, staff also receive training directed towards the individual and group needs of the children using the service. The independent person who visits the home monthly recently reported, ‘The monthly

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Outstanding

consultation and monthly training session with the consultant clinical psychologist and assistant psychologist helps the team to use evidence-based practice and improve their knowledge.' As a result, staff are very knowledgeable about their roles, responsibilities and ensure that the service is operated in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Team meetings provide opportunity for reflection on team practice and service development. These are highly productive, facilitate reflection on the progress for each child, and include contribution from the clinical team. Staff receive regular supervision which provides opportunity for personal development. As a result, staff have great confidence in their work and their contribution within the team. A broad range of management monitoring ensures that the quality of care is consistently high. The registered manager is currently finalising a new data collation process to further improve her already close oversight of the use of

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Outstanding

physical holds within behaviour management. This is designed to pick up any patterns and trends and structure close reflection on each incident.

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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 looked after children 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 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

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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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