Children's home run by Rosedale Children’s Services Limited in Hertsmere

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:

 Young people make consistent and significant progress across many aspects of their lives. This underpins and directly affects their current and future life chances.  Young people experience care that is highly sensitive to their individual and diverse needs. From difficult and challenging starting points, they achieve emotional growth and stability that permeates into all aspects of their daily lives.  Staff are attuned and very responsive to young people and are fully committed to changing young people’s outcomes for the better.  Young people achieve a strong sense of security and they learn to trust the adults that care for them. This sense of safety supports and enables young people to talk about and face their difficulties.  Staff offer secure and highly reliable relationships. The consistent concern and warmth that are offered enable young people to make significant progress in education, managing their emotions and developing friendships.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 31/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Due consideration should be given to the child's cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation process. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11.) In particular, that records of young people's meetings and weekly feedback are written in such a way that reflects young people's emotional and cognitive understanding.  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps that the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children's homes

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Recommendations

regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children’s home and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children with emotional and/or behavioural problems.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/11/2015 Full Outstanding 11/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/01/2015 Full Outstanding

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Outstanding

Young people experience high-quality care that has a significant and measurable impact upon their education and ability to manage their emotions. Young people develop emotional resilience through the dedicated care that they receive. As a result, their vulnerabilities to being exploited by others, or harm sustained through their own behaviours, reduce. Over time, young people have learned to express affection towards trusted adults in a safe and acceptable way and inappropriate responses to distress no longer feature as part of their behaviour. As a result of the continuous nurturing care that young people receive, serious incidents have significantly diminished. Young people are able to articulate their emotions and reflect upon their reactions and behaviours. This helps them to form friendships and reduces their social isolation. For example, one young person, from being a member of the audience in an ice-skating show months previously, is now

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Outstanding

a member of the cast. Some young people, who previously were unable to tolerate being with peers and were struggling with home tuition, are now successfully reintegrated into mainstream full-time education. This has widened their social experiences, enhanced their learning opportunities and opened up areas of achievement. A teacher said of one young person, ‘She is absolutely thriving. There is a dramatic difference. There are consistent messages about relationships and how social relationships might develop. She is flooded with consistency. She talks about staff as if they were her family.’ A social worker commented, ‘She has made significant progress in all areas. It has absolutely exceeded our expectations for her progress. She is like a different child.’ Regardless of the challenges that young people present, they are given consistent, positive messages about their self-worth and meaningful alternatives to express

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Outstanding

their emotions. Staff are proactive in anticipating young people’s reactions to difficult situations. For example, in order to limit the feelings of anxiety for one young person in recommencing school after the summer break, staff arranged that the young person regularly received postcards from teachers over that period. Through keeping in touch in this way, the young person felt cared about and starting school again was a positive experience. Young people’s previous traumatic life experiences are understood well by the staff. Staff use this comprehensive understanding to place in context the challenging emotional responses that young people exhibit. Expressions of anger, rage, withdrawal and distress from young people are met with patience, kindness and a consistent response from staff. These responses are informed by staff fully understanding attachment issues and how these are expressed by each young

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Outstanding

person. Following specialist consultation and advice, staff respond to young people’s individual vulnerabilities in creative ways. Innovative responses from staff include the use of soft blankets to wrap the young person into, creating a sense of safety and emotional comfort. The research-based model used by the staff is supported through regular consultation with a support specialist. The home fully reflects the lives of the young people that live there. Bedrooms and all communal living areas are decorated in a way that either expresses young people’s interests and talents or their informal learning experiences. For example, young people’s handprints decorate the hallway, their art work is hung in the dining room and their photographs can be found in each part of the home. Education of young people is not confined to schooling hours, but underpins a great deal of the activities that they take part in.

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Outstanding

Young people’s health improves through living at the home. A healthy, balanced diet, walking on the local moors, use of parks and physical leisure activities have all improved young people’s health. Through continuous encouragement and staff role modelling, young people learn how to play and experience the pleasure that this brings to their lives.

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Good

Young people’s vulnerabilities are fully understood by staff. Due to the age of the young people and high levels of supervision provided, risks associated with missing from home incidents or exploitation are minimised. Extensive risk assessments inform staff of actions and approaches to be taken in order to respond to situations. Although these are updated and reflective of young people’s current situations, they are not always shared with the social worker. This reduces the input that other professionals may have into the assessment of risks. Young people trust the staff and say that they feel safe. Staff provide high levels of emotional support that, over time, results in young people being able to articulate their feelings. One young person commented, ‘When I started to talk again I just wanted someone to talk to and they listened all the way through. That made me feel a lot better. It’s a safe place for me and I know I can trust people and talk to

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Good

them.’ Staff have been quick to adjust and reflect upon their approaches to young people, in order to de-escalate potential incidents far sooner. For example, there have been no physical restraints since the last full inspection. There are suitable procedures in place that are followed in relation to the recruitment and selection of staff. This ensures that young people are not exposed to adults who may pose a risk to their safety and welfare. Conflict is carefully and successfully managed by the staff and young people grow in self-awareness of the effects that certain behaviours might have on others. Through the support that the staff continuously offer, young people develop empathy towards others. This helps them to maintain friendships.

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Good

The registered manager has been registered at the home since 2012. She is suitably qualified and has many years’ experience in the care of young people. She is passionate about improving the outcomes for the young people in her care and leads a team of equally dedicated staff. The manager has a strong presence within the home and leads by example. The management team and staff are fully committed to working with other professionals in order to comprehensively meet the complex needs of young people. This approach is a strength of the manager and staff team. They are open to embracing the ideas and input of other professionals into their work with young people. This offers young people consistency of response across a wide variety of settings. The manager’s and staff’s dedication to multi-disciplinary work is strong. This has included training and advising other professionals upon their approach taken with

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Good

young people. One teacher commented, ‘It’s been an absolute pleasure working with these people.’ There is a strong learning culture within the staff team and this is reflected in their willingness to not only learn from other professionals, but to regularly seek out training that will improve their care of young people. This is further enhanced with regular team meetings and staff supervision. Discussions are reflective in nature and centre upon the progress of young people. In relation to one young person, a social worker commented, ‘I think every member of staff is really committed to her. Nothing has really fazed them. If they needed more training that has been taken on without question.’ There are suitable processes that the managers use in order to effectively evaluate the care that is being offered to young people. The manager has good insight and knowledge of young people’s starting points, histories and current needs and

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Good

progress. She demonstrates sensitivity with regards to young people’s relationships with staff and these are taken into account when planning staff shifts and working rotas. Case records, on the whole, are reflective of young people’s needs and progress. However, some records are not written in a style and language that makes them child-friendly. In addition, some local authority care plans are significantly out of date and staff have not pursued or sought an up-to-date plan. This limits staff insight into the overall plan for the young person.

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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, work based 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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