Children's home in Wealden

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 are settled and are making good progress in relation to their starting points. Risk-taking behaviour, such as substance misuse, is reducing.  Staff are committed to the individual needs of the young people. They may travel long distances, sometimes at short notice, to ensure the ongoing well- being of the young people in their care.  Staff keep young people as safe as possible. They follow them if they leave the home unauthorised, and work tirelessly to ensure their safe return. They use top-quality materials to teach young people about child sexual exploitation and understanding genuine friendship.  Staff regularly consult with young people. They consider their views, such as their choice of holiday.  Staff successfully de-escalate situations and there is little need for any physical intervention.  Staff are well trained, professional and highly motivated to meet the individual needs of the young people in their care. They benefit from a

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The children’s home provision is good because:

comprehensive induction programme and ongoing professional development. They demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the placement plans and are diligent at implementing these in practice.  The registered manager has developed an excellent relationship with the police missing person team. He identifies young people who present as high risk and puts into place comprehensive strategies, with the agreement of all professionals involved in their lives.  All staff work well in a multi-agency environment. The vast majority of professionals speak positively about the quality of care provided.  Young people have access to healthcare professionals to meet their needs. This includes the home’s clinical psychologist.  Young people have access to education and engage well in relation to their starting points. They are learning independent skills, such as budgeting and cooking.  There have been improvements to the environment, such as in communal

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The children’s home provision is good because:

areas. The registered manager has recognised the need to refurbish the bathroom and has plans to do this over the next few weeks.

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c)(i)ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished to meet the needs of each child, especially young people’s bedrooms. 14/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the quality of care review includes any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (2)(c)) 14/11/2016

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Information about this children’s home

The setting offers care and accommodation for up to six female young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties. The home is run by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/06/2015 Full Good 24/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/10/2014 Full Good

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Good

Young people benefit from an individualised approach to their care. The registered manager has appointed a clinical psychologist to work part time at the home. She has established baseline measurements, such as the severity of depression or anxiety, using established clinical models. She ensures that young people have the opportunity to engage with the type of therapy and therapist of their choice. Young people are making good progress, such as a reduction in self-harming behaviour, misuse of illegal substances or going missing from care.

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Good

Overall, young people enjoy positive and constructive relationships with a consistent staff team. They expressed delight when a member of staff returned after a period away, clearly remembering the attachment formed. A young person was able to change her obsessive behaviour towards a member of staff and now enjoys regular time with all staff. Young people raise any issues about staff with the registered manager, who makes swift and decisive decisions to reconcile relationships. A young person stated, about a member of staff, ‘She cares a lot about us and she is good at what she does.’

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Good

Young people make good progress in their education, some from a starting point of non-attendance and not achieving at mainstream school. They go on to gain qualifications, for example in functional skills, having lacked confidence to sit GCSE examinations. The registered manager has admitted a young person since the last inspection who does not currently have a school placement. He is working with other professionals to remedy this.

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Good

A strength of the home is consultation with young people. They have a clear voice, such as their choice of holiday and the staff that go with them. The registered manager considers their views when employing new staff. Young people have not made any formal complaints since the last inspection.

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Good

Young people enjoy a wide range of activities, such as ‘Laser Quest’, swimming and horse riding. Staff are alert to any identified interests in the care plan and seek to find local venues where young people can pursue their interests, such as dance.

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Good

Young people are able to learn independent living skills, budgeting and cooking for example. Some devise their own recipes and are able to test out their creations on others in the home. For some young people, this is from a starting point of neglect, for example not knowing how to open a can of tinned food.

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Good

Staff ensure that young people’s healthcare needs are met. They ensure that young people have access to specialist healthcare professionals when necessary, such as the orthodontist or smoking cessation clinician. Some young people manage their own medical appointments. Recently, staff have developed detailed healthcare passports for young people that they can take with them when they leave the home, to give an overview of their healthcare. One young person, who moved in after the last inspection, does not have a child looked after medical plan in place. Some needs, such as her immunisation status, are unknown. The registered manager is actively chasing the missing paperwork.

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Good

The vast majority of professionals spoke positively about the progress being made by young people. One professional said that this is the most stable placement the young person has experienced. Another said that staff are consistent in providing the firm boundaries that the young person needs. Three young people have moved on since the last inspection, two into supported living accommodation, with mixed results. One placing authority accelerated the ending of a placement due to the young person’s increasing and violent behaviour.

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Good

Young people develop a positive self-view. They take a pride in their appearance. They develop self-confidence and are able to hold meaningful conversations. They are able to go to family parties and attend gatherings, social situations that they had previously found difficult. Young people allow staff to take photographs of them, for example in an activity, a situation they had previously avoided.

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Good

Staff fully support the arrangements for young people to see individuals who are important to them. They provide supervised contact if necessary and work hard to reconcile relationships. Young people are now able to plan overnight stays with relatives and friends. Key workers have helped their key young person to understand what friendship is and to have realistic expectations. As a consequence, young people are now able to value and maintain friendships with appropriate boundaries. Some use public transport to go and see their friends. Other young people benefit from staff driving long distances so that they can see people who are important to them, such as relatives.

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Outstanding

Risk management is exceptional. Staff keep young people with a history of risk- taking behaviours safe. They work with other professionals to ensure that there is a response plan in place when a young person at risk of child sexual exploitation is missing from care. Staff are diligent in following such plans and keep a detailed written account of the actions they take. The registered manager has developed an excellent relationship with the local missing person’s team within the police, with regular and effective communication about the needs of the young people living in the home. However, he does not challenge every placing authority about conducting ‘return-to-home’ interviews after a missing episode. This is a lost opportunity for some young people to gain additional support and for involved professionals to seek to understand the young person’s reasons. Staff use a child sexual exploitation educational resource, including a short awareness-raising film

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Outstanding

written and directed by young people, to help the young people in their care to understand how not to become a victim themselves. A young person said that staff help her to keep safe at all times. A placing social worker said, ‘The staff and manager are very effective when it comes to missing [from home] and child sexual exploitation.’ The frequency of missing person episodes is diminishing. All young people currently living in the home are off the local ‘red alert’ category concerning risks when missing. Due to such progress in learning to keep themselves safe, young people are now able to have increasing amounts of free time.

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Outstanding

Staff carefully consider the underlying psychological reasons for behaviour such as self-harm. They think about the other events that are going on in a young person’s life and consult with the home’s clinical psychologist. Regular, child-focused meetings keep the pertinent issues and agreed strategies under review. Staff, together with the clinical psychologist, explore spikes in behaviour and seek to understand them. Of particular note is the work staff have completed with other professionals, such as child and adolescent mental health services. Healthcare professionals have assessed that the support structure already in place will keep young people safe. This means that healthcare professionals do not have to admit young people who have had a serious incident of self-harm into hospital for an assessment of their mental health. Young people are able to return quickly to people that they know care about them.

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Outstanding

Some young people misuse alcohol or illegal substances. Staff are fully alert to the risks and disrupt such behaviour as much as they can, including room searches and involvement of the police when necessary. They provide registration numbers of cars and a description of individuals they suspect may be dealing drugs. A professional said, ‘Young people are discouraged to misuse illicit drugs or alcohol and it is also not tolerated within the home. Staff encourage young people to seek advice and support to cease their use.’ Such behaviour is diminishing. A professional said, ‘The manager and staff team worked tirelessly to ensure [name of young person’s] safety and well-being. The original concerns reduced significantly.’

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Outstanding

Young people have financial incentives for positive engagement in the home, engagement with others and completion of tasks. They are clear on the expectations of behaviour and have consistent boundaries. They have access to staff and other professionals to express their difficult emotions appropriately. Staff rarely have to resort to physical intervention to manage behaviour. Young people choose to donate any unearned incentive money to a charity of their choice. They receive thank-you letters that generate an open discussion about why their chosen charity is important to them.

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Outstanding

Young people are not disadvantaged in relation to their peers. For example, they are able to have smart phones and tablets. Staff understand the risks that the internet poses to young people. They work with other agencies, such as the police, to report any concerns. They support young people who make disclosures, for example triggered by an image they have seen.

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Outstanding

Staff are knowledgeable about child protection and safeguarding procedures, which they implement in practice. They report any concerns through the appropriate channels, keeping a clear written audit trail of actions taken. The registered manager keeps a chronology of events, including consultation with other professionals. He ensures that young people are effectively safeguarded.

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Outstanding

Young people live in a safe environment with all necessary health and safety checks in place. They speak negatively of the arrangements to keep them safe at night, especially the use of bedroom door sensors. Although their use is currently appropriate, there are no regular reviews as to their use. The registered manager has not replaced the intumescent strips on some bedroom doors, necessary for safety in the event of fire.

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Outstanding

The registered manager demonstrates excellent leadership. He is a role model to the team. He has established a culture centred on the needs of the young people. He is currently undertaking the level 5 qualification in leadership and management and is on target to finish in the near future. He motivates staff to perform to a high professional standard. He ensures that they have support through the supervision process and access to the clinical psychologist if necessary. He provides excellent support to his staff team so that they, in turn, can provide effective care to the young people. A member of staff said, ‘There is a strong and supportive staff and management team. The needs of the young people always come first.’ Another member of staff said, ‘This is the happiest I have been in a job.’

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Outstanding

The registered manager has a comprehensive training programme in place. He identifies the training needs of staff and ensures their continuing professional development. An example is the development of a training programme with the home’s clinical psychologist based on therapeutic models relevant to the young people living in the home. Staff speak positively of their training and are confident in dealing with any presenting issues, such as self-injurious behaviour. They carefully document the day-to-day care and complete significant incident forms that are used for further reflection and review.

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Outstanding

The registered manager completes care planning to a standard of excellence. Comprehensive plans guide staff, meaning that there is a consistency in approach with successful outcomes. He has developed a referral document to capture as much information as possible when admitting a young person into the home. From this, he is able to construct a detailed placement plan that clearly guides staff on the vulnerabilities of each young person and any potential issues.

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Outstanding

An independent visitor reports on the home monthly. The registered manager takes his recommendations seriously, meeting with other senior managers to discuss a response. The registered manager produces a succinct six-monthly report, in line with statutory guidance, that he sends to Ofsted and other interested parties. He does not currently evaluate any actions required to maintain or improve the quality of care for the next six-month period. He does have a development plan, but this does not contain sufficient detail or timescales for improving young people’s bedrooms.

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Outstanding

The registered manager ensures that only staff deemed suitable to work with children and young people are employed. He ensures that they have a thorough induction and have ample time to shadow experienced staff. He deploys staff effectively, listening to the requests of young people; for example, young people gave their view as to whom they wanted to come on their summer holiday with them.

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Outstanding

The registered manager has made improvements in the communal areas with new furnishings, carpets and decor. Young people’s bedrooms and bathroom are not to the same standard. Young people spoke negatively of their environment and, in one case, stated that the wardrobe had been in a state of disrepair for over 10 months. The registered manager has clear plans to refurbish the bathroom within the next month, but does not have similar plans to improve the bedrooms to a high standard, for example by replacing broken or damaged furniture, supplying a blackout blind and replacing intumescent strips on bedroom doors.

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Outstanding

Young people speak positively of the registered manager. They enjoy ‘banter’ as in a family relationship. A young person stated in a card to him: ‘Thanks for supporting me since I lived here; you’ve been great and always made me laugh.’ A social worker said that the young person placed had stated that the manager ‘knows her so well’ and that she felt ‘really safe’ with him.

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Outstanding

The registered manager has excellent relationships with other professionals. He ensures that placing social workers have a comprehensive weekly report about their young person placed in the home. A placing social worker said, ‘The manager and his staff are very effective in communicating with me about issues relating to my young person. We hold frequent discussions, and work effectively together to improve the life chances of my young person and to prioritise their safety and welfare.’ Another social worker said, ‘We worked well in a multi-agency environment with health, education and the youth offending team.’

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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 the ‘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 whom 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

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

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

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