Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in New Forest

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’s provision is outstanding because:

 Young people are making excellent progress. Staff successfully use the home’s approach of dyadic development to provide young people with the security and foundation they need to grow and develop.  Staff are excellent role models. They have an exceptional understanding of young people’s past histories and are able to empathise and successfully use play and humour to engage young people.  Young people are learning to use self-management competencies and develop a more positive self-view and resilience, resulting in behaviours such as violence against others reducing significantly.  The experiences of the children and young people are considerably enhanced by the variety of activities and opportunities made available to them.  Staff know the young people tremendously well and are acutely aware of any indicators that a young person in their care is at risk  This management team is aspirational for the young people who use the

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

service and has high expectations of the care provided to them.  Managers ensure that partnership working with external professionals is always of a high standard and in the explicit interests of young people.  Sophisticated monitoring systems are in place, which detail young people’s progress.  Staff provide highly individualised care within a safe caring environment.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered persons must ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4). In particular, ensuring that safeguarding records evidence of managers’ decision-making and outcomes of investigations.  The registered persons must ensure that all young people’s case records are kept up to date, signed and dated by the author (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3). This refers specifically to young people’s risk assessments.  The registered persons must ensure that when considering new placements the registered manager should fully consider the impact that the placement will have

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Recommendations

on the existing group of children and evidence their judgement supporting compatibility with existing residents (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4).

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home accommodates a maximum of four young people who have complex emotional, behavioural and educational difficulties. The home is privately owned and includes a local educational establishment that resident young people attend. Young people also have access to the organisation’s therapeutic services.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/06/2015 Full Good 11/12/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/04/2014 Full Outstanding

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Outstanding

Young people are making excellent progress. Staff successfully use the home’s approach of dyadic development to provide young people with the security and foundation they need to grow and develop. Young people are developing their self- awareness and are becoming better able to regulate their emotions. Young people who previously required a placement on their own are now living in a group environment, and are learning to engage with others successfully. Staff support young people to take part in a variety of activities inside and outside of the home, enabling them to develop their identities and interests while trying things that they never have before. Young people learn social interaction skills and independent living skills, and their self-esteem and confidence are flourishing.

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Outstanding

Young people develop strong trusting relationships with staff and are extremely relaxed and comfortable around them. Staff are excellent role models. They have an in-depth understanding of young people’s history and are able to empathise and successfully use play and humour to engage young people. Staff and young people share a genuine warm regard for each other, enabling young people to build appropriate attachments with adults, which they had not been previously able to do. As a result, they feel able to share their concerns and talk with staff to reflect on their histories and behaviours and learn that change is possible.

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Outstanding

From their difficult starting points, young people have made fantastic strides in their education. They have excellent attendance and are making progress in their studies. This is a significant achievement for young people who previously would not engage in education. Staff have excellent communication with their education colleagues to ensure that there are consistent strategies to support young people to reach their potential.

p.6

Outstanding

Staff are highly effective at supporting young people to manage their behaviour. Joined-up work with education and the organisation’s therapy team ensures that staff consistently and successfully apply agreed strategies. Young people are beginning to process their experiences and understand their backgrounds. They are developing emotional awareness and are expressing themselves more appropriately. Young people are learning to use self-management competencies and develop a more positive self-view and resilience, resulting in behaviours such as violence against others reducing significantly.

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Outstanding

The experiences of young people are considerably enhanced by the variety of activities and opportunities made available to them. Staff use their contacts outside the organisation to provide new experiences for young people, such as training with a local football club. Young people also enjoy trampolining and going to the cinema, and all have recently gone on a holiday. By taking advantage of opportunities to try new things, going to new places and developing new talents young people gain a sense of achievement that enables them to recognise the possibilities that lie ahead.

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Outstanding

Through well-planned programmes, young people are making excellent progress in developing their independence skills. Young people have worked towards their goals, such as accessing free time in the community and learning new skills in preparation for adult life.

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Outstanding

A strength of the home is the exceptional support offered to young people to develop their relationships with their families. Staff recognise the value and importance of young people’s relationships with their parents and brothers and sisters. In conjunction with the therapy team, staff work tirelessly to establish contact with young people’s relatives and support them, along with the young person, to build or repair their relationships. Young people now have regular visits home to their family and have been able to work towards staying overnight.

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Outstanding

Young people’s views are highly valued by staff. Young people are actively encouraged to share their views in group and individual meetings. Residents’ meetings are held daily to ensure that all young people have regular opportunities to share their views and feelings, and so they feel valued. Daily meetings have been very successful in supporting young people to express their opinions and feelings towards each other. This has significantly improved young people’s social skills and ability to empathise, which has improved their relationships with their peers and reduced incidents of challenging behaviour.

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Outstanding

Placement plans are highly individualised and detailed, covering all aspects of a young person’s functioning. Care plan meetings take place every six weeks and ensure that young people’s progress is monitored, and care plans are regularly updated and scrutinised by all relevant staff across education, care and therapy. Detailed placement plans and robust policies underpin staff practice. Staff have excellent links with other agencies and work extremely well with them to ensure that each young person has the right care and support. External consultant psychiatrists and medical professionals provide professional advice in addition to that of the organisation’s own therapy team.

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Outstanding

Young people are only placed in the home if the staff have the skills, experience and understanding to support them. However, managers are not documenting their decision-making to evidence that they have considered the compatibility of young people and whether young people who are newly admitted will have a detrimental impact on existing young people.

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Outstanding

Staff have undertaken a lot of work to improve the environment to ensure that young people live in comfortable, well-maintained accommodation of a high standard. Young people are able to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their personalities, giving them a sense of identity and belonging at the home.

p.7

Good

Young people feel safe. They feel able to confide in staff and are confident that staff will address their concerns.

p.8

Good

High staff ratios, comprehensive risk assessments and highly individualised care planning protects young people from harm. Measures taken to address risk-taking behaviour are discussed and agreed with families, placing social workers and the organisation’s multi-professional team. This ensures that responsibilities are shared effectively and their responses match the assessed level of risk. Young people’s risk assessments ensure that staff have the knowledge and understanding of how to keep young people safe. However, some risk assessments need updating to reflect the current levels of support.

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Good

Young people typically do not run away or go missing from this home. There has only been one incident since the previous inspection. Staff are vigilant to the signs and symptoms of risk, and are well informed to enable them to engage with young people in meaningful discussions. As a result, a young person with a significant history of running away has not gone missing since his admission to the home. This is an excellent achievement. In the event of a young person going missing, staff respond immediately and follow the specific, individualised plans for them. Staff are proactive in attempting to find the young people quickly, and on their return staff and other relevant professionals explore reasons why young people absent themselves from the home, to then inform prevention strategies.

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Good

Staff know the young people tremendously well and are acutely aware of any indicators that a young person in their care is at risk. Staff and managers take their responsibility to safeguard young people extremely seriously. They are clear on how to refer to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) for the home as necessary. The DSL and managers are effective in working with others to keep young people safe. This includes the local authority officer responsible for child protection. When allegations are made against staff, managers take steps to protect the young people by removing the staff from rota until the investigation is completed. However, on one occasion the decision-making around the outcome of an investigation was not clearly recorded and did not demonstrate why the manager had taken the action they had. Staff are committed, experienced and skilled in supporting young people. They have a clear understanding of young people’s needs, have insight into the reasons

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Good

why young people present challenging behaviour and know how best to support them. Their knowledge of young people enables them to support young people to increase their ability to manage their feelings and frustrations constructively. This results in fewer incidents requiring physical intervention. Sanctions are used appropriately and young people have opportunities to discuss incidents with staff, enabling them to appreciate the consequences of their actions.

p.9

Good

The home environment is a safe one, with regular health and safety checks carried out. However, the recordings of fire drills do not detail who was present during the drill. Therefore, the manager cannot evidence if young people or members of staff have completed a fire drill and have the knowledge and experience to ensure that they are prepared for an emergency.

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Good

The manager has put in place a robust and comprehensive recruitment process to ensure that young people are cared for by suitable adults.

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Outstanding

The home is managed in an efficient and effective way, and staff are given outstanding leadership. The registered manager has managed this setting since 2010 and holds an NVQ level 4 childcare qualification. He is supported by an experienced day–to-day manager who has an excellent knowledge of the service and is currently completing his level 5 leadership and management qualification. This management team is aspirational for the young people who use the service and has high expectations of the care provided to them.

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Outstanding

Partnership working is exceptional. Both managers work proactively and positively with others, inside and outside of the organisation. They professionally challenge when necessary and work with other professionals to resolve any difference of professional opinion. This means that the needs of each young person are met to the highest possible standard.

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Outstanding

Sophisticated monitoring systems are in place, which detail young people's progress. These systems provide both informed analysis of young people over time and create opportunities for managers to evaluate particular strategies or interventions. Managers use these systems successfully to maximise young people's progress. The management team is passionate about placing young people at the forefront of practice. The management team’s drive and determination is translated throughout the whole staff team, resulting in a vibrant and caring atmosphere.

p.9

Outstanding

Scrutiny of practice and documentation means that any shortfalls in practice are soon identified and messages are communicated clearly to the staff team to promote consistency for young people. Staff receive supervision from both the team leader and day-to-day team manager. Their differing approaches to supervision allow staff the opportunity to reflect thoroughly on young people’s progress and their own development.

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Outstanding

All staff who are required to have enrolled on or completed the level 3 diploma, ensuring that they have the skills and knowledge to care for young people.

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Outstanding

Staff provide highly individualised support within a safe caring environment. They provide consistent care, enabling young people to make exceptional progress in their behaviour, social skills, independence skills and personal development. There is a thorough training programme in place and additional support through the therapy team ensures that staff have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding to provide exceptional support and care to young people.

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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

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

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