Children's Home run by SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd in Bracknell 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 provision is outstanding because:

 The young people make excellent progress while living in a safe and stable environment. They happily share their positive experiences of living in the home.  A committed, skilled and consistent staff team has developed extremely positive relationships with the young people.   The perspective of the young people is continually sought and this is presented throughout the documentation detailing the care that they receive.  The young people engage in and make substantial progress in individual and group therapy.  Healthy meals are planned and prepared by the young people with the assistance of the staff. Evening meals are always eaten together and the time is used for staff and young people to bond.  Meticulous planning and engagement with the young people allow them to take age-appropriate risks.  Highly effective engagement with parents by the staff has enabled some young people to successfully return home. 

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The staff are highly effective at keeping the young people safe.  Staff have a considerable understanding of the behaviours of the young people. They effectively utilise their behaviour management training when needed.  There is a thorough recruitment process, which ensures that new staff are suitable prior to being offered employment.   The registered manager is widely experienced and has been in post a significant amount of time, which has given this home stability.  Professionals, parents and placing social workers speak highly of staff practice.  An extremely effective internal and external monitoring system is in place, identifying strengths and weakness.  No requirements or recommendations are made as a result of this visit.

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Information about this children's home

The service is a four-bedded children's home registered for single-gender occupancy and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private organisation that specialises in the assessment and treatment of male adolescents who have experienced some form of abuse and have subsequently been involved in perpetrating abusive behaviour themselves.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

3/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

6/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people flourish emotionally and behaviourally and make positive progress in their daily lives. They benefit from living in a safe, stable environment while having consistent structure and thoroughly planned care. The young people present themselves well and speak highly about their experiences of living in the home. The staff are fully immersed in the care of the young people. They have established trusting and nurturing relationships with the young people while providing close support. A young person said, ‘The best thing about living in this house is the staff. You know that you can speak to any one of the staff team, about anything and they will listen and try their best to help.’ A very important aspect of the care for young people is their willingness to engage in therapeutic support. They make great strides and develop a greater understanding into their own emotional well-being due the high quality of their

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Outstanding

engagement in individual and group therapy. A placing social worker applauded the progress a young person has made in therapy in such a short time. The social worker said, ‘X had opened up about things in his life whilst living in the home that were previously unknown despite social services being involved with the family for a considerable time period.’

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Outstanding

The young people are dedicated and fully engaged in education. Those who attend the education setting attached to the home benefit from the daily communication between the school and home staff that allows consistency in their care. Some young people have made very positive transitions to college. They are supported by a staff member from the home who is available during class time if the young person faces any difficulties. One young person is safely travelling independently to college and making new friends there. This is developing his self- confidence substantially. A college support worker spoke highly of the progress that the young person was making in college during a meeting of professionals, which was observed on inspection. The young people lead healthy lives. All health-related appointments for the young people are up to date. Initially, the staff arrange these for them and support the young people by attending medical appointments with them. As the young people

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Outstanding

progress in the placement, the staff guide them to schedule and attend appointments independently. An example is a young person successfully attending the dentist and arranging a future appointment. The staff ensure that young people have daily home-cooked meals. The young people often assist the staff to prepare the meal, or may do this on their own. The staff and the young people eat dinner together every night. This is a well thought- through practice as it not only provides the young people with a healthy meal, but is also an opportunity for the young people to informally talk, which enables everyone in the home to bond. In addition, to eating every night with the young people, the manager often comes to join the Sunday mealtime, enhancing the ‘family feel’ of the home. The young people develop improved confidence through the support given if they struggle with their identity. The staff make substantial effort to help young people

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Outstanding

to understand that it is OK to be themselves. The staff plan open discussions that enable young people to explore personal issues relevant to them. Through this support, a young person has made excellent progress in coming to terms with his sexual orientation, which he says has allowed him to become confident and self- motivated. The ability of the staff to establish safe, trusted relationships with family members of the young people has allowed them to maintain family ties. The staff provide safe contact both directly and indirectly. The staff provide parents with a considerable amount of communication, ensuring that they are well informed. A parent said, ‘The staff are great at communicating. Although my son is in their care, I know exactly how he is as I receive weekly communication or more if needed.’ Young people have made planned transitions from the home to continue the next steps in their lives, with the assistance of the staff. A young person was able to

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Outstanding

positively return home to his parents. The staff were instrumental in rebuilding the relationship between the young person and his parents. The staff developed a comprehensive plan that allowed the young person to transition gradually, as the staff monitored the situation and provided extensive support to both the young person and his parents. Rewards are provided to the young people in relation to their behaviour or accomplishments. The young people set their targets and the reward they would like to receive. Very few sanctions are given to the young people; sanctions are only given when necessary and are purposeful. The young people believe that those sanctions are fair. The young people engage in purposeful individual and group activities that develop their self-confidence and social skills. Days out and holidays are well planned, enabling the young people to safely enjoy time away from the home with the staff.

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Outstanding

This year, the staff will have been able to take the young people on two trips: one in England and another, which is shortly to happen, in Scotland. A mother of a young person highlighted the activities and holidays that her son has undertaken as an outstanding feature of the home. The staff are creatively using the upcoming trip to Scotland as an opportunity to teach the young people the value of money. The manager has planned to provide each young person with a limited amount of ‘pound equivalent vouchers’. Young people will be able to exchange the vouchers for cash from the manager prior to making a purchase. This step gives young people some control of their money, while making them stop and think before actually spending it. The young people are provided with a homely, well-maintained environment that is fully resourced, including a kitchen that was recently upgraded. Each young person has their own personalised bedroom that provides them with privacy and reflects

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Outstanding

their personalities. A young person proudly showed off his room and said, ‘The manager secretly found out my favourite colours and, when I arrived, my room was painted with them.’ In the view of the young person, this was a nice, welcoming gesture.

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Outstanding

The ability of staff to keep the young people safe through the relationships that they have formed with them is exceptional. This is the main reason that no safeguarding concerns have arisen since the last inspection. Each young person told the inspector that they feel safe and understand why certain steps are taken by the staff to ensure their safety. Effective links with the designated officer have been established and are used if consultation is needed. The safeguarding policies of the home are up to date, clear and comprehensive. Each policy offers consistent advice and guidance to the staff in areas such as child sexual exploitation, missing from care and radicalisation. The staff have the extensive knowledge of the triggers for the negative behaviours of the young people. The staff use their positive relationships and effective behaviour management strategies to help the young people to de-escalate when

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Outstanding

they become upset. All the staff are able to articulate how their use of PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) helps to make the young people feel safe when they need it most. Going missing from care is generally not an issue for the young people. There has been only one incident since the last inspection, which involved a young person being away from staff for less than an hour. Considering that the young person previously had a history of absconding, this improvement is an accomplishment that the young person is rightly proud of. The young people receive an intensive amount of support by the staff to engage in age-appropriate activities, which may involve risk taking. Comprehensive plans are developed by the staff with the input of the young people, resulting in their achieving certain levels of independence without failing. A young person has successfully achieved a goal of spending significant time independently.

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Outstanding

Risk assessments for the young people are individualised and extremely detailed. The assessments consider all risks associated with the young people. The manager has reconfigured the format of the impact risk assessments used to plan new admissions. The document now offers a description and summary of the anticipated impact that admitting a new young person will have on those already living in the home. The manager has established excellent professional links with the local youth offending service (YOS) that works with the young people who are subject to court orders. A YOS worker said, ‘The manager is very good with the young people and [at] supporting their involvement with our service. I would hope that other managers in the area adapt her practice of holding young people accountable.’ There has been one new member of the staff team employed during this inspection period. The organisation undertook safe recruitment practices prior to offering

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Outstanding

employment. This was followed by an extensive induction and monitoring process. Recruitment records are currently held off site, but were brought in for the inspector. Managers plan to make these available electronically in the home.

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Outstanding

The registered manager is passionate and committed to ensuring that the daily functioning of the home is at a high level. The manager is qualified and has been in post for a considerable number of years. She is well liked by the staff and young people. The young people describe the manager as firm and fair. She is the driving force behind the young people’s residing in a family atmosphere, where their care is a top priority. The manager ensures that the home is going over and beyond the ethos and expectations prescribed by the umbrella organisation. The head of care and head of operations of the registered provider support the manager and have consistently praised her efforts. She regularly attends management meetings, shares practice with peers and learns and develops her service in the light of these discussions. The management team and the staff contribute to the care of the young people by being involved in their day-to-day planning. They ensure that the care plans and all

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Outstanding

other documentation for the young people are current and reflect the views of the young people. The staff are provided with sufficient time for completion of documentation. The staff were observed sharing insight and essential information about their young person with a newly allocated placing social worker. Internal and external monitoring of the home is meticulous. The independent visitor completes monthly visits and submits timely reports that reflect the views of the young people and their progress. This type of monitoring has been effective in highlighting the positives and areas of improvement for the service. The management effectively uses the information to report annually and to construct a comprehensive development plan. The manager recently introduced a weekly monitoring system that assigns specific areas of responsibility to the staff, covering all the standards and regulations for children’s home. The staff rotate tasks every three months, allowing them to fully

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Outstanding

understand the overall process of providing quality care to the young people. For example, a member of staff is assigned health and safety and ensures that all safety checks are carried out for the week. The manager signs off the tasks on a weekly basis, after reviewing the information. The home has a core group of staff who are suitably qualified and have worked together for a significant amount of time. Two new members of staff have transferred to the home recently from other homes within the organisation; they, too, are qualified and experienced in working with young people. A member of staff said, ‘The team is united, supportive and [works] very well together.’ The staff always raise concerns if they have questions regarding a member of staff’s practice. The staff speak highly of the training and support provided by the management. Records reflect that the staff are supplied with the tools to meet the needs of the

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Outstanding

young people, while having opportunities to develop their practice. Core training is undertaken by the staff, which ensures that they remain current and up to date in safeguarding, behavioural management and other essentials. Supervision is reflective and contributes towards the annual appraisals of staff. The staff rota is completed in advance. It is constructed so that staff members all work together at some point over the period. This enhances their awareness of each other’s practice. A child–friendly staff rota has been designed for the young people, ensuring that they can see which members of staff will be looking after them. The staff communicate effectively on all matter, relating to the young people. The relationships established with professionals by the staff have provided an opportunity for the young people to meet and engage with professionals in a non- related work capacity. For example, on the last day of inspection, the management

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Outstanding

arranged for the young people from all the organisation’s children’s homes to play a game of football against the local police. The home’s engagement with wider professionals is good.

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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 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, 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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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