Children's Home run by Headway Adolescent Resources Limited in Bristol

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The registered manager, senior leaders and the staff team have taken good action to address the weaknesses identified at the last inspection. Due to the short timescale between inspections, improvements are not fully embedded, and the learning that has resulted from training workshops has yet to be tested in practice.  Despite the improvements made, outcomes for one of the young people who remains in placement since the last inspection, are variable. Some worrying behaviours continue and impact on the young person’s health and well-being.  Some staff member’s awareness and knowledge of substance misuse is not always comprehensive and requires improvement.  Although staff said that they talk with a young person about the risks of misusing substances, records they keep do not sufficiently evidence this work, or show the impact on the young person’s development.  Not all sanctions imposed by staff are restorative. In addition, some records

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

describing young people’s behaviour are ambiguous and lack sufficient detail. The manager has identified this weakness and is taking action to improve staff’s practice.

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The children's home strengths

 The manager and staff team are driven and demonstrate a commitment to improving the quality of care provided to young people.  Staff provide a safer level of care and are becoming better equipped to manage and respond to the young people’s needs and presenting behaviours.  The educational engagement and attendance of one young person has improved. Staff provide young people with effective support in this area.  The home is now comfortably furnished following a programme of refurbishment.

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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

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

To meet the leadership and management standard the registered person(s) must-

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose and ensures that the improvements made are embedded into practice and sustained over time. 01/02/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Ensure that each child’s day-to-day health and well-being needs are met. In particular, staff should ensure that young people eat a healthy balanced diet and that their time spent away from the home is proportionate and not detrimental to their health and safety. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all staff are familiar with the home's policy on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way. They should also detail evidence of risk to see if it persists and to allow effective review. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities. It is owned by a private company that also operates other children’s homes in the surrounding area.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 01/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/06/2015 Full Good 07/10/2014 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/06/2014 Full Good

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Requires improvement

At the previous inspection in August 2016, the home was judged as inadequate. A monitoring visit took place on 6 September 2016 to assess the home’s progress in meeting their action plan. The senior managers, the registered manager and staff team demonstrate commitment and determination to improve their practice and the services provided to young people.

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Requires improvement

Due to the timescale between this and the previous inspection, it is yet to be seen whether changes leaders and managers have made, are soundly embedded in practice. In addition, the learning from staff’s training has yet to be fully tested in practice.

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Requires improvement

Despite the improvements made, outcomes for one young person are variable. Although reduced, the young person continues to spend a lot of time out of the home. This remains a concern because of the impact of this behaviour on his health and well-being. Staff are aware that during time away from the home he is not eating a healthy, balanced diet and has misused illegal substances. The manager is supporting the young person in gaining a better understanding of the risks he is taking, although currently the behaviours continue. In addition, the manager has commissioned an external agency to provide training for the staff team on substance misuse. She is also directing the staff team to consider activities that will interest the young person and enable him to spend quality time with staff instead.

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Requires improvement

Since the previous inspection, a new deputy manager has been appointed and collectively the team is working to remedy the highlighted weaknesses. This has included reflective practice discussions, which the staff say they have found beneficial. Those spoken with say that it has been a difficult time, but that the learning opportunities have refreshed their knowledge and improved their practice.

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Requires improvement

Staff encourage the young person to express his views. They encourage him to consider what could be done differently to enhance his opportunities and experiences. Regular one-to-one sessions and house meetings take place. The written records of these meetings are reviewed by the manager and staff during team meetings.

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Requires improvement

Staff spoken to say they openly discuss with the young person the risks, legalities and health implications of illegal substances. However, some staff member’s awareness and knowledge regarding substance misuse is not always comprehensive. Records do not provide sufficient evidence of the work that is undertaken with the young person or the progress he has made as a result.

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Requires improvement

The young people benefit from being cared for by a familiar, dependable staff team. Staff are genuinely fond of them and strive to build positive nurturing relationships. One young person said he gets on well with staff; this was observed during the inspection. He also said, ‘compared to my last placement this home is the best’.

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Requires improvement

The young people benefit from living in a pleasant, comfortable home. Since the previous inspection, improvements have been made to the home, including redecoration of the communal areas, vacant bedrooms and the school room. The next plan is for one of the young people’s bedrooms to be redecorated and reconfigured to allow for a lounge area that will accommodate his new television and a sofa.

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Good

The primary approach to managing young people’s behaviour is now positive reinforcement. Records reviewed show that there have been no physical interventions used, and missing from home incidents have reduced significantly. The manager has identified that not all sanctions imposed by staff are restorative in their approach. In addition, some written records describing young people’s behaviour are ambiguous and lack sufficient detail. The manager discussed the importance of clear, concise record keeping and restorative sanctions with the staff team during a recent training workshop.

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Good

There is one reported incident of one young person going missing from the home since the previous inspection. Staff followed protocols effectively and notified the appropriate authorities. On his return to the home, the young person was provided with support and an opportunity to discuss the circumstances surrounding the missing from home episode. However, although requested by the manager, the local authority has yet to facilitate an independent return home interview, as required.

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Good

Since the previous inspection, the registered manager has invited the local police and missing person coordinator to speak to staff about their roles and responsibilities when young people go missing from home. This has enhanced staff awareness and understanding about when to request police intervention. As a result, there has been no unnecessary police involvement in the home.

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Good

New systems to raise and report complaints have been introduced. Since the last inspection no complaints have been raised. As a result, the new systems have not yet been tested for effectiveness.

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Good

The environment in which young people live is safe and nurturing. One young person said that he felt safe at the home.

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Good

The registered manager, newly appointed deputy and staff team have demonstrated their commitment to developing the home and to improving the quality of care young people receive. This has included a review of their practice, recording systems, record keeping and staff training and awareness. The registered manager has been instrumental and is the driving force behind the improvements made. She has been well supported by senior managers. She is determined and motivated to deliver a high standard of care.

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Good

The newly appointed deputy manager and the staff now have clear responsibilities. As a result, the team has greater ownership for driving forward improvements. However, due to the short time between inspections, the improvements are not fully embedded in practice. The manager now has a more accurate understanding of the strengths of the home and areas for improvement.

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Good

The staff team is a cohesive group. A number of its members have worked together at the home for several years. They provide a strong core team, offering good support to new staff. One new member of staff spoke positively about the support and guidance he has received and how, through recent training opportunities, his learning and understanding of how to meet individual needs has improved.

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Good

The registered manager now routinely monitors, evaluates and analyses the work undertaken by the staff. Daily, weekly and monthly monitoring takes place and has enabled her to identify weaknesses and take action to remedy them. As a result, the quality of some of the records has improved since the previous inspection. In addition, a new independent visitor has been commissioned. The registered manager has embraced the first independent review of the home, and is confident that his input will provide effective guidance, support and scrutiny of the quality of care provided. Since the last inspection, the staff have received good training opportunities. The manager has invited guest speakers to attend fortnightly staff meetings. The staff spoken to say that training and learning opportunities provided since the last inspection have been helpful. They say they have learned to consider different approaches when responding to the young people’s presenting behaviours and

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Good

needs. In addition, two staff members have gained accreditation as assessors, delivering a course leading to a BTEC vocational qualification that enables young people to develop their personal and social skills.

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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 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 0300 123 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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