Children's home run by Highfield North East Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

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:

 Relationships between staff and young people are good. This is because staff genuinely invest in improving young people‟s lives.  Staff provide care and support tailored to young people‟s individual needs.  Staff encourage young people to take part in a worthwhile range of activities reflecting their talents, abilities and interests.  Staff recognise young people‟s emotional needs and provide them with sensitive and additional sources of support.  Young people‟s safety and well-being improves because of the care that they receive from staff.  A diverse range of skills and abilities within the stable staff team provide young people with enriching and memorable experiences.  Leaders and managers ensure that young people‟s needs are the top priority of the home.  Professionals have a high regard for managers, leaders and staff because of the support that they provide to young people.

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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

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, they must make clear any actions and how these will be addressed over the next six months. 31/1/17

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  To meet the aspirations embodied in the Quality Standards, children‟s homes need to connect with and be part of the wider support system for each child in their care. No children‟s home will be able to meet, on its own, all of a child‟s needs. It is crucial that the home works in close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting and caring for the child, but particularly the child‟s local authority and statutory social worker. The registered person and the staff of the home cannot force a relevant person to engage or work productively with them and the regulation does not require this. The registered person should evidence what they have done to achieve engagement, including any actions taken to escalate concerns. In particular, prepare a policy and procedure to ensure that effective action is taken when

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Recommendations

a local authority repeatedly fails to meet a young person‟s educational needs so that this is brought to the attention of the director of children‟s services. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 11, paragraph 2.3)

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Recommendations

 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 the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. In particular, ensure that young people‟s risk assessments clearly outline the details of any concerns and that review about the effectiveness of any actions is clearly demonstrated. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan. The plan should detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home‟s Statement of Purpose; detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs

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Recommendations

of staff – including the home‟s manager. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 The home‟s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. In particular, contribute to reviews of young people‟s care plans by writing a report that is primarily for the benefit of the child. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/10/2015 Full Outstanding 25/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Young people make good progress from their starting points. For example, resuming school on a reduced timetable is a marked improvement for some young people, while sustaining regular school attendance is a struggle for others because of their underlying difficulties. Despite this, staff maintain routines in which going to school is actively encouraged and planned for on a daily basis. They also work closely with teachers in a joint effort to improve young people‟s sense of safety within school, increasing the likelihood of them resuming full-time education.

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Good

In addition to securing sources of independent therapeutic assistance, staff also provide young people with individual support that focuses on their social and emotional needs. This aims to improve young people‟s ability to learn, and results in increased confidence and communication skills. Staff also invest dedicated time to promote young people‟s physical well-being by focusing on different topics within regular house meetings. This increases young people‟s understanding about good healthcare and what they can do to stay fit and well. A health professional said, „The young person has definitely shifted, she is much more able to talk about her feelings.‟

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Good

Staff are skilled at building relationships with young people. They treat them with care and respect because they understand their difficulties. Over time, young people come to realise that staff have their best interests in mind. This helps establish trust, increasing young people‟s willingness to seek support from them. A social worker said, „I have seen the staff. They are sensitive about challenging young people and they have very good relationships with them‟.

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Good

Staff make sure that young people understand their rights. The provision of an easy-to-read guide makes clear how staff will respect them and informs them about how to access additional independent sources of help. Young people‟s views about a range of matters influence the running of the home. This helps young people invest in the home and creates a sense of belonging. A social worker said, „The young person has settled in much better than in previous placements.‟

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Good

Staff provide young people with regular opportunities to take part in various activities that reflect their interest and talents. These include horse-riding, dancing, and creative play. In addition, staff contribute their own time and efforts to provide young people with exceptional experiences. For example, these include accompanying staff to support older people and help them with their shopping, taking part in a VIP visit to a film studio and rewarding a young person with a tailor-made fancy dress outfit. Young people are encouraged to keep photographs and mementos of all events and activities within their individual scrap albums. A member of staff said, „It‟s amazing how much they enjoy doing this. Young people go right back to the beginning to look through it again before they add anything else.‟

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Good

Good pre-admission planning and nurturing care means that young people feel welcome and wanted. This gives young people a very positive first experience of feeling valued and recognised. A social worker said: „There is a very warm atmosphere within the home. The young person was really excited – she said, “I can‟t believe they were buying the bedding just for me, that I got to choose it and that they have even asked me.”‟

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Good

Young people receive meaningful support to prepare them for moving on. Staff welcome young people who stay in touch after transitioning from the home because they anticipate their need for advice and guidance. This increases the likelihood that young people can live successfully within the community.

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Good

Staff recognise the difficulties faced by some young people who live outside of their home area. In response to this, they enable young people to maintain links with their family when it is safe to do so. They also work closely with placing authorities to consider the impact of these arrangements and to explore whether they can do anything further to support the young people concerned.

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Good

Young people feel safe because of the care and help that staff provide. They are willing to talk openly and express their feelings even when they are distressed. This is because they are confident that staff listen to their concerns. A young person said, „I like it here. It‟s fine. Staff don‟t try and take the place of your parents.‟

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Good

Young people are rarely absent or missing from the home, nor are they at risk of sexual exploitation. In the event of any concerns, staff are clear about what to do. Established links with the police mean that they have additional sources of support to call on for further advice or guidance. In addition, staff work with young people to increase their understanding about their personal safety. This approach helps young people reflect more on the choices they make. A member of staff said, „I feel confident within my job role and would always follow the correct procedures when dealing with any safeguarding and child protection concerns‟.

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Good

Staff have not restrained any young person or used any sanctions since the last full inspection. Along with financial incentives to promote taking age-appropriate responsibility for tasks such as keeping their bedrooms tidy, the focus of staff is to recognise and promote positive behaviour. This helps establish trustworthy relationships that enable young people to accept support from staff. A social worker said, „The staff are really good at helping the young person manage her behaviour.‟

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Good

Ongoing investment in the material furnishings and decor means that young people live in a home that is clean, tidy, well maintained, comfortable and safe. Providing this level of good-quality accommodation helps build young people‟s self-worth.

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Good

Some young people‟s risk assessments do not make clear the details of the concerning behaviour, and nor is it clear how these are reviewed. This means that they are open to misunderstanding, making it difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the approach in changing young people‟s behaviour.

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Good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced and has been in post since the home opened in 2010. He is committed to his continuing professional development and is currently undertaking further training. The registered person is supportive of this through meeting the additional costs of the course, which is aimed at maximising the performance of staff. The manager said, „As soon as I mentioned the training, my line manager very quickly got me on it.‟

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Good

Staff receive effective supervision on a regular basis. These meetings focus on young people‟s needs and provide staff with the necessary time to reflect on their practice and areas for development. A member of staff said, „I have a supervision on a regular basis and I am supported to complete any training I would like.‟

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Good

Good support is also in place for new staff through their induction. They work closely with experienced staff, helping them gain an effective understanding of young people‟s needs and routines. This is in addition to familiarising themselves with policies and procedural guidance. This means that all staff provide a consistent level of care, minimising any disruption to young people‟s routines. A member of staff said: „The induction has been very thorough. They went through everything. It feels like the home is really well organised. I feel like I have just slotted in.‟

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Good

Young people benefit from effective joint working between managers, staff and other professionals. This includes regular information being provided to social workers about young people‟s ongoing needs and progress. Staff also welcome updates and feedback from others working with young people so that they can tailor the support that they provide. A therapeutic practitioner said, „I ring them up and we talk a lot. It is really important that we are on the same page.‟

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Good

Embedded staff handover systems at the beginning and end of daily shifts ensure that staff pass on important information about young people. As a result, they are very well informed about young people‟s needs and they know how best to support them. This proactive and organised approach is apparent by the calm atmosphere within the home that helps reduce young people‟s anxieties.

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Good

Young people‟s records are up to date and well organised. Monitoring systems help sustain these standards and any practice issues are addressed within staff meetings and supervision. For example, a young person‟s reluctance to take part in a key-worker session was addressed by directing staff to look at less formal ways that might be more engaging, such as taking the young person on an outing.

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Good

Reports completed by the independent visitor are rigorous and make clear that staff are proactive in ensuring young people‟s safety and welfare. This level of scrutiny provides a meaningful contribution to the quality of care that young people receive. The manager notifies Ofsted about any serious matters that potentially affect young people. This ensures that the regulator has the opportunity to establish that staff take effective action to safeguard young people.

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Good

Staff and other professionals hold the management team in high regard because it is clear that young people‟s best interests are central to the running of the home. A social worker said, „The young person has definitely made progress. I think the placement has been great.‟ Managers gather the views of other professionals about the care that they provide to young people, and any suggestions about how to improve. This creates a culture of openness and honesty which helps forge trust and mutual respect between the home and stakeholders. A teacher said, „Communication with the managers is very good. They respect young people‟s views and genuinely care for them.

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Good

Staff make a meaningful contribution to review meetings of young people‟s care plans. However, while the reports that staff compile are useful to the professionals, these do not aid individual young people‟s understanding. This is a missed opportunity to help increase young people‟s awareness about their current circumstances and aid their future understanding should they access their records in adulthood.

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Good

Systems are in place to ensure that staff stay up to date with refreshing their mandatory training. However, the home‟s workforce plan does not include any additional training undertaken and the ongoing professional development needs of staff. This omission hampers review as to the effectiveness of this plan.

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Good

A lack of effective action means that when young people‟s educational needs are not being met, this is not quickly brought to the attention of the director of children‟s services. This results in an unnecessary delay in enabling young people‟s return to school.

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Good

Reports by the manager reviewing the quality of care that young people receive are now more comprehensive. However, these still do not demonstrate what plans are in place over the next six months to ensure continuous improvements. This omission makes it difficult to understand what the priorities are and how progress is measured.

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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 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

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

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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