Children's home run by Dorset County Council

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:

 Some young people do not have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. Emergency admissions and breakdowns in placement following serious assaults on staff mean that moves in and out of the home are not always well planned.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Leaders and managers are aware that a young person has been placed in the home whose needs cannot be fully met by the home as set out in its statement of purpose.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Inadequately completed placement documentation for children looked after does not effectively support the safety and welfare of a young person on admission.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 When young people go missing from their home, they are rarely offered the opportunity of a return home interview by someone independent of the home.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Most young people have experienced incidents of bullying and assault from other young people while living in the home.

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The children's home strengths

 The registered manager robustly challenges other professionals to ensure that the young people receive the services they need to support their development and promote their well-being. Staff work effectively in partnership with other services to support individual young people.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff demonstrate resilience in supporting young people who present high levels of challenging behaviour. Staff are committed to helping them to achieve and are looking after them well.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff are well supported by the home’s good induction programme and the provision of training opportunities, regular supervision and team meetings.

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The children's home strengths

 The young people are engaged in education and receive good health advice and support. They enjoy taking part in a wide range of activities.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people generally get on well with staff. They feel listened to and have a say in the development of their home. They like their comfortable home.

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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

In order to meet the positive relationship standard, with particular reference to helping children and young people to develop an understanding about acceptable behaviour, the registered persons must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(iv) help each child to develop and practice skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone. 13/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered persons must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(1) protect children and young people from harm and enable them to keep themselves safe, with particular reference to when they may go missing from their home, by ensuring the local authority provides an opportunity for each child/young person to have an independent return home interview

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(iv) manage relationships between children and young people to prevent them from harming each other. 13/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered persons must ensure that children and young people:

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Requirement Due date

(1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and (1)(b) have a positive experience of arriving at and moving on from the home

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the 13/02/2017 range of needs of children and young people for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement or purpose.

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is operated by a local authority. It provides long-term placements for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/07/2015 Full Good 21/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/10/2014 Full Adequate 06/03/2014 Interim Satisfactory progress

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Requires improvement

Some young people are not developing the skills they need to successfully grow into young adults. They have not yet learned how to resolve their problems without, on some occasions, resorting to physical assault on others. Some young people have been brought to the attention of the police because of this.

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Requires improvement

Two young people have left the home following serious assaults they have carried out on staff working in the home. They have left the home prematurely, without planned arrangements being in place for them to live within other settings. They have not experienced a positive ending of their time spent living in this home. The quality of their relationships with some staff have fractured and diminished.

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Requires improvement

Some young people moving into the home in an emergency situation do not experience a well-planned admission process. There has been insufficient time to consider the needs and feelings of other young people living in the home.

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Requires improvement

Some young people are being bullied by other young people that they live with, and they witness this behaviour occurring between others in their home. Staff have been ineffective in stopping this repeated behavioural pattern shown by some young people. The young people’s self-esteem and sense of belonging and security is reduced by such intimidation within their home environment.

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Requires improvement

Some young people continue to make poor choices and take unnecessary risks. They have not made sufficient progress in taking responsibility for their actions. They continue to follow their chosen pathway, rather than heed the advice of adults or learn from their mistakes. Staff have not been able to successfully help them to make a significant difference to their lifestyles.

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Requires improvement

However, some young people have lived in this home for several years and have successfully moved into more independent living situations in a planned way. Staff help young people to learn practical skills and develop their independent living skills. Staff support them when they first move out of their home, to ease their way into adulthood. Several young people who have left regularly telephone the home to keep in touch with staff, who continue to offer advice and guidance to support them in matters they are unsure about.

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Requires improvement

Staff work well with other agencies to make sure the young people receive the help and support that they may need to live full and positive lives. The young people receive good health support. Staff are committed to supporting the young people and provide as many positive experiences as they are able to. The young people enjoy going on their individual holidays, going on trips to theme parks and participating in local events. Staff encourage individuals to develop their hobbies and interests, for example going to the gym, horse-riding or attending a wrestling match.

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Requires improvement

The young people are making good progress in attending their schools and colleges and staff support them to find part-time or full-time work.

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Requires improvement

Young people are increasing their social skills and widening their experiences. They go out for meals, try new food items, and travel to places they have not previously visited. Generally, the young people get on well with the staff. One young person said, ‘the staff are OK – they are kind’.

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Requires improvement

The young people can access an advocate to help them pursue their personal issues. Staff help the young people to understand the role of advocates and support them to make the best use of their time together. Staff listen to the young people’s views and encourage their participation in the daily running of their home.

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Requires improvement

Staff have a good understanding of each young person’s needs, abilities and interests. They are innovative in trying to find things that the young people may enjoy, for example a trip out to see the Christmas lights. Each young person is treated as an individual. Staff support the young people to form positive relationships with their families and friends.

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Requires improvement

The young people enjoy living in their very comfortable and pleasant home. They helped decorate the large Christmas tree and took delight in the decorations in place throughout their house.

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Requires improvement

The young people living in this home show high levels of challenging behaviour. On at least two occasions staff have been seriously assaulted by young people, and on a number of occasions the young people have assaulted other young people with whom they live. Young people assaulting other young people living in the home was a pattern of behaviour identified at the July 2015 inspection of this home. A requirement was made at that inspection for staff to help the young people to live harmoniously together and to learn to resolve conflicts positively, so that young people are kept safe. However, physical assaults continue to be a pattern of behaviour within this home, resulting in one young person reporting the matter to the police. One young person has been living in this home for the past four weeks; professionals have identified that this is an inappropriate placement and does not meet their specific needs. Staff have not completed any additional training to help

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Requires improvement

them to effectively care for this young person.

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Requires improvement

Since January 2016, staff have had to restrain young people on 20 separate occasions, in order to protect the young people from harming themselves or others. Bullying and intimidation by some young people to other young people occurs, despite staff’s efforts to stop this unacceptable behaviour.

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Requires improvement

Staff and other professionals have not been successful in encouraging individual young people to take up the available offer of therapeutic help, which would help them to better understand their behaviours and anxieties and be able to make positive changes. Some young people continue to take part in risk-taking activities, for example smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol.

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Requires improvement

There have also been 29 incidents of young people going missing since January 2016. Leaders have not ensured that the young people are offered an independent return home interview, to gather information and assess risks, enabling protective plans to be put in place to minimise future risk.

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Requires improvement

When a young person fails to return to the home at the arranged time, staff take appropriate action to find them and return them swiftly to their home. Staff keep in touch by mobile phone and go out and look for them. However, some young people make poor choices: they ignore staff advice and decide to stay out overnight. The home keeps a ‘missing person’s passport’ for each young person, which readily provides relevant details to assist the police in finding missing young people quickly.

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Requires improvement

Staff demonstrate resilience and skill in dealing with young people’s difficult behaviours to reduce possible risks. A social work manager said, ‘the staff are resilient; they have stuck by the young person’. Staff receive training to help them to de-escalate incidents and keep everyone safe. Only low-level restraint holds, lasting for only a very short duration of time, have been employed by staff to manage challenging behaviour of young people. All incidents are fully recorded and regularly reviewed to ensure the young people’s welfare is safeguarded.

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Requires improvement

Positive behaviour is encouraged; staff praise the young people for their achievements and ability to better manage their feelings and emotions. The home’s instant rewards and points systems help the young people to make some positive changes in their behaviour. They enjoy spending the money they have earned from their efforts and their instant rewards reinforce their good progress.

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Requires improvement

Detailed, individual behaviour management plans and risk assessments guide staff in how to protect individuals and assist them in better managing their anxieties and emotions. Admission impact risk assessments are completed by the registered manager to consider the compatibility of young people living together and the likelihood of the home being able to meet both the individual and the group needs effectively.

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Requires improvement

Staff understand safeguarding practice and know how to report any matter of concern. Significant information is appropriately and promptly shared with social workers and safeguarding professionals. The local authority networked computer system enables good communication between staff and young people’s social workers, helping to keep young people safe.

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Requires improvement

Recruitment and selection processes carried out by the registered manager for new employees follow safer recruitment best practice standards. Rigour in completing this task results in all appropriate vetting checks and references being undertaken, contributing to the protection of the young people.

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Requires improvement

Two recent emergency admissions of young people to the home have not been well planned and managed, leading to some poor outcomes for the young people. The registered manager and the responsible individual completed an impact risk assessment for a young person requiring a placement in November 2016. They identified that the home would be an inappropriate placement for this young person, given their young age, personal needs and vulnerabilities. They also took into account the mix of the group of young people living in the home, their histories and individual needs, and the compatibility of this young person joining the home. A professionals’ meeting also identified that the home was an inappropriate placement for this individual.

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Requires improvement

However, leaders agreed for this young person to be placed at the home on a short-term basis while an appropriate placement is sought. The home’s statement of purpose describes the home as providing ‘long stay’ placements. The home’s operation reflects its statement’s aims and objectives and is not set up to provide short term stays. The young person remains living in this home at the time of this inspection, one month later, with no definite plans in place for them to move into a more suitable home.

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Requires improvement

Not all staff demonstrate the skill and expertise needed to effectively meet this young person’s particular support needs. Although this young person is closely supervised by a member of staff during waking hours, they have still experienced bullying and intimidation from some older children. This young person’s vulnerabilities, which are not tolerated by other young people, were identified as likely risks within the completed admission impact risk assessment. The social worker reported that: ‘The young person was frightened coming into a children’s home. Their schooling dipped initially, but it has now stabilised.’

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Requires improvement

A second young person was admitted to the home in an emergency situation, without the requisite placement plans for children looked after being adequately completed by the social worker. Necessary consents were not signed by the social worker on the day of admission to give permission on behalf of the local authority for the young person to reside in this home and to receive medical treatment. This poor practice was not identified by leaders and managers within the local authority, and the matter was brought to their attention by the inspector. The speed of this admission process meant that the young person arrived at their new home prior to staff having made adequate preparations for their arrival. The other young people had not been spoken to, to prepare them for welcoming a new young person, and a bedroom had not been made ready. These shortfalls contributed to the heightening of all the young people’s visible anxieties about their changing

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Requires improvement

Since the previous inspection in January 2016, there have been significant changes in leadership and staffing within the home. Three responsible individuals have held this leadership role; the recently assigned responsible individual is not yet registered with Ofsted. The interim leadership arrangements made for three months during the autumn worked effectively and the registered manager was well supported in her role. Satisfactory supervision arrangements have been made to support the registered manager during transitional periods.

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Requires improvement

The manager is registered with Ofsted and has been managing this home since December 2014. The registered manager has a social work degree and is currently completing the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare (England). She is suitably qualified and experienced to manage this home. She robustly leads the staff team and strongly challenges other professionals and services to ensure that the young people receive the specialist help and support that they need to support their well-being. The young people appreciate the registered manager’s forthright approach to championing their cause and advocating on their behalf. One young person said: ‘The manager really listens to you and tries to get things done. She is a good manager.’

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has led the team to achieve some noteworthy improvements in the quality of care provided to the young people. In particular, in relation to seeking and acting upon young peoples’ views and using research-based evidence to inform the development of care practices within the home. The standard of the premises has considerably improved and the young people now enjoy living in a comfortable, contemporary home. Staff have undertaken gardening, decorating and minor repairs to vastly enhance the appearance of this home. Despite significant damage caused to the building by some young people, the home still provides a good standard of accommodation for the young people to live in. Staff have removed unnecessary signage and industrial bins from the garden, and they have planted flower beds and hanging baskets. This home now looks like any other home in the street, reducing the possibility of stigmatisation for

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Requires improvement

the young people who live here. For Christmas, an external wreath and bright front door welcomed the young people, their families and visitors into their home.

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Requires improvement

Following structural staffing changes within the local authority, a number of staff changes have occurred, including two posts within the home’s senior management team. This has contributed to some omissions and inaccuracy in records in recent months, because tasks have been passed between different persons leading on particular areas of work. The registered manager and deputy manager have a good grasp of the areas of strength and weakness within the home’s operation. They show competence in monitoring the standard of practice within the home and tackling specific aspects requiring attention, and undertaking further development to raise standards of care.

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Requires improvement

New staff are effectively supported and trained to look after the young people. The majority of staff have gained the required diploma level 3 national award. Arrangements are in place for new employees to commence this training following their induction. The home’s comprehensive induction programme and supportive staff team guide new employees in how best to care for each individual young person. All staff receive regular supervision and attend team meetings, providing forums for them to reflect on the effectiveness of their practice and the progress and outcomes of the individual young people they look after. Staff work effectively with other professionals to provide good support to the 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 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

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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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