Children's home run by Halliwell Homes Limited in Staffordshire Moorlands

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people live in a large, spacious and busy home where they receive good, highly individualised care from a committed and caring staff team. A high staff ratio means that, despite the number of young people living in the home, young people are safe and well cared for.  The registered manager and staff have a detailed knowledge of each young person’s behaviour and individual risks, and identify effective strategies to support young people’s progress and keep them safe.  The registered manager and staff quickly identify young people’s individual strengths and talents, which means that young people are engaged in activities that interest, them such as dance and horse riding.  All young people attend educational provision either at the school attached to the home or in the local community, and their attendance is good.  Young people like living in the home and say that they get on well with the

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

staff The registered manager and staff actively consult young people on decisions about their day-to-day lives, the home and their futures.  There are shortfalls in the manager’s evaluation of the restraints carried out, which means that opportunities to identify good practice and amend any poor practice are missed.  Young people do not all have local authority care plans on file. This means that staff do not have a written baseline of young people’s needs on which to base their work with young people. The registered manager and staff request care plans from the local authority, but do not escalate when the plans are not provided.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to engage with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met, the registered person must ensure that staff: (c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. 09/11/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

36. (1) The registered person must maintain records for each child which: (a) include the information and documents listed in schedule 3 in relation to a child: (b) are kept up to date; and (c) are signed and dated by the author of each entry. 09/11/2016

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  To ensure that the registered manager and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern arise, the review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the need of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

p.4

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide time limited medium- to long-term placements for up to 10 children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home forms part of a social care company.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 25/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/07/2015 Full Good 25/02/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 19/11/2014 Full Good

p.5

Good

Young people live in a large, spacious home environment where they are cared for by a committed and caring staff team. The home is busy, with a high number of young people. However, due to high staffing levels and individualised care, young people make progress from their individual starting points. One social worker commented: ‘Over the course of the year, (name) has progressed well in her education and has also shown growing confidence and self-esteem. She is now engaging in community activities, some of which she was not willing to before moving to Woodlands.’ All young people attend educational provision full time, either at the school attached to the home or in the local community. This gives young people structure and routine, as well as supporting them to meet their educational potential. Young people have positive relationships with staff at the home, and staff have a good knowledge of their needs. Young people like living at the home and report

p.6

Good

that they get on well with staff. One young person commented that her key worker was the ‘most amazing person you ever could meet, she cares for me unbelievably and helps me with my eczema, and has helped me get into dance. Staff help you to achieve anything.’

p.6

Good

Young people’s unique strengths are identified quickly by staff, and each young person has an individual activity planner in place. Young people enjoy access to a range of activities outside school depending on their individual interests, for example horse riding, dancing and swimming. This means that young people develop individual strengths and talents, and are encouraged to develop social relationships by attending groups outside of the home. Young people have individualised their own bedrooms, which they are encouraged to look after through incentives such as ‘bedroom of the month’. If they win, they receive money towards buying something for their room, which encourages young people to take pride in their belongings. Staff promote and are proactive in promoting contact with family so that young people develop a strong sense of identity. They support in key-work sessions young people’s feelings about their background and experiences.

p.6

Good

The registered manager and staff are highly child focused and take into account young people’s views of the home and their day-to-day care through young people’s meetings and key-work sessions. The registered manager and the deputy manager have developed a highly creative children’s guide pack, including a DVD which gives young people, parents and social workers an excellent visual introduction to the home. This was developed in response to feedback from young people on the previous children’s guide. Young people in the home were involved in making the DVD, which includes their choice of background music. This is sent out to social workers, parents and young people and provides child-focused useful information about the home.

p.6

Good

Young people say that they feel safe, living at the home. A high level of staffing means that there is a high level of supervision of young people, so young people are safe within and outside of the home. Staff identify and understand the risks associated with young people, and these are clearly set out in risk assessments which identify triggers to behaviour and actions in response. Risk assessments are underpinned by a high level of direct work with young people, targeted at helping young people to manage their feelings and emotions in a safer and more acceptable way. The registered manager and staff engage in regular consultation sessions with the in house psychologist, reviewing specific behaviours and adjusting strategies when necessary. This ensures that strategies are reviewed and only the most effective methods are used to support young people with their behaviour. One staff member identified that consultations are ‘very helpful’ in ‘helping us with new strategies,

p.7

Good

The registered manager and staff understand the importance of clear, consistent and appropriate boundaries for young people and, overall, they achieve this. Some staff did identify that consistency within the staff team was an issue at times, but this was swiftly identified and addressed in supervision, group supervision and team meetings. Young people understand the reward system in place, which includes the use of reward charts, a reward box, which includes rewards such as Lego chosen by the young people, and a ‘child of the month’ award, for which young people win an activity of their choice. One young person reported that she was able to walk a dog as an incentive, or order a takeaway of her choice. Consequently, good behaviour and achievement are rewarded, and young people learn to self-regulate and learn more positive ways of managing their emotions. There is a high level of physical intervention for young people. Staff do try to use

p.7

Good

de-escalation before restraint, and some of the restraints recorded include holds and guides. However, there is a lack of sufficient detail in the records and a lack of evaluation about the restraints which have taken place. As a result, it is not always clear from the records whether the restraint was proportionate to the incident, and the lack of evaluation afterwards means that opportunities to amend practice are missed. Young people do not go missing from home. This is due to a high level of supervision and the age and stage of development of the young people. Most staff members have a good understanding of missing from home procedures, but some newer staff members do not. While missing behaviour is not a significant issue in the home at this time, it is important that staff members understand the procedures so that they can safeguard young people adequately if the situation does arise for any of the young people in the future.

p.7

Good

There have been significant numbers of new staff employed since the last inspection. However, all new staff are appropriately vetted, and young people are consequently protected by safe and effective recruitment practices. The registered manager and staff carefully monitor and assess the dynamics of the group to ensure that young people are safe and that any bullying or issues between young people are identified quickly and addressed by staff, ensuring that young people feel safe living in the home.

p.8

Good

The registered manager has the necessary skills and experience to manage the home effectively. She has recently completed the level 5 diploma. The registered manager has been in post since December 2014 and is committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes for the young people in her care. The registered manager ensures that the home is staffed adequately to meet the needs of the young people living at the home. Staff reported that the registered manager is responsive to requests for additional staff when required, consequently there are always enough staff to meet young people’s needs. Staff report enjoying working at the home and feeling well supported by the registered manager through effective formal and informal supervision. Staff are supported by regular group supervision. This provides an opportunity for group discussion on practice to aid a consistent approach to young people. Staff receive

p.8

Good

regular training relevant to their role, for example in behaviour management and self-harm. This ensures that they have the relevant knowledge and skills to respond to the needs of the vulnerable young people whom they are working with. The registered manager and staff work proactively with professionals to ensure that young people’s needs are met. A social worker commented that there was ‘good communication’ from staff and there is evidence on the case files of staff communicating with professionals and advocating for young people. The registered manager makes good use of monitoring tools to ensure continual development of the service and that all policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and up to date, and has recently produced a thorough, well thought out and up-to-date medication policy. The registered manager has addressed all of the recommendations and the one requirement made at the last inspection. This demonstrates that the registered

p.8

Good

manager is committed to the development of the home and is able to implement positive changes. The registered manager does not always challenge local authority effectively when services are not effective, and this is with specific reference to local authority care plans not being on young people’s case files. While there is evidence of social workers being emailed to request care plans, this has not been escalated. This means that one young person does not have a care plan on file, despite being in placement since March 2016. This means staff do not always have a clear basis to work from in meeting young people’s needs.

p.9

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’. 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 looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

p.10

What the inspection judgements mean

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 harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.10

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children’s home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s

p.11

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 .

p.11

Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for 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,

p.12

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.12

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12