Children's Home, Residential special school run by Thornleigh Camphill Communities Limited in South Gloucestershire

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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because:

 A number of serious and significant weaknesses were identified at this service at the last full inspection. Since that date, improvements have been made. These improvements offered inspectors reassurances that children and young people living at this home are now safer and that their welfare is protected. However, improvements remain in their infancy, and progress will be reviewed further at the next inspection to ascertain the impact.  While not all of the requirements made at the last inspection have been met, the improvements that have been made have focused on the priority areas, such as keeping children and young people safe. Inspectors are concerned that the current arrangements in respect of leadership and management of the home remain inadequate. Unrealistic expectations of the leadership team found at the last inspection remain. The current position is not sustainable. As a result, there is a lack of effective oversight.

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The children’s home strengths

 There are noticeable improvements to the approach to care that staff provide. A move to focus on children and young people’s capacities and levels of understanding has seen good progress being made by some young people.  The staff who work at this home are dedicated and committed to the children and young people. They want them to be happy and safe and to make good progress. Staff speak about the children and young people with warmth and enthusiasm and they demonstrate a willingness to change their practice to improve the children’s experiences and progress.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must – (2) (a) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff – (i) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; (ii) protect and promote each child’s welfare; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect; (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; (v) help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect; (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. 01/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard In order to meet the positive relationship standard the registered person must ensure – (2) (a)that staff – (i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; (ii) help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 01/03/2017 (iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; (v) communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; (vi) help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or

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Requirement Due date

harmful; (vii) help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; (viii) strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; (ix) understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; (x are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; (x) de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; (b) that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must – (2) (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos and that delivers the outcomes set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 01/03/2017 each child; (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on – (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which

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Requirement Due date

the needs of children are best met; and (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

20: Restraint and deprivation of liberty In order to meet this requirement the registered person must ensure that – (1) Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing – (a) injury to any person (including the child); (b) serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); (2) Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. 01/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records In order to meet this requirement the registered person must – (1) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out – (a) how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and (b) the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. (2) The registered person must keep the behaviour management 01/03/2017 policy under review and, when appropriate, revise it. (3) The registered person must ensure that – (a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes – (i) the name of the child; (ii) details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

(v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vi) the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) – (i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and (ii) has signed the record to confirm that it is accurate; and (c) within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to care for up to 12 children and young people over two children’s homes. Children and young people who live here benefit from on-site education. This home is a registered charitable organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Requires improvement

Improvements made to the interior of the homes, including the children and young people’s bedrooms, have resulted in the houses feeling more homely. Children and young people now benefit from personalised bedrooms. Children and young people have been consulted and supported to make choices about how they would like their rooms to look. As a result, some of the aspects that previously made the home appear unwelcoming have been removed. Some children and young people have had their care needs effectively reviewed. Changes made to their care plans mean that they are now being better prepared for adulthood in a way that they understand. There are plans in place for all children and young people’s care plans and needs to be reviewed in the same way. Young people are benefiting from staff’s better understanding of their likes and dislikes and using these as a motivator. For example, one young person who needs

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Requires improvement

to undertake occupational therapy, but is resistant, is supported to clean out the vehicles. This is a task he enjoys and gets rewarded for, and it goes some way to supporting his health needs. The introduction of assessments that consider children and young people’s capacities and levels of understanding is having a positive impact for some of them. For example, one young person has a plan in place to eventually have all of the padding attached to walls removed from his home. Staff have a clearer understanding about how best to manage and support young people to make choices. Care needs are reviewed more regularly to ensure that progress is being made. Changes in the approach to care have prompted additional training to be provided for staff. Leaders and managers expect the training to further embed the new approaches and to support improvements. These changes in approach are still in their infancy and will need further review at the next inspection.

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Requires improvement

One young person, who previously had no items in their room aside from their bed at the last inspection, now has soft furnishings and is able to tolerate these items for increasing periods of time. They no longer remove their bedding from their bed. As a result, their bedroom is more homely and they are making good progress with this aspect of their development. The progress made by this young person is remarkable. Children and young people benefit from good relationships with the staff who care for them. While staff know them well and respond to their subtle nuances, the care planning is not yet ensuring a consistent approach to care in line with the level of need and understanding for all young people. Children and young people are not always afforded an authentic debrief following incidents of physical intervention. As a result, their wishes, feelings and views are not always taken into account to inform future practice. A lack of reflection and

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Requires improvement

learning from these incidents obstructs improvements in the care that children and young people receive. Staff lack clear guidance in respect of positive behaviour management. This, coupled with lack of consultation in this area with children and young people, has led to some confusion and a lack of clarity in respect of expectations. It results in inconsistencies in the care some young people receive.

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Requires improvement

The arrangements for safeguarding children and young people have improved since the last inspection. Any concerns raised have been escalated and progressed appropriately, including reporting concerns about staff to the designated officer. As a result, poor practice escalated to managers has been dealt with. It is evident that safeguarding issues and matters relating to poor practice that have been identified and escalated to managers have been effectively managed. Robust action is taken while investigations are undertaken and appropriate outcomes are agreed at the end of the process. This ensures that the safety of children and young people is not compromised. Children and young people have good relationships with the staff who look after them. Because of their complex needs, they rely on and trust the staff who work with them to care for them and to keep them safe. Evidence of positive and trusting relationships was observed during this inspection.

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Requires improvement

Leaders and managers do not yet have effective oversight of all incidents that take place within the home. A lack of reflection and challenge means that questions that should be asked, about why some practice has taken place, have not been explored. This weakness has allowed for some inconsistent approaches to care for children and young people and creates opportunity for poor practice not to be identified. The arrangements in place for staff to debrief following incidents are ineffective. They are not always robust because at times debrief is undertaken solely with the staff involved. There is a lack of objective and senior oversight and exploration. Judgement grade

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Inadequate

Not all of the requirements made at the last inspection have been met in their fullness. There is evidence that some actions have been made to address the weaknesses identified at the last full inspection. There is an action plan in place that outlines what work needs to take place to ensure that improvements continue. Leaders and managers have failed to provide staff with clear and concise care planning documents. Strategies are not always in place to reduce risks and to support progress. When specialist advice should be sought, there are gaps in accessing and/or recognising the need for this support. This may prevent progress for some young people. Not all care planning documentation is clear. It is often focused on risks to others. The records provide a general approach to the agreed use of physical intervention rather than one based on the individual needs of children and young people. Leaders and managers have promoted the use of a response that could be

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Inadequate

interpreted as harsh, in respect of one young person whose care plan directs staff to encourage the young person clean the floor following a personal care accident. In discussions with staff, this was described as a health and safety response. This shows a degree of lack of understanding, given the cognitive age and understanding of the young person. Some interim arrangements have been made to support the pressures on leaders and managers in terms of their capacity to effectively and safely manage the home. Leaders and managers have recognised the need to employ a registered manager to focus on the day-to-day running of the home without holding any other responsibilities within the organisation. While there is still no one in post, an employment offer has been made. The current arrangements are not sustainable in the longer term. Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that all staff are supported effectively.

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Inadequate

There are inconsistencies in the level and quality of supervision provided to staff. Not all supervision is carried out in accordance with the home’s policy and it does not reflect the claims made within the statement of purpose. Staff do not always receive regular and meaningful supervision, and this prevents structured professional challenge and reflection.

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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 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, 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 ensure that their welfare is 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 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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

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

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