Children's Home run by Hopedale Children and Family Services Limited in Staffordshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . Young people continue to enjoy a comfortable and well-maintained home where they can choose to spend time with their peers or to be by themselves in their personalised rooms after school. Young people frequently go to staff for hugs and for reassurance, demonstrating warm and trusting relationships. The dedicated and stable staff group provides young people with a strong sense of security, with familiar and firm routines and boundaries. Young people say that they are happy living at the home and are confident that staff listen to them and include them in changes to the home. A newly introduced activity planning system gives young people the opportunity to plan their own free time after school and at weekends. Enthusiastic staff encourage them to do outdoor activities and enable young people

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

to engage in sports like rugby, go-karting, bowling, badminton and football. Staff also take young people on trips to the cinema and help them to develop interests and hobbies including walking, crafts and music. Young people enjoy these activities, which support their physical and social development and emotional well- being. The dedicated staff support young people to make exceptional progress from their starting points in understanding their emotions, engaging with therapy, attending school, and developing maturity and independence skills. The parents of one young person said, ‘The care is fantastic. I've been really happy. Staff are open and warm. She is kept safe. There are loads of activities, which she loves.’ Since the last inspection, young people have settled into new living arrangements, which place them in one of three groups according to their care and developmental needs. The child-focused registered manager and highly skilled staff assess the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

needs of each young person. Each group of young people has their own shared living spaces, activities and young people’s meetings. Staff keep young people safe and help them to understand how to keep themselves safe in key-work sessions and with reflection following incidents. The registered manager regularly reviews the detailed risk assessments, and staff are highly trained and skilled to address any issues of child sexual exploitation and missing from home effectively. Staff work closely with other professionals including therapists, social workers, health and education services and the local police to enhance the experiences and progress of the young people. Staff love working here and speak highly of the registered manager, the deputy manager and each other. Teamwork and dedication are real strengths in this home, and the registered manager maintains this with regular team meetings, supervision and training. She enables staff to feel confident to do their jobs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The innovative and dynamic registered manager constantly reviews all aspects of the service and makes changes to benefit young people. Since the last inspection, she has delegated some management responsibility to the seniors and developed the three-group care arrangement. These changes serve to enhance the skills and knowledge of her staff so that they can work more effectively with young people, and have led to decreased tensions and conflict between the young people. The registered manager and staff work hard and successfully to maintain an outstanding service for young people. There were no requirements or recommendations made at the last inspection, and this continues to be the case.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to 15 young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home has its own school, which is registered with the Department for Education. The school is on site and all of the young people attend.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

08/06/2016 CH – Full (aligned) Outstanding

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Recent inspection history

31/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

12/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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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. Whenever 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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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, 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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