Children's home run by Tree House Care Fostering Solutions Ltd in North East Lincolnshire

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 The manager and staff are committed to provide the very best care for children and young people. The extremely complex needs of the children and young people, which are often inherent to their medical conditions and/or their disabilities, are clearly understood by the manager and the staff team.  Educational attainment is excellent given the children’s and young people’s starting points.  Preparation for moving on to adulthood is innovative and responds to the individualised needs of the young person.  Children and young people who engage in therapy are supported through the entire process, with staff demonstrating a commitment to each child over and above what would normally be expected.  The children and young people are provided with excellent care which maintains a high level of personal respect and ensures that their dignity is maintained at all times.  The manager and staff are extremely creative in the way that they ensure

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

children and young people have a voice in all decisions made about their care.  The manager is aspirational for both the children and young people and the staff team. She is a confident leader with considerable experience and compassion.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for up to seven young people who have learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/09/2016 Full Outstanding 02/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/12/2014 Full Good

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Outstanding

Children and young people who live at this home have extremely diverse and complex health needs associated with their disability. The manager and staff are very knowledgeable about the individualised needs and gather information from a variety of sources such as contact with families, social care and medical professionals to ensure that they are fully informed. This information is used to inform robust placement plans and risk assessments.

p.5

Outstanding

The manager and staff have exceptionally trusting and secure relationships with the children and young people. This is helped by a very stable and consistent staff team. This enables children and young people to discuss sensitive issues and contributes to them feeling safe and cared for. The strong relationships also allow staff to challenge difficult behaviours, which develops children’s and young people’s social skills and improves their independence.

p.5

Outstanding

Education is a priority for both staff and children and young people. All children and young people attend school or college. The very close liaison between school and the home supports the children and young people to succeed. Achievements are celebrated and are seen as significant, particularly in the context of children’s and young people’s starting points. This helps their self-esteem and self-worth to develop.

p.5

Outstanding

Activities, outings and holidays are innovative. The manager and staff plan activities that meet the diverse needs and choices of the children and young people. They have had holidays abroad and in this country, they go horse riding and enjoy sensory activities. There are pictures and memorabilia around the home reminding the children and young people of their fun times and special memories. Holidays abroad and in this country allow children and young people to have positive experiences and learn new cultures. The manager and staff team have an immensely positive impact on the lives of children and young people. There is a sense of homeliness, safety, compassion and genuine affection.

p.5

Outstanding

The positive professional relationships that the manager and staff have built with medical professionals working with the children and young people are vitally important given their complex health needs. These relationships have led to timely healthcare and fewer delays in accessing medical interventions. The staff attend and support young people through therapy sessions, for some children and young people these have been ongoing for more than two years. This consistency and dedication has a significant impact on the lives of the children and young people. Judgement grade

p.5

Outstanding

Staff support children and young people to articulate their feelings and assist them in all aspects of their lives. Interactions between the manager, staff and children and young people are very relaxed and natural with lots of hugs, laughter and positivity. One young person said, ‘This is my home. The staff are friendly. They are my family.’ Another young person talked about feeling safe with staff and said, ‘If they tell me off, it’s all done with and forgotten.’

p.6

Outstanding

The manager and staff have created an extremely open and honest safeguarding culture within the home. Staff are resilient and confident in what they do and feel at ease to question others’ practice and providing alternative ways to deal with situations. Examples include different ways to calm children down, different distractions and using different words and phrases. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about the home’s safeguarding polices and are confident about who to talk to if there were any concerns about a child or young person.

p.6

Outstanding

Creative safeguarding practice has allowed issues around sexual health and development to be discussed and behaviours modified to prevent harm to the child or young person and their peers. This is often a very complex and sensitive area. The manager and staff deal with any concerns openly and honestly, ensuring that young people were safeguarded.

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Outstanding

Behaviour management plans and risk assessments are thorough, robust and reviewed regularly. They include the children’s and young people’s input about ‘how I like to be woken up’ and ‘what happens when I am really mad’. The manager and staff review all incidents of challenging behaviour and see what lessons can be learned from them. It is clear from the monitoring of incidents that children’s and young people’s challenging behaviour is addressed within the home. Children and young people are not unnecessarily criminalised, with the manager and staff promoting restorative practice.

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Outstanding

Training and learning opportunities are valued by staff. There is a wide variety of training available for staff and additional projects ensure that they are researching topics and putting this into practice. Training on how to develop resilience within the staff team led to positive feedback. The staff team are very committed to their jobs, with retention exceptional.

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Outstanding

Staff recruitment is exceptionally robust. Thorough vetting procedures and a structured induction period give staff a positive message about their role. Clear job descriptions and regular supervision and support are highly valued by the staff team. One member of staff said, ‘It’s the best place I have worked.’ Another member of staff spoke of ‘the extremely supportive manager’. This level of support enables staff to feel safe and confident in their role, which in turn helps them to keep a clear focus on the needs of children and young people.

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Outstanding

The registered manager is very experienced and qualified. She has been a manager for over nine years and has extensive experience of working in residential care. She regularly participates in training and has a variety of qualifications relevant to her role. She motivates and supports her staff team and is highly regarded by all. They say that she is a ‘fantastic role model’. A responsive responsible individual and a passionate senior management team support her. They all have the same ethos and work towards the same outcomes for children and young people.

p.7

Outstanding

The manager is extremely organised. She has developed an innovative monitoring tool, which allows her to monitor progress for each child or young person. She developed an outcomes monitoring tool, which provides her with a range of data. This data is used with information from internal audits and independent visitor reports to produce an evaluative review of the effectiveness of the home in safeguarding the children and young people. These reviews are used to develop developmental plans and ensure that the home is meeting regulations.

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Outstanding

Case recording is thorough and provides an excellent account of the lives of the children and young people. Reading the files provides insight into the children’s and young people’s personalities and the excellent individual progress that they are making. Case files are organised well and information is easy to find. The manager’s developmental plan is realistic. It addresses the need for regular monitoring of records.

p.7

Outstanding

The manager is very clear of her responsibilities towards the children and young people and her staff. She ensures that all professionals are informed of serious events. The manager works extremely well with other organisations. She is knowledgeable about how social care organisations are structured. This helps her to identify the correct individual to challenge any delays or poor practice.

p.7

Outstanding

Professionals who work with the children and young people remain very positive about the manager and the staff team. Comments include ‘extremely professional’, ‘committed to the children’ and ‘a great leader who is so knowledgeable about the young person’.

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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 looked after children 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 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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