Children's home run by Beaufort Care Group Ltd in Dorset

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

p.2

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness .

p.2

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The children and young people have made very good progress since the full inspection. They appear happy and relaxed in the staff’s company and enjoy their activities. They say that they are doing well and that they have no concerns about the home.

p.2

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The children and young people are now having frequent contact with family or friends, which is a very positive development for them. One child sees family members several times a week. The other young person enjoys visiting his girlfriend, who lives some distance away. He is well able to use the rail network to keep in touch with people who are important to him. Recently, he has learned to change trains part way through the journey. This helps to develop good independence skills for the future.

p.2

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The children and young people are healthy and active. They take a pride in their health and, consequently, they are happy to plan and receive a well-balanced diet. Some children commented that the food is good and they enjoy it; others are working towards preparing their own meals. The staff have responded to the previous recommendation to improve the quality of foods on offer.

p.2

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Any medical attention that young people require is sought promptly, so that their healthcare needs are met. One young person is very keen on keeping fit and likes to go to the gym. The interim manager arranges additional specialist support for any children and young people who need this.

p.2

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The staff continue to offer a wide range of activities, such as craft work, visits to interesting places and sport. Since the full inspection, one child has visited Madame Tussaud’s to see a waxwork of her favourite musician. The other young person enjoyed visiting the Royal Navy Museum. The children and young people are at very different stages of their adolescence, so they do not have many shared interests, but they did enjoy a joint visit to the Jurassic coast recently.

p.2

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Both of the children and young people are receiving education through home tutors. Although this sometimes falls well short of the recommended 25 hours per week, it is good progress for one of the young people concerned, because he did not attend school for two years prior to arriving in the home. It is very positive that he has engaged with his tutors every day, so that he has 100% attendance.

p.2

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The younger child has not been in formal education throughout her placement, but she has also been engaging with her tutors in the home. The staff have challenged the lack of educational provision for this child and, as a result, she has now been offered a place at an alternative education resource.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

As part of the home’s commitment to improving the children and young people’s educational attainment, the interim manager has encouraged them both to complete assessment and qualifications alliance (AQA) awards. These provide practical basic skills which will help them in their daily lives. So far, they have achieved AQA awards in road safety, fire safety, healthy eating and car maintenance.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

One young person has been admitted to the home since the full inspection. The manager explained that, after undertaking a risk assessment on the potential interaction between the children and young people, he went to meet the new young person in his previous accommodation.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

After this initial contact, two members of staff visited the young person and took him out for the afternoon. He also came to visit the home for lunch. This transition was managed well to ensure that the young person had a good understanding of the home and what to expect when he moved in.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The interim manager said that the staff recently helped this young person to prepare for a job interview with a fast food chain. The preparation has paid off, because he has been offered a job. This is an excellent achievement.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The children and young people are consulted on a daily basis and their views are recorded. They also receive focused key-worker sessions, which are targeted towards meeting their placement objectives. This helps them to make good progress.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

There was a peak in serious incidents after the full inspection, but the situation is currently calm and incidents are rare. One child has been missing from the home on two occasions in the last six months. The older child who was in the home at the time encouraged her to run away. This placed both young people at risk.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

There have been incidents of self harm involving the same two children. The staff responded to these well and sought medical attention promptly when necessary.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The manager sought advice from the other agencies involved in the children and young people’s care and decided that it was time to bring the older child’s placement to a planned end. This was the right decision for both young people. The child who remained in the home has had a dramatic reduction in incidents since the two were separated. This shows that the manager was able to identify the source of the difficulty and take decisive action to keep both children safe.

p.3

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Physical interventions have all involved the younger child, but have reduced considerably since her peer moved out. For example, there were 10 physical interventions in October, but by January this had reduced to two. All physical interventions have been carried out appropriately and are in line with the provisions of the child’s behaviour management plan.

p.4

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The only shortfall found during this inspection is that there have been two occasions when the staff on duty contacted the police to help resolve incidents. This is not the police’s role and conveys a very mixed message to the children and young people. The manager has identified this for himself as a point for improvement and has taken action to educate the staff team. No recommendation has been made on this occasion.

p.4

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home is well managed by an experienced and competent interim manager, who recently attended a fit-person interview with Ofsted. Ofsted’s decision regarding registration is pending, because there is some further documentation to review.

p.4

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Since his promotion from deputy manager six months ago, the interim manager has made a positive impact on the quality of care and the leadership within the home. In particular, he has brought about changes to the exterior of the home to make it a safer place to live. He has reviewed the paperwork used in the home and is currently recruiting staff to the single vacant post.

p.4

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

One of the manager’s priorities is to ensure that staff receive regular supervision at appropriate intervals for their level of experience. All staff supervision is up to date and the manager is currently working through the appraisal programme with his team.

p.4

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The manager has many ideas for the home’s future development. For example, he has established robust new protocols for handing over information between shifts. The manager has written his first regulation 45 review for the home and makes good use of the independent visitor, who visits monthly and produces clear and insightful reports.

p.4

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The manager works very well with education services, the police and child and adolescent mental health services to help promote positive outcomes for the children and young people. The local police community support officers are very supportive of the home and visit regularly. They have given the staff photographs of themselves, which are displayed in the office so that any new children and young people can see them before they arrive. This informal relationship encourages the children and young people to build a rapport with the police and approach them if they need help.

p.4

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home has actioned the three requirements and three recommendations from the previous inspection. The interim manager and maintenance person have made structural alterations to prevent young people from accessing the roof of the bungalow. The relevant risk assessment was updated after the inspection to incorporate these changes. The interim manager is now monitoring restraint and incident records and challenging any lack of detail in the staff’s recording. Records now show that the children and young people and the staff are debriefed after every physical intervention.

p.4

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The first recommendation was to ensure that the children and young people receive a healthy diet. Menus are developed with the residents’ input and now show a range of family-style, well-balanced meals that are both healthy and satisfying.

p.5

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The second recommendation was made because the staff were locking their toilet door when it was not in use. Because the two toilets were next to each other in the hallway, this was not conducive to creating a relaxed, homely environment. Both toilets are now available for the children and young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The final recommendation concerned the lack of return-home interviews when the children and young people went missing. Both of the placing authorities now commission voluntary organisations to conduct these interviews, so this recommendation is also met. No new requirements or recommendations have been made.

p.5

Information about this children’s home

The home is one of a group of five children’s services in the south of England owned and operated by an independent provider. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people irrespective of gender, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 24/08/2016 Full Good

p.6

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’.

p.7

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

p.7

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 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

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,

p.8

Information about this inspection

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

p.8

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.8

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.8