Children's home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Havant

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to enjoy a comfortable home; their rooms are personalised and appropriately furnished and if young people damage their rooms, staff ensure that repairs are undertaken. The home environment is well maintained.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people form warm and trusting relationships with dedicated staff who listen to them and support them to achieve their goals. All of the young people currently live in one house, with high staffing ratios, which provide them with strong individual support. Young people commented that ‘staff are great’ and ‘staff are very open and communicate well with us’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people make progress in their emotional and behavioural development and in their independence skills. One young person has improved her family relationships to the point where she is now having weekend overnight contact at home. The father of one young person said, ‘Staff have been really friendly. The fact she has gone to school speaks volumes. The home is having a positive effect on her.’ Young people said that they feel safe and that staff keep them safe. Staff have recently undertaken additional child sexual exploitation training, which is vital for all aspects of their work with young people. They work closely with a range of other professionals including the police, therapists, education and health professionals to improve young people’s experiences and progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and deputy manager have resigned since the last inspection. The responsible person has interviewed and appointed a new manager, who is currently working part time, and a deputy who is yet to start in post. Considerable planning and work has gone into starting to make a number of improvements to this service. The responsible person has disciplined and dismissed staff whose practice is unsatisfactory. One staff member, who has failed to complete the level 3 diploma in keeping with a requirement from the last inspection, is now subject to disciplinary procedures.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff now receive a higher level of support for their training and development. However, staff and young people expressed dissatisfaction with the current level of support and visibility of managers. One young person said, ‘Don’t really know who is in charge,’ and, ‘Who do we approach if we have a problem?’ Some young people also felt that the managers do not spend enough time at the home. Staff have not had consistent supervision since the registered manager left, although the new manager is now addressing this situation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The two seven-day shifts system persists and the social worker for one young person commented that this sometimes results in communication with the home being ‘a bit patchy’ and that 'emails are not always being passed on'. One young person said that she prefers the staff who work on one of the shifts and that it is like ‘living with two different families’. The inconsistency that this shift system creates in the care of young people is an area for the registered person to consider further in order to improve standards.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted has received anonymous letters from staff expressing concerns with regard to the care and safety of young people in placement. Throughout this interim inspection, Ofsted inspectors made staff aware that they were on site to discuss any concerns. All staff received letters from Ofsted, regardless of being on shift during the inspection, allowing them five ways in which to contact Ofsted with any concerns. Ofsted has not had any communication from staff other than the positive comments made to the inspectors at the inspection. Staff confirmed that they are confident to whistle blow and can be open with management. One staff member stated, ‘I enjoy working here, no problems at all. I am frustrated that somebody has an axe to grind.’ Another staff member said, ‘Managers listen to you and have done in the past when there’s been problems with other managers.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is no evidence of child protection concerns or poor care for young people. However, the current managerial situation and lack of consistent care for young people means that the service has not, yet, improved in effectiveness.

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to care for up to 21 children and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home offers an on-site college educational facility which is registered with the Department for Education. The majority of the young people attend the college. The home currently offers care for children and young people aged 12 to 19 years.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/09/2016 Full Requires improvement 21/06/2016 Full Inadequate 31/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/01/2016 Full Outstanding

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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.

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that—

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Requirement Due date

(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential (b) promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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 (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 30/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

The register person must for the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained- (a) the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or (b) a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (Regulation 32) 31/03/2017 The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. ( Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 31/03/2017

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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 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.

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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 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

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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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