Children's home run by G.V Kids Ltd in Stroud

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people are cared for with warmth and understanding. In this nurturing environment, young people develop positive and trusting relationships.  Young people make good progress from their starting points and engage with education, employment and attendance at clubs. The successful engagement in these positive aspects of a young person’s life results in improved self-esteem.  Boundaries and routines provide structure for young people. The strength of relationships with staff helps young people to communicate their feelings and seek help when they are struggling with their behaviour.  Young people are central to their care planning. With staff support, young people identify how they want help to manage their behaviours and reduce risks. Praise and recognition are the focus from staff.  The passion and enthusiasm of the registered manager are infectious. Staff members report how inspired and motivated they are under her leadership.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Good quality relationships with families and professionals support young people who live in this home. Professionals are complimentary about this home. For example, one professional said, ‘All members of staff who I have met have impressed me with their clear dedication to support difficult and challenging young people.’  This new children’s home is evolving well through effective leadership. Shortfalls are primarily regarding record-keeping and the need to establish systems for the collation of records as they accumulate.

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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

35: Behaviour management policies and records (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 – (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

38: Storage of records etc. The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner – (h) records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint (see regulation 35); (l) records of complaints (see regulation 39). 31/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of the children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, repair or remove the damaged shed at the rear of the house. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The locking of external doors, or doors to hazardous materials, may be acceptable as a security precaution if applied within the normal routine of the home. In particular, review the type of lock to avoid the use of keys. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.62)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: – Detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff

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Recommendations

commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose; – Detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding and health and safety and mandatory qualifications); – Detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; – Detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33(4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation and is registered to provide care and accommodation for four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

This is the first inspection since the home was registered in June 2016.

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Good

Since registration in June 2016, this home has provided care for two young people, on separate occasions. This house provides a warm welcome to young people as it is presented in a family style with en suite rooms and a large garden. Young people like this home and the choice of bedrooms. Young people respond well to the care provided by the manager and the staff team, forming some trusted and secure relationships. Young people receive warmth and kindness from the staff. They are provided with routines and boundaries to assist them in making sense of their lives. The manager and staff team recognise the chaotic, and often traumatic, experiences that young people have had in their early childhood. The manager has a passion for studying young people’s experience of attachment to previous care givers. From this level of assessment, the manager applies her knowledge of attachment theory to form personalised care plans.

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Good

It was not possible to continue to meet the needs of one young person, therefore they moved, with the support of the manager and staff. The manager continues to maintain some contact. At the time of this inspection, one young person was living in this home and plans were underway for another young person to move in. Before the decision is made for young people to come and live here, the manager explores whether the young people are compatible to live together. The manager invites the social workers to meet, to identify any risks and strengths of each young person and how they may impact on each other. This collaborative approach to risk management is an example of excellent practice and provides a strong foundation for care planning. Young people benefit from bespoke timetables for education, and there is a strong emphasis on the importance of education being part of the weekly routine. Young people are making progress in their level of engagement, and, consequently, they

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Good

are learning. This is a significant step for those who have not received full-time education for some time. The manager insists prior to placement that placing authorities either arrange an educational placement in a local school or college, or provide a tutor. To further engage young people with their learning, part-time work in a café has been secured through the provider. This opportunity was very beneficial for a young person who previously had not experienced the success and satisfaction of employment. Young people are integrated into the local communities through activities and attending clubs such as a gym, a music studio and a youth club. Physical exercise is promoted well for young people and they particularly like dog walking in the local countryside. The manager and staff team develop strong partnerships with social care professionals. The manager and staff team have been complimented by a local

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Good

authority for their commitment and achievements in supporting a young person. Parents report positively about this home and the quality of communication they receive about their child. One professional said, ‘The staff are extremely caring and compassionate, whilst also recognising the need to establish clear boundaries in terms of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. Knowing that this place exists fills me with hope and positivity for the youngsters fortunate enough to come under the banner of this home.’

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Good

Young people live in a home where they feel safe and well cared for. As a result of the good relationships young people develop with the manager and the staff team, they recognise the safety that this home provides. Staff are very attentive to the needs of young people. Safeguarding practice is informed well through training, supervision and team meetings. The manager has a strong grasp of risk management, utilising her social work practice skills to good effect. Identified risks are listed with mitigating actions. Young people are centrally involved in the creation of these documents and their subsequent review. Incidents of young people going missing escalated in November and December 2016 for one young person in response to significant peer pressure. Going missing, and other high-risk behaviours such as substance misuse and criminal activity, led to the young person leaving this home. A meeting with the local police led to an agreed protocol on how to respond and

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Good

support the young person at this time. The success of this joint working has led to the manager being proactive and providing the police with a proposed missing protocol for each young person before they come to live at this home. There have been no further incidents of young people going missing since December 2016. Personalised behaviour management plans consider young people’s height, weight and any medical issues. The focus is on de-escalating and defusing behaviour to support young people to feel calm and safe. Young people are encouraged to talk about how staff can help them ‘control the rage’ or similar descriptions to enable them to recognise their range of emotional responses. A social care professional reports that young people are not chastised or judged when damage occurs to the property through their behaviour. Instead, they have observed staff speak with young people and calm them down to enable them to feel safe in the home.

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Good

Staff are trained in managing behaviour and have clear guidance through written documents. There has been one incident of physical intervention, which occurred when a young person was at risk of harming themselves or others. The intervention successfully removed the young person from harm and redirected them to calm down. However, the record of this incident is poor and fails to capture all the information required, such as the location and the effectiveness of having used physical intervention. This incident occurred in the first week of the home being operational and the manager has reflected on the lessons learned from this event. Young people receive support and advice on keeping themselves safe. This covers matters such as safe use of mobile telephones and the internet, road safety and personal safety. Staff are creative to ensure that information is delivered in a way that will engage young people. For example, to discuss self-harm, staff created a

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Good

presentation using a laptop for a young person who enjoys using computers. The content of the presentation was informed by research and resources from a national charity that has safeguarding at the heart of its work. A social care professional reports the following strengths of this home: ‘Consistent messages and boundaries [are] implemented by all staff, actively engaging the young person in a variety of activities, building on their interests as well as developing new ones. [It is] a supportive and nurturing place for young people to reside, […] providing structure and routine which is so often missing with chaotic young people.’ New staff are subject to safer recruitment procedures. References are obtained. However, two references were noted to have minimal content, providing only dates of previous employment. The manager has failed to seek further information, or an additional reference, to inform a more robust assessment of suitability.

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Good

The environment is subject to regular checks for fire safety and the removal of hazards. The garden shed has been damaged and requires repair or removal to improve the safety of the rear garden. The main door to the home is secured at night when young people are settled. The style of lock requires a key and the manager has identified that this is not suitable and potentially restricts young people’s freedom to leave the premises. In balance with ensuring their safety and protection, an alternative style of lock is being sourced. Judgement grade

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Good

The registered manager is a qualified social worker at degree level. She has recently completed a master’s degree. The manager has extensive experience as a social worker in the field of child protection and in managing staff teams. These skills are successfully transferred into managing a residential home. The manager was employed to set up this home and work alongside the provider to prepare for registration with Ofsted. Since being operational in September 2016, the manager has reflected on practice as the policies and procedures have been implemented for the first time with young people. This has led to regular review and adaptations in response to matters as they arise. The passion and enthusiasm of the registered manager are infectious. Staff members report how inspired and motivated they are under her leadership. The manager has appropriately maintained a tight leadership role as the home has

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Good

developed over the past five months. This has provided stability and direction. However, the manager now recognises the importance of empowering team members and delegating tasks. Consultation among the team is central to decision-making. The manager holds team meetings prior to a young person coming to live in this home, to discuss care needs, known risks and how they will be addressed. The manager leads these discussions to encourage staff to consider the emotional impact for young people coming to live here and what impact their previous care experiences may have on their behaviour. Staff report how valuable this is, enabling them to understand how a young person may be feeling and subsequently to adapt their responses to them. When young people move on from this home, the manager arranges a discussion for the staff team to reflect on: What went well? What didn’t go so well? How can this be improved? How are staff feeling? This reflective approach is threaded

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Good

throughout the manager’s style of management in developing the staff team and this children’s home. The induction and training programmes effectively inform the staff team’s learning and development. Staff say that they have been supported well with training and supervision to effectively care for young people. The creative use of watching videos on the internet provides one form of staff training. New staff report how the manager has helped with their understanding of the quality standards for children’s homes by producing a poster mapping out how practice relates to the regulations. An area for development is the storage and collation of records. Currently, the necessary records are available and easy to retrieve due to the low numbers of young people over a five-month period. As the service develops, this will become more difficult without creating some central records to cross-reference to. Young people have made two complaints and these have been resolved to their

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Good

satisfaction. The records relating to complaints are stored in different files and not in one complaint file as specified within the policy. As records are accumulated for this new home, the manager is considering how best to collate them. The staff team reflects a wide range of skills and experiences. Some are new to residential work and report how they benefit from working alongside more experienced colleagues and the strength of team morale. Staff report very positively about the manager. One member of staff said, ‘Supervision with (the manager) is amazing. I find it so helpful to talk things through and not carry them around with you.’ Monitoring systems have included regular review of policies and practice as the home has become operational. Monthly monitoring by an independent visitor provides challenge and rigour in raising standards. To address the isolation of a lone provider, the manager has formed networks with other local children’s homes

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Good

and secured membership of a national organisation. The manager and provider welcome inspection and monitoring visits as they strive for improvement. In addition to monitoring activities, the development of this home is informed through consultation with young people, staff members, professionals, parents and neighbours. Young people are consulted and central to their care arrangements. A good example of consultation is the review of the location assessment that includes the views of neighbours and the young people. Details of the qualifications and experiences of staff and the arrangements for supervision and training can be found in separate documents. It is recommended that a workforce plan is collated to include the matters identified in the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’.

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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 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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