Children's Home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Hertfordshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . The manager has met the requirement and the three recommendations that were raised at the last inspection. No new staff have been recruited since the last inspection and there are no gaps in information in recruitment files for the established staff. The registered manager and a senior manager are reviewing the safe recruitment process, including the verification of employment history. The manager is mindful of safer recruitment processes. This helps to ensure that unsuitable people are not recruited to work in the home. There have been no allegations since the last inspection. The manager has procedures in place to manage allegations and there is independent oversight from the designated officer. The knowledge base of the staff team reflects this. The manager and staff assess concerns carefully to ensure that the children are listened

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

to and safeguarded. The manager makes appropriate notifications to Ofsted when there is a significant incident in the home. There have been no recent notifications. However, the process continues to be transparent, enabling Ofsted to have oversight of serious incidents and any ongoing challenges in the home. Staff undertake room searches when required, to safeguard and protect the children. The records of searches are clear and informative, describing the reason for the search and any items found. The children view and sign the records. This shows that they are aware of the searches. When possible, the children are involved in the searches. This practice promotes children’s dignity and understanding of the staff’s actions. There are five children living at the home, all of whom have lived there for a significant period of time. They respond well to the nurturing relationships that they have developed with the staff. The children know how to complain. They can

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

identify a trusted adult with whom they can share concerns. Three children are engaging well with education and are achieving their individual targets. There is a clear focus in the home for children to engage with education; the staff encourage and support them to do so. The manager is in contact with the virtual school headteacher and the manager challenges the placing authority when there are gaps in education. One child was not attending education and was also missing from the home on several occasions. This has improved significantly following a multi-agency meeting. The manager has worked hard in this area. However, two children are not attending education due to lack of resources in the locality. This does not meet the needs of the children effectively and does not help to improve their outcomes. The children enjoy good-quality and regular contact with their family members, supported by the staff. The children are making appropriate friendships outside the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

home. Their social skills are progressing and they are becoming confident and more resilient. The staff support each child to develop their own individual interests, engaging them with educational trips abroad and utilising a wide range of resources in the home. The children identify their own strengths and likes and dislikes through direct one-to-one work with the staff. Consequently, children have a strong sense of their own identity, and they develop their self-esteem and motivation. A social worker said, ‘He [child] has a really good relationship with staff and feels settled. Staff will advocate for him. He trusts them and when he struggles he will seek them out. The staff have worked with him very well and know him really well.’ A child said, ‘I am really happy here. I am going to school and this is going well for me.’ The children feel well cared for and they have a sense of belonging. At times, there are issues between the children, as they are all teenagers and living

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

in the same house. The staff manage incidents well, using a non-violent resistance approach. This is effective and, consequently, the number of physical interventions is reducing. The approach supports children to talk through the concerns in a clear and child-focused way, which enables them to reflect and make changes to their behaviour. No children have moved into or out of the home since the last inspection. The children are developing their independence skills, to enable them to work towards semi-independence. The staff encourage the children to access public transport, manage money and to engage with cooking tasks. The children enjoy a number of activities, such as paintballing, trampolining and going to the cinema. They have free time, which the staff monitor and review. This enables the children to increase their social skills and build their self-confidence safely. Comprehensive risk assessments reflect the children’s current needs and include

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

updates following incidents. The staff continually assess potential risks, ensuring that sufficient protection is in place for the children. These assessments inform detailed and clear behaviour plans for the children. There is a zero tolerance attitude towards bullying. Bullying incidents are included within behaviour plans and risk assessments. The staff monitor incidents and put actions in place to address negative behaviours. A social worker said, ‘I am aware of the issues. They [staff] are dealing with this and they are managing this well. She [child] is safe and as happy as she can be.’ The incidents of children going missing from the home are reducing. Detailed records include clear oversight from the manager. The staff actively look for children, make continued efforts to keep in touch with them and follow the individual missing-from-home procedures. As a result, the risks are minimised and the children return to the home quickly.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff use positive and negative consequences to reinforce acceptable behaviour. The records of consequences are comprehensive and detailed. The children are involved in this by using a ‘making it right’ book, which clearly outlines the rationale for the consequence and includes the children’s views. However, not all of the records have been subject to management oversight or comment to ensure that the consequences are fair or proportionate. The manager’s monitoring is comprehensive and reflects developments in the home and the children’s progress over the last six months. Information from the therapist, children and education is evident. However, the manager has not included the views of parents and the placing authorities and, therefore, their views have not contributed to the review or subsequent actions to improve the quality of care. There is some damage to a window in the home, caused by a child during an

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

incident. There are clear records of the incident and the ‘making it right’ process is in place. However, the damaged window means that the environment does not look as homely or as welcoming as it should for the children.

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered to accommodate up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

09/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children’s homes are nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9.) This is with particular reference to the replacement of the damaged window.  Ensure that the registered person makes sure that local authorities fulfil their responsibilities in relation to education training for 16-19 year olds, including ensuring that sufficient provision is available to meet their needs and supporting them to participate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.17.) This is with particular reference to two children who are not currently accessing education.  Ensure that the registered person makes provision for all incidents of control, discipline and restraint subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that

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Recommendations

their use is fair. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  Ensure that the registered person has a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2.) This is with particular reference to ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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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 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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