Children's Home, Residential special school run by The Hesley Group Limited in Doncaster

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Thorough independent scrutiny of the home detects shortfalls and omissions, for example medication recording errors and the work required to reduce the number of physical interventions used. This facilitates the ongoing improvement of the quality of care provided to young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has ensured that a number of young people’s home environments have improved, with new furnishings, fittings and decoration. Young people benefit from continued work to advance their communication skills. This provides young people with the ability to better communicate their wishes and feelings and reduce their frustrations. As a result, this may reduce instances of potential declining behaviour. There is a broadening of young people’s experiences of the world around them through new social and leisure activities. This further enhances their everyday life experiences.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff demonstrate a good awareness of safeguarding procedures. Missing from care incidents are rare. Staff follow missing from care protocols. There have been changes to further safeguard a young person through the lessons learned from a recent ‘missing from care’ event.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has implemented the majority of the previous requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. Staff sign the medication administration record immediately after dispensing. This maintains safe procedures and accurate recordings. Staff are recording the specific behavioural information required and requested by the clinical team. This helps in the assessments and progress of particular young people to support staff in providing individual care strategies that better meet their specific needs. Evaluation and clearer recording of the action taken when body map records are required are undertaken. This ensures that senior staff and the health lead appropriately investigate any marks found and noted on young people’s skin to try to account for the occurrence and prevent further incidents.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirement to monitor, review and take action to increase the retention of staff to maintain and provide consistent care to young people has been partially met. There are indicators to show some improvement. However, this is not yet sustained and some concerns have been recently raised about the consistency of core staff teams to support a particular young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Parents and social workers overall report that the staff and management team communicate well with them about young people. This keeps them up to date about the care progress they make.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The majority of young people have good attendance at the on-site school. However, attendance has declined for several young people. This does not fully promote their learning and educational achievement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is prompt investigation of complaints. Records detail the action taken and, in the main, the outcome of the complaint. However, there are deficits. Aspects of the outcomes of a complaint are not clearly detailed. The records do not demonstrate that all of the points and practice issues arising from the complaint have been followed up and addressed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Suitable action has been taken to safeguard a young person when a dangerous incident required the intervention of the police and fire service. However, the manager has failed to report this serious event to Ofsted. This is not in line with the requirements of the regulation.

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Information about this children’s home

This service, run by a company, is a residential special school. Care and accommodation are provided for up to 32 young people with complex needs and learning disabilities, including autistic spectrum disorder.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 07/06/2016 Full Good 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/11/2015 Full (aligned) Requires improvement 16/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if: a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation: an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. a child protection enquiry involving a child: (i) is instigated; or (ii) concludes there is any other incident relating to a child, which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4) ( a) (b) (c) (d) (i) (ii) (e)) 28/06/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Regulation 39 sets out the requirement on the registered person to have a complaints procedure. Children must be aware of this procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.13)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that the full action taken and outcome are detailed in the records, especially when and how practice issues are addressed with staff.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1) In particular, continue to monitor and evaluate staff retention and take action to maintain stable staff teams who will ensure that young people receive consistent care and establish secure relationships and attachments.

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Recommendations

In particular, every effort should be made to support young people to attend school to ensure that they have full attendance, giving attention to reducing barriers to learning.

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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 whom 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

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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