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

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people enjoy living in the home, they make excellent relationships with staff and feel safe. Great attention is paid to the quality of the living environment, and the available resources to improve young people‟s social and recreational experiences.  There are good working relationships with fellow professionals, including the police and local authority safeguarding officers, and this helps to keep young people safe. Young people are well informed about sources of available help and how they can raise complaints.  Young people receive good quality care from a committed staff team, who are well supported by management and professional therapists.  Young people make excellent progress in their educational attendance and attainment. They are well supported by staff both within the classroom and the home.  Young people are well supported in making transitions to independent living, and there are specialist facilities within the home which increase this

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

support.  There are effective systems, underpinned with clear principles of practice, which support young people‟s behavioural progress.  There is effective internal monitoring of the quality of care, which is conducted by the management of the home. This supports continuous service improvement.  Staff consistently provide a quality of care which is judged as 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard 01/09/2017 The registered person must ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. Specifically, that the majority of staff have attained the QCF Level Three Award. Regulation 13 (2 (c)).

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children‟s home providing care and accommodation for up to eight young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties, and is one of a number of children‟s homes owned by this organisation. The organisation also has a school provision.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 05/05/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/11/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/07/2015 Full Outstanding 05/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Outstanding

The overall experiences and progress of children and young people living in this home are outstanding. There are excellent relationships between staff and young people. One young person commented, “We are like one big family.” Placements are stable and long term, and the staffing structure of teams, working one week on duty, one week off, really gives young people consistency in their lives. One placing authority social worker commented, “The existence of a week-long staff team gives her consistency of care.” Young people actively participate in the day to day running of the home, including cooking, shopping, and gardening. Good quality, framed photographs of the young people are displayed, as well as an achievements board celebrating young people‟s progress and attainments. Staff work with the young people to create personal life story books, which record their time spent in the home. This gives young people a sense of ownership and belonging. The young

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Outstanding

people are actively involved in fundraising activities for local charities and this enhances their sense of social responsibility and citizenship. In addition to the children looked after review meetings, monthly visits by an independent visitor, regular young people‟s consultation groups and key worker sessions within the home give young people an opportunity to raise any concerns, or to comment positively on their care. Young people are encouraged to make choices about such things as future activities, holidays and meals. The home has also made available to young people access to an independent advocacy service. This is an example of good practice. Many of the young people living in the home have had histories of poor educational attendance and attainment. Now all of the young people are in full time education, are progressing well educationally and have aspirations for the future. One placing authority social worker said, “Before being placed here she

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Outstanding

wasn‟t going to school at all, now she is attending full time and doing really well.” Older young people living in the home have clear plans in place to help with transitions to independent living, and the home has a „flat‟ within to support independence training. One young person told the inspector, “The staff are great and are really helping me to make plans for the future. I want to do paediatric nursing and the home took me to find out how to apply for the course. I met with my birth mother last year, I haven‟t seen my mother for 10 years and the staff really helped me to deal with that meeting.” One parent commented, “They have made remarkable changes in her behaviour and she is now attending school. She is very happy there and I can‟t think of anything they could do better.”

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Outstanding

The way that young people are helped and protected in this children‟s home is outstanding. All management and staff working in the home are appropriately trained in the safeguarding of children and young people, and this training is regularly updated. Additionally, all staff are trained in first aid, and in the administration of medication. Young people‟s routine medical needs are well met. Each young person is given a „Health Passport‟ which records illnesses and accidents, inoculations and allergies, and this provides them with key information about their health. Therapeutic support is provided by a clinical psychologist who also provides the staff team with clinical supervision. When necessary young people are referred to external agencies such as children and adolescent mental health services. All of this provision helps to give excellent support for young people, and helps to promote their physical health and emotional wellbeing.

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Outstanding

The home effectively assess young people‟s needs at the time of placement. This is done in collaboration with young people and their families, placing authority social workers, educationalists and other relevant professionals. Placement plans clearly direct how young people‟s needs are to be met. Plans are routinely reviewed. Risk assessments anticipate any areas that staff need to be aware of in the safeguarding of individual young people, and these are effectively updated when necessary. It is notable that staff have to sign and date that they have read each young person‟s placement plan and risk assessments, and this helps to ensure that the needs of a young person are known to each member of staff.

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Outstanding

The home pays great care and attention to the living environment. Health and safety checks, and fire safety checks are routinely carried out and staff receive fire safety training as part of their induction programme. This training is appropriately updated. A locality risk assessment is made in close liaison with the local community police officer, and this is regularly updated. The officer is welcomed by staff and young people and regularly visits the home. Young people said that they view him as a trusted member of the community. The officer effectively supports staff in making young people aware of risks, such as internet grooming, and has worked with them to make an „action pack‟ to give guidance to be followed by staff should a young person go missing. This provides an outstanding level of care which helps to safeguard young people. No young people have gone missing from the home since the time of the previous inspection.

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Outstanding

A key working system is in place which provides young people with the support of a trusted adult. Key workers demonstrate a thorough knowledge of individual young people‟s background, needs and how these needs are to be met. There are excellent relationships between young people and staff, and young people say that they feel safe and happy living in the home. The home also makes available to young people an independent advocacy service who they can contact about any issues of concern they may have about their care. Behaviour management systems are low key and proportionate. Although all staff are trained in the use of physical restraint there have been few occasions when this has needed to be applied. Staff focus on the positive reinforcement of good behaviour. Young people have information on how they may raise complaints, this is also explained to them by key workers.

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Outstanding

Staff vetting and recruitment practices are sound, and supervision of probationary staff is rigorous. This helps to prevent unsuitable people having access to vulnerable young people. Any child protection concerns are immediately shared with the local authority safeguarding officers, and the regulatory body is notified. The designated officer stated that „The home is fully engaged in the safeguarding process.‟

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Outstanding

The impact and effectiveness of leaders and management of this home is outstanding. The Registered Manager is experienced in residential child care work, and is suitably qualified. The Responsible Individual is actively involved in the day to day management of the home, and their regular presence bolsters the effectiveness of the management team. Additionally, senior care staff are appropriately qualified. All staff receive regular individual, and group, supervision. Team meetings occur weekly. Staff report that they feel well led and managed. This provides the young people living in the home with a well-supported and informed staff team. Although effective induction and ongoing staff training programmes are in place, a number of the care staff team have yet to complete the appropriate qualification award for staff working in residential care for children and young people.

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Outstanding

The Statement of Purpose is comprehensive and clearly written, and is kept under annual review. In addition to a well formatted Children‟s Guide, the home has prepared an extensive welcome pack which gives young people full information about the home, including how they can make complaints, or raise any areas of concern. Key workers go through all of these documents and materials with young people to make sure that they understand them. Internal monitoring systems such as monthly independent visitor‟s reports, and the six monthly reviews of the quality of care conducted by the Registered Manager, include consultation with young people, families, placing authority social workers and relevant professional groups. These reports consistently make recommendations for service improvement which are implemented. This promotes positive change and gives young people a real voice in the provision of their care. These reports are sent to the regulatory body in

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Outstanding

a timely way as required by regulation. Additionally, all significant events relating to the welfare and protection of children and young people living in the home are notified to the appropriate authorities.

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Outstanding

Staff know and understand individual young people‟s care arrangements. Key workers particularly so, and a representative from the home always attends young people‟s review meetings and personal education plan meetings with well-prepared reports. Placing authority social workers value highly the excellent communication from the home. One commented, “There is excellent communication from the home, I can always get one of the two key workers who are really well informed about the young person and keep me up to date.” Whilst another social worker from another authority said, “The communication from this home is excellent, and they send me weekly reports. The young person feels safe and happy here and gets on well with staff. The existence of a week-long staff team gives her consistency of care…She is making good progress at school and the communication between school and the home is excellent.” Working proactively and positively with

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Outstanding

other agencies is an example of good practice.

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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 will 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 and 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 have their welfare 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 looked after children 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 result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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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 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 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 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

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

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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