Children's home run by SES Avocet Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 1 SC063259 Registered provider: SES Avocet Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered for up to eight boys aged eight to 14 years on admission. It is registered as a children’s home because it provides 52-week placements. Education and administration facilities are on-site and separate from the living areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff deliver optimum care to children with highly complex backgrounds.  Care is seamlessly linked to education, providing a holistic approach that Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 2 encompasses many learning styles.  Children are able to attend and engage in learning, building their knowledge in core subject skills that facilitate life choices and further education.  Care planning is bespoke and staff are exceptionally creative in overcoming barriers to children’s progress.  The established staff team has a significant range of experience and skills.  Consistent and well-qualified staff provide continuity of care and core stability, enabling children to form attachments.  Safeguarding procedures are embedded in practice. A strong leadership team prioritises the welfare and safety of children.  Admissions and transitions are planned with expertise and a comprehensive analysis of needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The development structure looks at the impact and outcomes for children. This ensures focus and drive in targeted areas.  Good organisational support and ample resources enable staff to provide consistently outstanding care for children.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/04/2016 Full Outstanding 29/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/05/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children who have experienced significant trauma flourish while living in this home. They benefit from an ordered and relaxed family-style living environment, extremely good education, exciting activities and holidays abroad. Children benefit from therapeutic and psychological expertise. They have a purpose, lead busy lives, enjoy learning and are proud of their accomplishments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff are skilled and adept at building relationships with the children. Interactions observed during the inspection were relaxed and in the children’s preferred communication style. The staff provide excellent role models in the form of open communication and upholding boundaries to ensure the stability of the group. The children trust staff explicitly and follow their example. A social worker said, ‘I can talk to him [child] now. He expresses his views and wishes and has developed some internal coping [strategies] from the stability provided.’ A visitor observed, ‘I came away hugely impressed. The care that they give is fabulous. The staff are calm and soothing.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Parents and social workers reiterate that the sharing of information and the rapport with the staff in the home are exceptionally good. Feedback sought from a combination of professionals and parents confirms that communication with the home is excellent. The partnership working provides consistency and clarity, helping the children to know what to expect and to feel secure in this knowledge. The staff create regular opportunities for parents to become involved in the children’s care and education. One parent said, ‘Every other Friday we attend an educational activity with him [child] and we love it.’ Another parent said, ‘We think it’s absolutely brilliant. All of the staff seem really good. We are over the moon, our family is starting to recover.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children all attend the learning centre that is part of the home. This is hugely successful with overall attendance of 95%. This provides a holistic approach that intrinsically links education and care. The bespoke curriculum has a learning programme that is highly individualised and incorporates children’s skills and interests. This reintroduces children to learning. From this starting point, numeracy, literacy and reading are introduced. A social worker said that this approach fits, ‘better with his [child’s] attention. They [staff] can keep him engaged.’ Another social worker said of the education, ‘It’s entirely tailored to the child’s needs.’ The provision of planned curricular fun enhances children. Developing children’s existing interests helps the children to have confidence in their own ability and to enjoy learning. There is a wide range of vocational and physical activities on the timetable that meet each child’s learning style. The children

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

are stimulated and enthusiastic, they have aspiration and ambition for their futures. Several social workers spoke about the joint approach. One said, ‘I have found that the one-team approach is so helpful and the consistency has benefited [the children].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The community-style living prompts open dialogue. The children are actively encouraged to share their views. Recently, the children have decided that the house meetings will be held every two weeks with short notice meetings arranged if required. Target meetings Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 4 with link staff ensure that children share their goals. For example, getting a new bike, going to France or enjoying a theme park trip. Staff are highly organised in the promotion of each child’s rights. They ensure that statutory visits take place, and they facilitate long-distance contact with family. Staff have a resourceful and proactive approach. One parent said, ‘This is his second home, and he knows that they have his best interests at heart.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children benefit enormously from living in the large detached family-style home. The home sits in an idyllic rural location at the edge of a village in the heart of the countryside. The house is surrounded by established gardens with a fire pit, goal posts, pavilion and a learning centre in the grounds. The children benefit from active and healthy lifestyles. Most bedrooms have superb views over the gardens and surrounding fields providing an uplifting and tranquil feel. Bedrooms are decorated to the child’s taste and preferences. The bedrooms are highly individual and designed with creative interior decor, which the children truly value. The house is light and homely, providing a comfortable environment with ample space for children to have privacy and live communally. The conservatory runs the length of the house, linking the house and garden seamlessly and providing a base for parties, themed nights, games and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

celebration meals. For example, an 80s night with fancy dress, a three-course meal, music and games. During the inspection, the enthusiasm and excitement generated by staff and relished by the children brought the house alive in the anticipation of a fun- filled evening.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Admission to and transition from the home are planned in meticulous detail. The plans incorporate several visits to the home by the child and visits to the child’s existing placement by the staff. On arrival, children are supported by their designated key staff team. Prior to admission, an education psychologist compiles information from all other sources including school reports, the manager’s referral assessment and the child’s case history. This information provides an informed pen picture, giving a fundamental base from which the staff can plan a bespoke care package. A social worker said, ‘The transition planning was excellent. This move was completely coordinated.’ The development of a wide range of life and domestic skills supports children’s transitions exceptionally well. This includes using public transport, helping with maintenance around the house, cleaning, money management, shopping and cooking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The completion of this programme supports the acquisition of life skills and accumulates funds to support each child’s future. This supports children to move from the home equipped with the resources and skills that would be provided by a loving family.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The identification and management of risks in regard to the children in this home are superb. A social worker said that the systematic assessment of risks is key to incident reduction and keeping the child safe. Each child’s risk analysis is reviewed following incidents and on a monthly basis. The risk management plans are clear, concise and updated without exception. Staff use these to plan activities and to inform shift planning. Excellent planning and good consideration given to each of the children’s presenting Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 5 needs maintain a proactive and careful approach. This facilitates individual choices for children balanced with minimising risk. There are no incidents of children going missing from the home, no self-injurious behaviours or children at risk of child sexual exploitation. The children are not at risk of radicalisation. There are no external influences or children subject to beliefs that develop

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

a radical approach. The teaching proactively upholds British values and explores the children’s understanding and beliefs. The staff remain vigilant and understand their roles through the ‘Prevent’ duty training included within the safeguarding training.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Bullying is not a concern. The home ‘community’ has daily discussions and staff have immediate oversight of any group tensions. This means that issues are caught early, which prevents escalation.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

There is a high number of restrictive physical interventions. The manager’s analysis of these shows that these are reducing for each child, with one exception. The records of these incidents are examined carefully. Trends show peaks that link clearly to situations that cause the children stress or anxiety. The recognised holds used are guided by trained staff and the records show that these are justified to ensure children’s safety. Managerial overview and monitoring of these are extremely robust. The overall pattern is that these holds eventually reduce. Reparation for behaviour is carefully considered. The records of reparation are monitored accurately to ensure that patterns are examined and staff practice is restorative. This consistently supports the ethos of the home. The records show that the reparations link well to incidents. There is a restorative, non-punitive approach shared by all staff. This is

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

based on an in-depth understanding of children’s history and the impact of their past experiences. This means that when behavioural issues arise, children can make a positive contribution or participate in conflict resolution. This helps children to learn from mistakes, trust in staff and reflect on their actions. This affects positive change. The staff are all trained in safeguarding and this training is regularly updated. The staff are clear in their knowledge and confident to instigate the home’s policy and procedure. There has been one child protection referral since the last inspection. Careful recording and details of the exact chronology demonstrate that the manager has taken action quickly, reported appropriately and followed up concerns tenaciously. This ensures that children are robustly safeguarded. A sample of recent recruitment files demonstrates a robust and thorough approach to safe recruitment. This includes obtaining three references for new applicants, probing

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

questions that build a picture of the character and a record of the history of each applicant. This stringent process and good professional curiosity provide information about aspects of applicant’s lives, their beliefs and their employment history. This has resulted in a professional team that shares the home’s ethos. Staff willingly go above and beyond their roles and they fully understand how to safeguard children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The environment is safely managed and maintained. Fire prevention work is regular and meaningful. There have been five fire drills in the last year. The manager monitors the summary of evacuation drills and ensures that all children have taken part. There is a Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 6 creative and well-thought-out approach to setting up different scenarios to measure how staff respond in a range of different situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A dynamic and innovative leadership team leads the home. The registered manager is highly experienced, long serving and qualified to level 4. She works cohesively with the senior leaders to manage a home that is consistently high performing and has a continual drive to improve. The registered manager works alongside the principal and head of education cohesively, resulting in an approach that is expertly coordinated and a provision that is seamless.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager monitors the progress and outcomes for each child using established systems. It is clear from each child’s starting point that they make considerable progress and thrive in this home. Carefully developed systems capture data that evidences the positive influence that the home has had on children’s lives. The manager is adept at making changes and reviewing practice. This ensures that each child receives optimum care that is accurately designed to meet their assessed needs. The staff team in this home is long serving and established. The home has a gold award for Investors in People. Good tracking of staff absence and patterns is established practice and promotes continuity of care for each child. The staff well-being committee provides activities and resources to ensure the comfort of the staff and maintain good morale. New staff either provide the same committed energy or leave. There is an open

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

culture of discussion and reflection. Staff willingly exceed their roles, going above and beyond what is expected to make a difference to children’s lives. The rotas work well. There are few staffing changes and the staff are highly valued. Individual expertise and opinion are sought and utilised exceptionally well. This has resulted in a skilled, confident team that exudes enthusiasm and energy. Extensive development plans are compiled with all children and staff. Children’s involvement is tailored to their level of ability and concentration. There is an extensive document for the next two-year period and evidence of how the previous objectives have been met. The approach is innovative and creative. The manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Plans are aspirational and ambitious. Practice is research-based and internal review is systematic. Overall, there is a shared ethos of high aspiration, positive outlook and high expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

External monitoring visits support the extensive and robust internal monitoring conducted by the manager. Monitoring is regular and the visitor is reported to be extremely good with children and always seeks their views. He is familiar and unobtrusive, observing children without raising their concern. Children’s views are actively sought in a number of ways. This is part of daily practice. Children’s meetings take place and the culture of this home is that children are empowered and supported to make their views known. As they grow in confidence and develop emotional language they willingly share their ideas and plans. This builds valuable life skills. Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 7 There are no recent complaints and none since the last inspection. The records show that previously the complaints recorded have been carefully responded to and an outcome recorded. There is, however, an abundance of positive feedback. Comments

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

from parents and social workers include:  ‘Communication is brilliant with the school and home. We feel that [the home] is outstanding in all areas.’  ‘I can speak to the manager or headteacher at any time. There is excellent information sharing.’  ‘I would recommend them [the home] to any local authority.’

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 8

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Inspector(s)

Deirdra Keating: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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