Children's Home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report children’s home: SC450728 1 SC450728 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes 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 is a private children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 11 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC450728 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people benefit from living in a stable home.  Young people have established trusting relationships with staff.  Young people are making academic progress.  Young people are benefiting from therapy, which is having a positive impact upon their emotional well-being.  Young people’s wishes and feelings are heard, giving them a sense of belonging and inclusion about their life decisions.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager needs clear oversight of the records to ensure that they reflect the practice within the home.  The staff team needs further guidance around the medication procedures.  The manager needs to ensure that staff receive supervision.  Although the decoration of the home is to a good standard, there are areas that require maintenance to maintain a welcoming environment.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/10/2016 Full Good 04/01/2016 Full Good 26/08/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC450728 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. In particular the registered person must ensure that – medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and for no other child; and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(b)(c)) 23/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 23/06/2017

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is with particular reference to the repair and redecoration of young people’s bedrooms and additional areas of the home that have evident damage. It was also evident that the downstairs toilet facilities had no lock fitted.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62,

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Recommendations

paragraph 14.4) This is with particular reference to the completion of key-work sessions and daily key communications. In addition, the detail of recording within the young people’s risk assessments should reflect the progress that the young people have made. Inspection report children’s home: SC450728 4  Records must be kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36 (schedule 3(14)). This information should be shared with the placing authority and, where appropriate, with the child’s parents. Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (see paragraph 15.2). (‘Guide the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31) This is with particular reference to

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Recommendations

staff creating a clear record of the decision if a child is deemed missing or absent In addition, the registered manager needs to record their oversight upon these records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people experience care that provides them with a sense of safety and stability. Young people are helped and nurtured by a committed and caring staff team. One young person reported that they are ‘homesick’ while away from the home. Young people build trusting relationships with staff. This is supported by a long-standing and stable staff team. The quality of relationships is excellent, and each staff member brings different strengths and qualities that suit the needs of the young people. These trusting relationships have resulted in one young person going with staff to the swimming pool after initially having a fear of water. Young people’s wishes and feelings are heard, and they are involved in decisions about their lives and the home. For example, young people are involved in the decoration of the home and are actively contributing to the garden project. In addition, young people are supported to contribute to their looked after reviews. This helps them to explore

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

their progress and outcomes. Young people are helped to make significant progress in respect of their behaviours. Young people have developed the ability to regulate their emotions and are now able to apologise to staff after they have displayed aggressions. One young person reports: ‘I don’t feel like I have a bad temper anymore and the care team are always there to talk to when I’m in a bad mood.’ Young people are succeeding both academically and socially within education and are striving towards their future targets. The staff team continually supports the young people to gain the most from their education and helps the young people to set realistic goals. One young person is now the headteacher’s ambassador, as the school recognises her development. Another young person is planning to attend college. Young people’s physical and emotional health needs are given high importance to achieve optimum changes. The staff quickly recognise and respond to the young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

people’s evolving health concerns and ensure that their needs are addressed and met. Inspection report children’s home: SC450728 5 However, staff do not always administer young people’s prescribed medication as directed, and the records are not always reflective of this. Young people’s engagement with therapy is positive. This enables them to discuss their thoughts and gain guidance and build strategies, which is helping their well-being. In addition, staff work in collaboration with the therapist to enable further understanding and development around the young people’s needs. Young people enjoy a broad range of activities and are actively involved in planning for future trips. One young person has a planned trip to Disneyland Paris. Young people are helped to build upon their skills to support future independent living. The manager has identified that although young people are making progress within

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

these tasks, it is important that staff do not to miss the opportunity to provide nurture for the young people. One young person said ‘Since I have been on independence, staff care for me is changing. I miss them popping up with a cup of tea, just to see how I am.’ The young people live in a home that is warm and welcoming. However, due to the challenging behaviours that the young people can present, damage to the home is visible. In addition, there is water damage on one young person’s bedroom ceiling, and a downstairs toilet has no lock. These elements detract from an otherwise excellent environment for the young people.

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

Young people are helped to keep themselves safe. Young people’s risk-taking behaviours are reducing, and although young people still present some negative behaviours the frequency and severity is lessening. For example, young people have a greater understanding of how to keep themselves safe on social media, and openly ask staff for guidance. One young person’s social worker said: ‘Previously she would not have an understanding about the risks online.’ Young people are forming appropriate friendships and relationships. Staff support the young people through supervision, guidance and education around healthy relationships. This has enabled young people to enjoy going to the cinema and on trips with their friends and boyfriends. Staff understand young people’s vulnerabilities fully. Staff work effectively with relevant agencies to formulate plans and strategies to promote the safety and well-being of young people. For example, young people’s risk to themselves is taken seriously, and

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

staff implement measures to reduce and prevent young people from experiencing harm. However, the risk assessments do not always reflect the young people’s current risks and vulnerabilities. This makes it difficult for staff to keep young people safe and implement appropriate strategies. Young people have a good relationship with staff and actively engage in conversations. The staff promote Sunday as ‘family day’, and the young people and staff all enjoy good- quality time together. One professional reported: ‘Young people feel safe, secure and loved’. In addition, one young person reported: ‘When staff complete their night-time Inspection report children’s home: SC450728 6 security checks in the home it provides me with a sense of safety.’ Missing episodes are minimal. However, records of such incidents do not always clarify whether a young person is missing or absent and do not always include management

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has recently left the home. An interim manager has been appointed from within the provision. She has a wealth of experience and her appointment was a well-thought-out decision. Although she is a new manager, she is aware of the strengths and areas for development within the home. She has many ideas and wants to develop the use of research to influence staff practice. The interim manager is ambitious and has a clear ethos and vision, which she is sharing with her team. She is influencing the thought process and practices of the staff team members so that they can make a real difference to the lives of the young people. A staff member reported: ‘Small things can make a big difference.’ The interim manager and staff team have a clear understanding of the progress that the young people are making. The interim manager has routinely invested in the young people and is insightful to the experience and qualities that each staff member brings to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

their care. Partnership working is a strength of the home. Professionals speak highly of the communication with staff. They report that the staff are proactive in working together to support the young people. A professional said: ‘This is a very good provider. There is nothing more they could do.’ Leaders and managers are actively challenging the local authority regarding the delays on actions that impact upon the needs of the young people. For example, leaders have challenged the delay to allocate a young person an advocate. New staff undergo core induction training. This is effective in ensuring that they are equipped and knowledgeable around the key practices within the home. However, although there have been developments within supervision practice, staff are not receiving regular supervision. This is a missed opportunity for the manager to analyse the staff members’ strengths and areas of development within care practices.

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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 differences 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC450728 7 making for the children and young people whom 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: SC450728 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge, Halifax HX6 4DH

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC450728 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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