Children's home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Dacorum

Inspection report children's home: SC400301 1 SC400301 Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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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 local authority home provides care and accommodation for up to five children aged between 11 and 18 years 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: 2 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff have built positive relationships with the children. These relationships are helping the children to make positive changes to their behaviour.  The children have an active voice at the home. The staff incorporate the children’s views into all aspects of the running of the home, such as activity Inspection report children's home: SC400301 2 planning and redecoration.  Children are reducing the number of missing-from-home episodes, and they are learning how to keep themselves safe.  The children, some of whom were school refusers, are attending and engaging in their education programmes and schooling.  The staff actively encourage the children to recognise the negative effect of bullying each other. The episodes of bullying are decreasing.  The managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. They are actively addressing the areas that they believe need improvement.

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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 independent visitor’s monthly report has not been submitted to Ofsted consistently.  A number of the home’s health and safety risk assessments have not been reviewed in accordance with the timescales specified in the home’s policies.  Fire testing is not being conducted at the frequency specified in the home’s policies.  Some of the records sampled during the inspection, such as the bullying log, do not match the incidents that have been recorded as bullying in the children’s files. Other records have incomplete entries and do not have the relevant staff member’s and/or manager’s signature.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/10/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC400301 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 31/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) This is with particular reference to conducting weekly fire alarm tests and reviewing the home’s health and safety risk assessments.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) This is with particular reference to ensuring that the staff fully complete entries, ensuring that the central logs match the individual records and that the staff and/or manager, as applicable, sign these records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some areas of the home have been redecorated and refurnished. The staff encourage the children to personalise their bedrooms and the wall in the corridor that surrounds their bedroom doors. Some of the children’s walls have been painted in their chosen colour and decorated with themed stickers and items of their choice, such as horses and cars. This personalisation shows that the children have an active say in the way their home looks and feels.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and another child has moved into the home. The manager ensured that the child’s move out occurred quickly and sensitively, in accordance with the needs and plans for that child. Inspection report children's home: SC400301 4 The child who moved into the home did so as part of a planned transition from another home. Although it was an internal move, the manager completed a compatibility assessment to assess the suitability of the child moving in with the current group of children. This assessment enabled the manager to pre-empt and plan for any foreseen difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The interactions between the children and the staff are mutually respectful, and their conversations contain a lot of humour. The staff often use humour and their relationships with the children to de-escalate situations. The staff help the children to identify strategies that help them to self-regulate and to manage their emotions. A social worker said, ‘[Child] has significant learning needs and he is learning techniques to manage his emotions.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been numerous disagreements between the children. On occasions, these disagreements have included an element of bullying. The staff have addressed these incidents appropriately. The staff have undertaken link sessions and conversations with the children about their interactions with each other and the negative effects of bullying. As the children become more familiar with each other these episodes are reducing. Although the staff have recorded these episodes of bullying in the children’s individual records, they have not noted all of the incidents in the central record, which could give rise to a lack of clarity about the incidents that have occurred in the home. A child who has been the subject of bullying said, ‘I can speak to any of the staff and they do help.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children, supported by staff as necessary, have regular contact with their families. Family members are positive about the contact, and about the active role that the staff play in facilitating this. A relative said, ‘[Child] is more relaxed living there. We now have better communication when she visits.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children attend local schools and education projects. The home has worked with the virtual school to arrange a bespoke education programme for a child who was recently permanently excluded from school. A child spoke positively about his weekly work experience days, and he described the professions that he wishes to pursue in the future. This child recognises the importance of attending education and how this has improved since he moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff actively seek the children’s views on matters at the home, and their suggestions for outings. The children participate in a variety of activities, which include local trips and visits to the seaside. The staff have recently taken two children on a day trip to Dublin. A child spoke positively about a pending theatre trip.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children attend their routine health appointments and specialist medical appointments. The staff have been proactive in working with health professionals to have one of the children reassessed, which has led to a medical diagnosis. This child is now much calmer and he has greatly reduced his negative behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged by the staff to take age-appropriate responsibility for Inspection report children's home: SC400301 5 themselves in aspects such as being able to use their phones and the internet safely. The children are gradually increasing their free time in the community. Two children who have recently turned 16 are starting to work towards their semi-independence targets, to enable them to enhance their life skills in readiness for adult life and independent living.

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

The children’s risk assessments are comprehensive. The staff regularly update the assessments with the details of any new concerns or behaviours. This action addresses the requirement made at the previous inspection. A social worker spoke positively about how the staff have worked with a child to reduce some unwanted behaviours. She said, ‘The staff dealt with it seriously and sensitively and ensured that they were safeguarding him and others.’

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

The staff updated some of the health and safety risk assessments when new concerns arose. However, many of the assessments have not been reviewed at the frequency specified in the home’s policy. This prevents the staff from working with a consistent awareness of current health and safety risks and concerns.

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

The staff conduct fire drills and evacuations at the expected frequency. However, the records of the weekly alarm tests indicate that the staff are conducting these fortnightly, which is not in line with the home’s policy.

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

There had been an increase in the number of missing-from-home episodes. These episodes include occasions when the children have gone missing from the home together. Many of the absences are late returns but, due to the vulnerability of the children, the staff have to report them as missing. The staff are working closely with the children to help them to recognise the potential risks at which they place themselves. The children are engaging with this work and the number of missing-from-home episodes have greatly reduced over recent weeks.

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

The use of physical intervention is very low as the staff use their rapport with the children to de-escalate situations successfully. The staff are trained in the use of physical interventions and they use the techniques safely when needed.

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

There have been some episodes of bullying behaviour at the home. The staff work with the children to ensure that this behaviour stops immediately and that the children involved take ownership for their part in any incidents. The frequency of these incidents has reduced.

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

The staff do not have safeguarding concerns about any of their colleagues. The staff spoken to during the inspection were very clear about how they would report any concerns should this change. The children were able to identify staff with whom they would speak about any worries or concerns that they may have.

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

The staff all undertake safeguarding training, which includes identifying children who are Inspection report children's home: SC400301 6 at risk of child sexual exploitation. The staff have access to an online Prevent Duty training course, to help them to recognise and work with children who may be at risk of radicalisation. These courses help the staff to work confidently with an awareness of current concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is currently undertaking the level 5 qualification. The staff described the manager and his deputy as leading by example, supportive and approachable, and willing to listen.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team remains largely unchanged, with only one new staff member and one leaver who is on secondment for a year. The new member of staff spoke positively about the home and her induction programme, and the support that she has been offered by the staff and manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular, reflective supervision which includes discussions about their work, their progress, the children and the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff undertake mandatory training, as defined by the home, and the necessary refresher courses. This ensures that the staff are working with current knowledge of relevant topics and legislation. With the exception of the two newest care staff, the staff all hold a relevant level 3 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They use a system that charts the children’s achievements and progress and produces the figures in graphics. The charts help the children to see their progress in aspects such as school attendance, sanctions and rewards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers use a combination of monthly file audits and the independent visitor’s reports to drive up the standards of record-keeping at the home. Although this has led to significant improvement, some of the records are incomplete and need signing by the staff and/or a manager. There has been some confusion about the use of the children’s ‘conversation’ versus ‘link session’ books, which has led to gaps in the records. These issues mean that, at times, there is a lack of clarity about the work undertaken with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor’s reports are not consistently submitted to Ofsted. This does not provide Ofsted with a current view of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The feedback from professionals and parents is positive. It describes good partnership working. Professionals hold the view that the children are making progress because of the work of the team at the home. The comments from external professionals include:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

 ‘The staff work well with us. I can’t fault them.’ Inspection report children's home: SC400301 7  ‘[Child’s] anxieties have settled and he has made good progress. We have no plans to move him until he is 18.’  ‘They [staff] are brilliant. [Child] is safe there.’

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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 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: SC400301 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Apsley One, Brindley Way, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP3 9BF

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Inspector

Sonia Hay, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC400301 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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