Children's Home run by Portsmouth City Council in Portsmouth

Inspection report children's home: 1239948 1 Registered provider: Portsmouth City 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

The home is managed by a local authority. It provides accommodation for three children, irrespective of gender, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The service was closed for a short period since the last inspection while the local authority reviewed its residential provision. Children are now accommodated again.

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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 outstanding

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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: 8 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Key findings from this inspection

Inspection report children's home: 1239948 2 This children’s home is good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children are forming attachments and developing a sense of identity. Their self- esteem improves and challenging behaviour diminishes. Children learn to accept nurturing care, possibly for the first time in their lives.  Children’s attendance at school improves significantly. They are motivated in their learning.  Children become part of the local community. They learn how to relate to others and behave appropriately. They form friendships, once thought impossible.  Children make good progress in caring for their own health, some from a starting point of severe neglect.  Staff understand the underlying psychological reasons for children’s behaviour. They provide a consistent, solid base for children.  Staff are fully aware of children’s needs. The care they provide is helping children overcome neglect and trauma.  Skilled staff work consistently and collaboratively to meet each child’s needs, putting them at the centre of practice.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leadership and management is excellent. Senior managers make child-centred 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

 No requirements or recommendations are made.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 1239948 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy warm and responsive relationships with staff. They talk to staff about their worries. Some difficult behaviours, seen daily in previous foster care placements, significantly decrease. A placing social worker said, ‘(name of child) is now able to accept nurturing care.’ Children feel attached, often for the first time in their lives, and do not run away. A child bought a birthday card for a member of staff on her own initiative. A child said, ‘I don’t want to leave here.’ Staff stay in touch with children who have left the setting, for example by sending letters and gifts for significant events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff arrange regular appointments, for example a weekly hairdresser’s appointment, so that children feel pampered and valued. Children’s self-esteem increases and they take more interest in caring for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff keep the environment clean and well maintained. Children say they feel safe and comfortable. They feel able to invite friends into their home, including for a sleepover. They invite friends to join in activities. For example, one child invited a friend to accompany her on a theme park trip; previously, this would have been thought impossible. An educational professional said, ‘(name of child) and her friends are getting on so well, from a starting point of not being able to tolerate being together in the same room.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress in their education. From a starting point of little engagement, children now access a full timetable. One child proudly showed the inspector her new school uniform for the next academic year. An education report stated, ‘(name of child) is much more settled now her accommodation is changed, there is a positive shift in attitude toward her education.’ Staff support educational activities out of school, such as helping children in the local library’s summer holiday reading challenge.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff arrange appointments with relevant health professionals. Some children, who have come from a starting point of severe neglect, now receive relevant specialist health treatment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain and staff encourage them to do so. Staff take their concerns very seriously. Children benefit from regular conversations with their key workers. For example, they describe the range of activities they would like to do in the summer holidays. Staff plan these. Children are confident that staff act on their requests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak of the importance of their family to them. They use a variety of ways to see or speak to them, such as supervised contact, inviting them to the home or talking on the phone. Staff support children to see their siblings and other members of their wider family. Inspection report children's home: 1239948 4

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

Children are becoming aware of their difficult and painful feelings and the need to express these more appropriately. Their violent outbursts are decreasing in frequency and intensity. They show an understanding of the impact of their behaviour on others and, on occasion, write letters of apology. Some children agree an acceptable behaviour contract with the local police community support officer. The manager has established an effective restorative culture.

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

On occasion, staff restrain children to protect them. Staff document incidents in accordance with the regulations. Children talk about each incident and understand why staff restrained them. Staff invite them to make a complaint if necessary. They share any concerns raised by the children with the designated officer for safeguarding in the local authority and the county instructor in behaviour management training. Senior managers oversee the process, ensuring that there is transparency and accountability.

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

A clinical psychologist provides a written assessment on the children. Each child’s complex needs are documented and interventions recommended which may help to prevent the development of mental health disorders in later life. Staff have an excellent understanding of the assessment and its implication on practice. They meet regularly with staff from the child and adolescent mental health services, who support children’s psychological needs. Staff are able to discuss the most recent behaviours and their underlying causes. They are able to amend strategies if necessary. For example, staff made a child’s environment safe following a threat to self-harm.

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

Staff are aware of the individual risk assessments and update them regularly. They follow these diligently and prepare for every eventuality. Children successfully access community activities, such as the cinema or cafés. Children are learning how to be responsible and respectful members of society.

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

The manager has a good grasp of issues of safety in the social media world. He protects vulnerable children, who are emotionally immature, through certain restrictions such as not providing access to a smartphone. He agrees strategies with the placing social worker which are in the children’s best interests. These restrictions remain subject to review.

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

Children live in a safe environment. The manager performs all the necessary health and safety checks. Children know how to evacuate the building in the event of an emergency. They join the staff in fire prevention training.

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

By living in this home, children who have suffered severe neglect learn what a safe environment, safe people and safe behaviour looks like. Their life chances increase. Inspection report children's home: 1239948 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A strength of this home is the quality of the staff team, whose members are long serving, qualified and experienced. They demonstrate a high level of enthusiasm for each child placed, putting the children’s needs at the centre of their practice. They share ownership of the strategies to promote the best possible outcomes for each child. A member of staff said, ‘Our staff team are spot on.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Senior managers in the local authority have shown excellent leadership. They have reviewed the provision of residential care, resulting in a change to the statement of purpose. They view residential care as an indispensable option for some younger children. They have recently decided to have one manager whose sole focus is this home. He has made an application to register with Ofsted. He is demonstrating outstanding leadership, providing inspiration and motivation to the staff team during a period of change. Staff speak positively of the changes. They have the highest regard for the manager, citing his focus on placing children at the centre of practice. One staff member said, ‘He gets things done for the sake of the children.’ Another member of staff said, ‘He is the best; he supports staff 100%.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides formal supervision regularly. He understands the emotional impact of work on staff. Staff are able to discuss their own feelings and reflect on their practice. They report that the manager is readily available, even after hours, if there is a significant incident. The head of service for the local authority supports the manager equally well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager updates staff training regularly. He arranges for bespoke training, such as in neuroscience, pertinent to the current needs of children accommodated. He has clear plans for further training, such as in radicalisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has developed detailed admission and matching tools. He considers thoughtfully each referral and assesses whether staff can meet each child’s needs. He actively chases looked-after-child documents to enable him to prepare placement plans. Such plans are succinct, with clear targets, strategies and responsibilities. Children have every chance of a successful placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has effective monitoring systems in place. He reviews the behaviour log regularly and analyses if the strategies are working. He acts on any recommendations from the independent visitor. He notifies significant events to the relevant authorities, including Ofsted. He encourages children to make a complaint if they are unhappy with the approach of professionals directly involved in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has met the requirement and recommendation made at the previous inspection. Staff record restraints appropriately, identify known risks in risk assessments and employ a system to review emergency placements within 72 hours. Inspection report children's home: 1239948 6

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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: 1239948 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Portsmouth City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Head Of Children’s Services, Civic Offices, Portsmouth PO1 2EA

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Inspector

Keith Riley, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 1239948 8 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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