Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Oxfordshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 1 SC482296 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children‟s Services 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 privately owned children‟s home that provides care and accommodation for up to eight children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The organisation‟s school is located on site.

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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 good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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: 8 November 2016

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 2

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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

 Staff and children develop excellent relationships.  Children‟s emotional well-being improves considerably and they make excellent progress in all areas of their lives.  Children‟s attendance at school is exceptionally high and their learning improves significantly.  Direct work with children is of a very high quality.  The manager is passionate and competent. The manager and staff know each child and his needs extremely well.  The manager leads the staff team exceptionally well.  Staff work highly effectively with each other to support children‟s progress.  The environment is exceptionally nurturing and of the highest quality.

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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

 Not all of the children‟s care plans are updated in a timely manner.  A review of the reward system would make it more aligned to the restorative practice approach.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2016 Full Outstanding 21/04/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/12/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/09/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 3

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Recommendations

 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 to the children‟s home‟s regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 14.4) In particular, ensure that all elements of children‟s care plans are updated in a timely way.

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation („Guide to the children‟s home‟s regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.3) In particular, ensure that the record is made in a timely way and includes details of the discussion and any actions required.

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Recommendations

 Consider revising the behaviour management policy to ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature. („Guide to the children‟s home‟s regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children grow and develop exceptionally well in all areas of their lives. One social worker said that the child she works with has made incredible progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The assessment processes for considering referrals ensure that the group of children are well suited to live together. The arrangements for children to move into the home are exceptionally well thought through. Children are welcomed into the home through a series of pre-placement visits. Children already living in the home act as mentors. A new child visited the home during the inspection, and it was apparent that the kindness and sensitivity of the mentors helped him to relax. He left the home excited about his next visit. He said that he had made some friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children develop good relationships with staff who love and respect them and cater for their diverse needs exceptionally well. Children become exceptionally fond of the staff. During the inspection, children told individual members of staff that they love them and Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 4 staff gave them a hug. A social worker said that the child she works with struggles to develop relationships and went on to say, „Staff are very good at helping him develop relationships. They are aware of his under-current feelings and try and help him link into them and talk about them.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make friendships with their peers. There are arguments between children but these are quickly sorted out. Children are usually willing to make amends quickly. While children may not always agree with each other, they learn to respect other people‟s opinions and needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are cared for in line with their individual care plans. Targets are clearly set out in the plans, and direct work with children to achieve these is skilfully undertaken and of a very high quality. A social worker spoke about how, when an incident has occurred, staff talk through the situation with the children. She went on to say, „They break down the steps for them so they know what they need to do.‟ Another said, „Staff are brilliant. They are really in tune with children‟s needs.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children actively participate in making decisions about day-to-day and more complex issues in their lives. Staff listen to children and consider their views. When a child‟s wishes cannot be met, staff are very skilled at helping them to understand why this is. When children complain, their complaint is dealt with effectively. Children know their views have been listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make significant progress in their educational attendance and attainment. Staff have high aspirations for each child and take a very strong interest in their educational progress. Staff give children excellent support to help them with their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are healthy and attend all routine health appointments. Staff work closely with mental health professionals in relation to children‟s emotional and psychological well- being. The organisation provides a range of professionals to support children‟s emotional well-being. For example, an integrated psychodynamic therapist and a life story worker both work directly with children. An external mental health professional working with a child said, „Staff provide excellent care. I am very impressed.‟ Over the past 12 months, five children have made such excellent progress in their emotional well-being that, as a result, they have been able to move into family placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There is an impressive range of activities to keep children busy, both in the home and in the community. Children choose the activities they take part in, such as swimming or football clubs. They learn new skills and have fun. Taking part in charity fund raising has helped children to develop a strong sense of community spirit and responsibility for others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support children exceptionally well to maintain or rebuild relationships with their families. Staff understand children‟s needs and anxieties and will accompany children to visit their families when needed. Parents trust staff because they are treated with sensitivity and respect. Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 5 Care planning is geared to help children to develop more independent living skills. The aim is for them to take responsibility for various aspects of their lives and of the group living arrangements. For example, children learn to take care of their personal hygiene needs and to care for the animals living in the grounds. They help staff with car maintenance and the cooking, cleaning and all other aspects of family life. Children are learning valuable life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The majority of children move from the home into a family placement. This is a direct result of the progress they have made while living in the home. The direct work with children, including life story work, helps them to come to terms with their histories and move forward to their future lives and opportunities. The transition arrangements for children moving on are extremely well planned and sensitively undertaken. Staff support the child and their foster carer exceptionally well so that the child has the best start in his new placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

When children move on from the home, even as a result of the home no longer meeting their needs, staff work hard to make the ending positive, celebrating the child‟s time at the home with a party. Once the child has moved, the staff continue to offer support to the child and carer for as long as this is needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children who have moved on keep in contact with staff. Some of these children moved out some years ago and are now young adults. This shows that children develop a strong sense of belonging and long-lasting relationships with staff.

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

Safeguarding children and child protection is of a high quality in this home. Children are very comfortable in their surroundings and relationships with staff. They talk to staff about their worries and fears. A professional said, „He (the child she works with) uses the home as a safe base.‟

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

There is a strong approach taken to risk management. Risks are identified, assessed and managed effectively, with other professionals when required. Through this work, children are enabled to begin to take age-appropriate responsibility for their own safety. Children do not go missing from this home, in part due to the high supervision levels. However, should this happen, staff understand the protocol they should follow. Children who are at risk of self-harm are well supported through the risk management systems. Children who show inappropriate sexualised behaviour are also supported well through effective risk management that keeps all living in the home safe and through direct work with them.

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

Bullying incidents are always taken seriously and addressed effectively. Staff are highly alert to discriminatory behaviour. They always challenge discrimination and monitor relationships to ensure that incidents are recognised and addressed.

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

Children have access to the internet. Effective safeguards are in place to ensure that children are kept safe from the risks that the internet and social networking pose. Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 6 Children are clear about the rules for using the internet and generally follow these.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted. Staff have an innate sense about issues that are evolving between children. A social worker said, „Staff are like a “tag team”. They are on alert at all times but in a subtle way, and they address things before they become a bigger issue.‟ Staff use the individual behaviour management strategies and their knowledge of the children to immediately diffuse situations. The recent introduction of restorative practice is having a positive effect. Children are learning to take responsibility for their actions, and they have developed empathy for the other person‟s situation.

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

There is a well-established reward system that children know well and fully engage in. This would benefit from revision to ensure that it is in line with the restorative practice approach now used as an alternative to sanctions. Staff are trained and competent in using physical interventions. These are only used when absolutely required to keep a person or property safe.

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

There is a long-standing relationship with the local community police officer. He is a regular visitor to the home. He sometimes visits and has a cup of tea with the children. At other times, his visit is more formal to deliver sessions to the children about issues such as using the internet safely.

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

Staff know what to do if they suspect there is a risk to a child. Any safeguarding or child protection concerns are referred to the local authority safeguarding officer for investigation. The staff support the investigation and the child to ensure that children‟s best interests are upheld.

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

The geographical area where the home is situated is assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure that any risks in the local community are minimised. The environment of the house is very well maintained and kept safe through regular health and safety checks.

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

Staff working with the children have been thoroughly vetted to make sure that they are suitable and competent people to be working with young children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leaders and managers of the home are skilled, highly committed and passionate about their work with the children. They are dedicated to improving the lives of children and providing them with the best opportunities to achieve success.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a hands-on approach to the work and this ensures that she knows each child exceptionally well. It also means that she is fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She addresses any requirements or recommendations made at inspections quickly. She gains and uses children and other stakeholders‟ views in development planning effectively. Her approach to development is ambitious and highly successful. External monitoring arrangements complement the manager‟s development and monitoring activities. Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 7 Staff are as passionate as the manager. Staff are confident and highly competent in their work. Staff work exceptionally well together and are strong advocates for children. A professional said, „Staff‟s knowledge of the children is in depth and they are reflective.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Work in the home is underpinned by a clear and comprehensive statement of purpose. This sets out the home‟s aims and objectives and they ways in which they will be met. The home operates in line with its statement of purpose. Children have a guide to life in the home, which includes the contact details for a range of external professionals they can contact if they are worried about something. Children know how to contact these professionals. A similar guide is being developed for parents to help answer their questions and allay any worries they may have about their child living in a children‟s home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff have highly effective working relationships with a range of professionals and agencies. The work with these professionals ensures that children‟s needs are met to a very high standard. The well-being of children is at the centre of practice. Any decisions made by placing authorities that the manager feels are not in a child‟s best interests are strongly challenged. A professional said, „Advocacy is strong. They really keep the child‟s needs at the forefront.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel well supported by formal and informal supervision. They have individual sessions with their supervisor and regular monthly group sessions with an external professional. However, not all records of individual supervision are comprehensively written or recorded in a timely way. Handover sessions between staff are detailed. They provide staff coming on duty with clear information about the current situation of each child and highlight any issues that they are struggling with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have invested in high-quality staff training. There is a comprehensive training plan that includes the full range of mandatory courses. Additional training is available on a range of issues that relate directly the children‟s needs. Staff training needs are identified and reviewed through the annual appraisal system. This ensures that staff develop skills in many areas of their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Care planning is individualised and child centred. Plans are reviewed regularly but some areas of two of the plans viewed had not been updated. However, because staff know each child and their plan exceptionally well this did not detract from children‟s individual needs being met exceptionally well.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 8 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: SC482296 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children‟s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

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Inspector

Rosie Dancer, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC482296 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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