Children's home run by Headway Adolescent Resources Limited in Monmouthshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 1 SC447768 Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The service is a children’s home that may only provide care and accommodation for up to three children, boys and girls, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities. The home is one of several children’s homes in the surrounding area.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 The home has a committed, passionate and reliable staff team that provides consistent, good-quality care to the young people. The staff team members treat the young people respectfully, and are enthusiastic about all of the young people’s achievements. They demonstrate a drive to helping young people overcome any worries and anxieties and reach their own potential.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The staff respond well to challenging behaviours. Despite displaying some very complex behaviours, young people who have left the home since the last inspection made progress in respect of their education and health.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager has a strong presence in the home and he understands the young people’s needs very well. He provides good support to the staff team, ensuring that they receive regular, good-quality training and supervision. Monitoring is effective and advocacy for young people is effective.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager will be leaving the home and a new manager has been recruited. Measures are in place to ensure the continued management and leadership of the home during this interim period.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people say that they feel safe and enjoy living in the home. They are provided with lots of support to participate in sport and activities and to develop independent living skills. Relationships with friends and family are positive and grow, which helps some young people return to the care of their family.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people who move into the home are helped to settle and feel welcomed. They speak positively of this experience and have begun to make relationships with one another and staff members.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The home has experienced a period of challenging behaviours by some young people. As a result, there are areas within the home that require refurbishment and renewal. In particular, this includes damage to some fire doors.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff must not use sanctions when young people go missing.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager must ensure that there is no delay in identifying educational placements for young people when they move into the home.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager must ensure that there is no delay in moving young people from the home once the home has identified that it cannot meet their needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 3  A number of documents need to be updated to reflect changes in the staffing structure.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 11/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 4

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(x)) 31/10/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. In particular, fire doors must be maintained and operate in accordance with fire regulations. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) 03/10/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that promotes their welfare. In particular, ensure that young people remain compatible with each other throughout their time in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)) 31/10/2017

p.4

Recommendations

 The children’s home must produce a children’s guide. The children’s guide must be made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home if the placement is made in an emergency) and must be Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 5 age appropriate, provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure they understand it. In particular, ensure that the current guide is kept up to date and reflects any changes in personnel. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)

p.4

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. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. In particular, ensure that all damage is quickly repaired and young people do not have to use broken and damaged furniture. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.5

Recommendations

 Regulation 19(2) details sanctions that are prohibited in behaviour management. Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. In particular, young people should not receive a sanction for going missing. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in an environment that makes them feel comfortable, relaxed and valued. Some young people have lived in the home for a number of years and those who have recently moved into the home present as settled. Staff welcome family members and professionals to the home. There is plenty of space to play, socialise and meet with family and professionals. Because of this, relationships between the young people and their families progress positively. Overall, the home is tidy, well decorated and very comfortable. Unfortunately, following a brief period of challenging behaviour by one young person, there remains evidence of damage in the home. This includes damage to door frames and graffiti on a table and door. A recommendation is made to ensure that the damage is repaired quickly.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have positive day-to-day experiences that promote their well-being. Staff support and understand their needs with well-kept, informative and audited files. Overall, the young people make progress in all aspects of their lives, and the staff team knows them well.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has remained settled for a substantial period. As a result, young people have received consistent care and support, and form trusting and valued relationships. Young people are listened to and provided with opportunities to inform the development Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 6 of the home. Boundaries and structures are in place that help young people to feel safe and cared for. Behaviours improve and episodes of young people going missing have reduced. Sanctions are rarely used and overall they are fairly administered. However, records indicate that one young person received a sanction for going missing. A recommendation is made to ensure that young people who go missing do not receive a sanction.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of young people attending school. They work hard to ensure that those young people who have difficulty engaging with formal education are encouraged to experience different learning opportunities, such as visiting interesting places and receiving personalised mentoring. Young people who have lived in the home for a long time attend school regularly and make good progress from their starting points. Conversely, a number of young people who have recently moved into the home experience delay in starting their new school placements. Despite evidence of the manager advocating for these young people, a requirement is made to ensure that young people do not experience unnecessary delay in starting school.

p.6

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to attend all necessary health appointments. Positive working relationships exist with local mental health services, health services and the local authority. As a result, young people receive timely, well-considered support.

p.6

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff team work hard to support young people living in the home. Good quality assessments in the main ensure the compatibility of young people moving into the home and living together. Unfortunately, records scrutinised during the course of the inspection evidence the negative impact of one young person’s behaviours on the other young people, and a delay in recognising this incompatibility. A requirement is made to ensure that this compatibility is routinely assessed and acted upon swiftly.

p.6

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

Young people live in a safe environment. Regular health and safety checks take place and staff, with the help of a maintenance person, ensure that remedial actions are taken quickly. Despite an up-to-date locality risk assessment keeping young people safe, both in the house and when out in the community, the inspector identified a number of broken fire doors. While a requirement is made to ensure that all fire doors operate safely, the registered manager did begin to rectify this issue immediately.

p.6

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

The registered manager ensures that child protection procedures are effective through regular review. In addition, regular, good-quality training in safeguarding, child sexual exploitation, first aid and the ‘Prevent’ duty equips staff with up-to-date knowledge and skills that keep young people safe. In particular, staff say that they access and value the multi-disciplinary training provided by a local authority. Safeguarding information is promptly shared with designated officers and multi-agency safeguarding hubs.

p.6

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

Young people’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated by the team of professionals supporting them. Risks are managed well, which means that young people are helped to learn from their mistakes, learn to take responsibility for themselves, grow Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 7 and mature.

p.6

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

Young people currently living in the home do not go missing. Staff have a good understanding of the missing from home protocol. Previously, they have worked collaboratively with local police to ensure that when young people go missing they have been returned quickly and safely.

p.7

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

The staff team’s response to incidents of challenging behaviour and self-harm offers good protection to the young people. Staff have a good understanding of the underlying reasons and triggers for behaviour. Staff present as patient and work hard at offering opportunities for the young people to talk through their anxieties and worries. As a result, the use of physical intervention is minimal and complaints are few.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post for two years and provides the home with consistent leadership and management. He is suitably qualified and has continued to drive improvements, resulting in positive outcomes for young people. However, he is soon to leave this post. The senior management team has successfully recruited a manager and has in place an interim management plan.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has in the main been stable and settled for a number of years. New staff work alongside experienced and skilled team members who are either qualified or are in the process of completing the required qualification. Staff say that they are very well supported by the registered manager and appreciate the advice and guidance they have received. They recognise the significance of a stable staff team for young people and are working closely with the senior management team to ensure that the introduction of a new manager has a positive impact on the team and young people.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads the home with passion and a commitment to achieving the very best for the young people. The systems in place to review and monitor the home are well kept and efficient. Regular team meetings, informal and formal supervision, led by the manager and clinical psychologist, provide the staff with good levels of reflective support. In addition, independent visitor reports are conducted monthly and are used by the manager to scrutinise the procedures and improve the quality of care.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works closely with all professionals involved in the care of the young people. While no professionals were able to provide feedback during this inspection, surveys submitted to Ofsted noted very positive comments from professionals, in particular commenting on the ‘excellent’ communication and quality of reports provided by the manager. There is extensive evidence of challenge and advocacy by the registered manager in respect of reviewing the needs of young people. However, on one occasion the manager was slow to identify when the home could no longer meet the needs of one young person. This meant that some young people experienced challenging behaviours unduly. A requirement is made. Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 8 The registered manager is aware of the strengths of the home and the areas to improve and develop. A recently reviewed development plan includes the shortfalls identified

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

during the course of this inspection. Actions are already taking place to ensure that these are addressed swiftly.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose is currently up to date, as is the children’s guide. However, this will soon require reviewing to ensure that it accurately reflects the change of registered manager. A recommendation is made to ensure that these two documents are reviewed and updated accordingly.

p.8

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.

p.8

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: SC447768 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Top Floor, Greyhound Building, 17 Moor Street, Chepstow, Gwent NP16 5DB

p.9

Inspector

Linda Bond, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC447768 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10