Children's home run by Worcestershire County Council in Worcester

Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 1 SC485322 Registered provider: Worcestershire 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 is a local authority operated home. It provides care and accommodation for three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 25 to 26 September 2017

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff protect young people from harm because they devise detailed risk assessments and ensure that safeguarding processes are followed.  Young people have warm and caring relationships with staff. This means that they feel content and secure. This helps them to make good progress.  Staff ensure that young people receive a good welcome to the home.  Young people know how to complain. Their concerns are responded to promptly.  The registered manager makes certain that the staff team provides a high quality of care for young people through effective management oversight and scrutiny.  The staff team provides regular and effective key-work sessions that help young people improve and manage their emotional well-being and behaviour.  Young people benefit from a stable and dedicated staff team that provides them with a consistent level of care and warmth.

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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

 Senior managers need to make sure that placements are made in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Placements made in an emergency do not consider the needs of other young people. In addition, managers and staff need to make sure that copies of placement plans are provided, and are signed when young people arrive at the home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/06/2016 Full Good 09/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 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 care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14(1) and (2)(a)) 24/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure they co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17(2)) 24/11/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a good standard, and has a warm and homely feel. It is a detached house in a quiet area. There is a very large and beautiful garden with a vast play area that young people are proud of. Rabbit, deer and squirrels can be seen in the garden. Young people have decorated some of the walls with posters of their choice. Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to the home. There is a new snug room for young people to ‘chill out’ or play games in. A new kitchen is to be fitted in the coming weeks. Young people chose the kitchen that they liked with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress in all areas of their development because of the trusting and open relationships that they have with staff. Young people receive good- quality care from experienced and dedicated staff. Staff work in close partnership with social workers, local police officers, therapists and education professionals. These strong working relationships mean that staff are able to manage young people’s risk-taking behaviours and their complex needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 4 Young people know how to complain and feel confident about raising issues that matter to them. This means that young people feel listened to, and are able to make changes to things that affect them, such as food, family contact, free time and activity choices. Young people have positive relationships with staff, and are able to communicate with staff about their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person’s guide is well written and user-friendly. This means that young people are made to feel at ease. This helps them settle into their new home. Staff help young people to feel at home by helping them to decorate their bedrooms as they wish. Young people are encouraged to put photographs up throughout their home. Staff support young people well when they move on from the home. Managers help young people to find the best placements to meet their needs. Staff make sure that young people are prepared for their move and understand why they need to move. Staff move young people and their belongings. This helps young people to feel calm, reassuring them and reducing any anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive effective, structured and meaningful key-work sessions, which they participate in. The sessions mirror the aims and objectives set within young people’s placement plans. Staff review young people’s progress within the placement plans. As a result, young people improve their behaviours. One young person told the inspector, ‘Yeah it’s good. I like it and would like to stay.’ Another young person told the inspector, ‘It is good here, the manager is nice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend routine health appointments, such as doctor’s and dentist’s appointments, when required. Young people are encouraged to engage in a healthy lifestyle, such as eating healthily and being physically active through walking, cycling and going to the gym. Young people’s cultural needs are met, with staff providing for individual dietary requirements and hair care. Young people are encouraged to express their feelings and to talk about their identity. For example, one young person has been supported by staff to explore their thoughts on their gender through having a dressing- up box and trying make-up. This means that young people feel that they have a say in the care that they receive. This enables them to develop their sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people take part in a wide range of planned and unstructured activities. For example, some young people regularly go swimming and horse riding. Another young person has drum lessons and one young person is in the process of joining the gym. Staff make sure that young people do recreational activities, such as going to the cinema or to ‘laser quest’, playing badminton, playing computer games and baking. This helps young people to develop their social skills and have fun. Young people are encouraged to spend time with friends, and friends are able to visit. Young people are provided with a ‘usual’ home environment. Staff cook with and eat with young people. This adds to young people’s sense of belonging and provides time for young people to talk together. Staff encourage young people to develop their independence through clearing the table, tidying their bedrooms and doing some household chores. This is a low-key way of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

helping young people to look after themselves and develop their self-reliance. Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 5 Staff have close links with young people’s family members, and ensure that good communication is in place. The staff team promotes appropriate contact with family members and encourages young people to have regular telephone conversations with their family members where appropriate. Staff help young people with contact arrangements, and will supervise contact to make sure that young people are kept safe. This means that young people feel less lonely and more emotionally stable, which improves their day-to-day experiences.

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

Young people currently living in the home are safe. This is because staff make sure that child protection processes are followed. Staff share concerns with social workers and the local authority designated officer. Staff receive mandatory safeguarding training. The manager is exceptionally skilled in managing safeguarding problems. Safeguarding notifications are well written and are made within the required timescales. During this inspection, staff did not raise any safeguarding concerns in relation to the quality of care that young people receive. Several staff members shared knowledge about dealing with safeguarding concerns professionally and promptly. As a result, staff are able to prioritise the safety of young people.

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

Staff recruitment processes are robust. Managers verify references and qualifications, and check that all necessary disclosure and barring checks are in place. This means that young people receive care from appropriately checked adults. There have only been two episodes of missing from home since the last inspection. Staff do their utmost to make sure that young people do appropriate activities in the community, and that they have time with friends. This helps to reduce the number of missing-from-home episodes. If young people go missing, managers and staff make sure that they follow procedures well. They report young people as missing and look for them in known places. Staff request that missing-from-home interviews are completed by the local authority, and follow these up with social workers. Consequently, young people know that staff care about them and this encourages young people to return home promptly.

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

There have been no complaints made by young people since the last inspection. Staff respond quickly to allegations made by young people. The registered manager has an excellent understanding of safeguarding processes. The manager prioritises allegations about staff and follows safeguarding procedures very effectively. For example, one young person made an allegation that a staff member had pushed him. He later retracted this. However, safeguarding processes were followed through by the registered manager. The registered manager adequately risk assesses situations in which there are concerns about staff. He makes sure that disciplinary processes are followed when necessary. This robust and consistent approach keeps young people safe. Safeguarding processes are thorough and transparent and the needs of young people are prioritised.

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

Physical restraint is used within the home as a last resort. Staff use distraction and de- escalation techniques to avoid this. Records of physical restraint are thorough, and Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 6 include feedback from young people. This means that young people understand why the restraint was used. This helps to avoid repeated incidents. Sanctions are rarely used and are generally restorative in nature. Staff prefer to talk to young people about their behaviour, and want to understand it. This helps the young person to improve how they respond to others. Young people have a choice about how they behave, and are told what the consequences of their actions will be. Staff are clear and consistent in their approach to providing care for young people. Well-written behaviour management plans help staff to make sure that clear guidance and boundaries are provided. As a result, young people are able to improve their behaviours because of the support that they

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has an ambitious vision and high expectations for the service. The registered manager has the necessary skills, experience and qualifications for the role. He is creative and makes sure that staff provide high levels of individualised care. The registered manager is well supported by an organised and committed deputy manager. One staff member told the inspector about the manager, stating, ‘He listens, he can be challenged. He will listen to you and accepts your point; he acknowledges this when he agrees. He does not just stick to his guns for the sake of it. It is nice to work with him.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff work hard to make sure that young people feel wanted. The ethos of the home is to provide high-quality care for young people. The overall approach is based on warmth and nurturing. The manager makes sure that placements are well planned, with introductory visits and a welcome pack. The managers complete placement planning meetings and in-depth impact risk assessments to assess how to meet the needs of young people. However, since the last inspection, there have been two consecutive instances of senior managers agreeing placements while the registered manager was not present. The placements were both made in an emergency and did not comply with the home’s statement of purpose. Assessments were not completed in order to consider the effect of the placements on other young people’s progress and development. One placement lasted for 24 hours and another placement lasted for two weeks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In addition, placement plans were not provided for the young people who moved in. This means that young people’s needs were not well known by staff when they arrived. There were no signed consents for young people to be looked after or for medical treatment. This practice could mean that the welfare of other young people is not promoted. However, managers in the home gave effective and clear challenge to senior managers. As a consequence, young people were quickly provided with alternative placements to meet their complex needs. Managers and staff also made sure that there were appropriate staffing levels to support the young people already living in the home. As a result, any upset or distress that this caused the young people residing at the home was minimised. Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 7 Staff receive regular, practice-related formal supervision. Staff are encouraged to develop their practice and the culture in the home is to make sure that the needs of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

young people take priority. Staff receive very good support from managers. This means that young people receive care from adequately supported and skilled staff. Staff are up to date with mandatory training requirements, and complete additional training in specialist areas such as child sexual exploitation, radicalisation, safeguarding, and nurturing and attachment. Nearly all of the staff hold the level 3 diploma in residential care. Three staff members are on target to complete this by December 2017. This means that staff have the appropriate training and qualifications to meet the needs of young people. One staff member told the inspector, about the manager, ‘He will challenge where needed; I feel able to speak up to him if I do not agree with something. It is all about ideas and developing. We have an environment where we can share and speak up. He allows a culture of open speaking. I have no issues, he really is a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

supportive manager and he cares through and through; he wants young people to do well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has completed a well-evaluated assessment of the location of the home. This means that potential risks within the surrounding area are identified and the actions taken to minimise the risks are well recorded. This helps to keep young people safe. The statement of purpose sufficiently reflects the aims and objectives of the service. The manager makes certain that there is close scrutiny and oversight of the staff to ensure that safe, high-quality care is maintained. The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the service. He has evaluated the quality of care provided, and has included the wishes and feelings of young people. As a result, the registered manager has created suitable action plans that will support continuous improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers and staff have good-quality relationships with social workers, the police, teachers and tutors. This means that young people receive the best possible support across all areas of their development. A psychologist told the inspector, ‘I have always had very positive experiences of working with the staff and managers, who are open and committed to providing young people in their care with an experience of safe and sensitive caregiving.’ A deputy headteacher told the inspector, ‘I can’t speak highly enough of the staff; I have a really good relationship with staff, we have a pastoral support plan, and they attend school frequently and talk about where we are going. Actually, we are on the same hymn sheet, we know what the overall aims are and we respect each other’s views. We have a very positive relationship.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 8

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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: SC485322 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Worcestershire County Council, County Hall, Worcester WR5 2NP

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Inspector

Anna Gravelle: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC485322 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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