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

Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 1 SC061878 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 home is privately owned and one of a number of children’s services operated by the provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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 outstanding

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have built excellent relationships with children and their families.  Children are introduced into the home with thought and dignity. Staff continue to support children and their families after the children have moved away from the home.  Children make good and sometimes excellent progress from the time that they move into the home. This is particularly true of their education.  The registered manager is innovative and inspirational for the young people and the staff.  Staff understand children’s needs and how these are to be met.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Ensure that children’s behaviour support plans are regularly updated to include any required amendments.  Ensure children’s ‘My Plans’ are regularly updated to include any required amendments. In addition, the plans should include more detail of the work staff are undertaking with the children.  Ensure children’s bedrooms are maintained to a good standard of tidiness.  Ensure records of staff supervision sessions are consistently of a good quality, reflect the discussion, and clearly identify actions to be taken, which are then reviewed at the next supervision.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/09/2016 Full Good 03/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 3

p.2

Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children. They will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, this relates to the children’s rooms being unkempt and untidy.  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 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  Regulations 35-39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s

p.3

Recommendations

homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) In particular, children’s behaviour support plans and My Plans need to be updated to incorporate amendments.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive high-quality care from a committed, child-focused staff team. Staff are skilled at building positive and lasting relationships with the children and their families based on openness, trust and respect. Interaction between the children and staff seen during the inspection was exceptional. Staff care greatly for the children in their care. There is a lot of laughter, fun and hugs. One parent praised the staff for how welcoming they are to them and their children. Children are making good and sometimes excellent progress from their starting point on arrival at the home. Staff have high aspirations for the children they care for. Each child has a ‘My Plan’ which details their care needs and how these will be met. Currently, these plans are not consistently updated to reflect all of the child’s progress, or all of the work undertaken by the staff. The staff are very skilled at getting children back into education and sustaining this. Staff

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

have developed good working relationships with their education colleagues. Where there has been a delay in securing a school place, staff have provided education in the home and used resources in the local community. The introduction of children into the home is managed very well. Where possible, Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 4 children visit the home prior to moving in and staff help them to personalise their rooms to make settling in easier. One parent said that the staff helped her son to show his sibling round the home via a ‘FaceTime’ tour. Since the last inspection, three young people have successfully left the home. The quality and effectiveness of the independence work the staff undertake with the children is the key to this success. One young person, who has recently left, said that they had been to many different places before coming to this home, and said, ‘I wish I had come here first. This is how

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

children’s homes should be.’ When young people do leave the home, the staff carry on providing support to them and their families where needed. One parent said, ‘The staff are like our extended family.’ Children take part in a wide range of activities. These include being able to carry on with their hobbies as well as trying out new and exciting activities. Children develop their confidence and social skills. Healthcare provision for children is good. Children have ready access to health services, and specialist services are provided where needed. Staff support children to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. Complaints systems are efficient. The staff reflect on complaints made and use this information to develop practice. The communal spaces in the home are comfortable, well furnished and welcoming. There is ample space in the home and the garden for children to have fun and relax. The children’s bedrooms are an area for improvement. They are personalised with children’s

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

artwork, toys and posters they have chosen, but bedrooms are unkempt and untidy.

p.4

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

Safeguarding procedures are good. Staff have a good working knowledge of these and how to put them into practice. Staff receive good safeguarding training which is regularly updated. Each child has a behaviour support plan. It is evident that staff have a good understanding of each child’s needs, including their behavioural needs. Staff also understand what strategies are to be used to meet these needs. The plans are not regularly updated to incorporate amendments. This does not make the plan user friendly or evidence clearly what progress children are making. Key workers meet with children to discuss their risk-taking behaviours and how to deal with them. This work has contributed to a decrease in risk-taking behaviours. Also linked to this success is the high-quality conflict management work carried out with the children. There is a strong focus on restorative justice both in the home and in the local

p.4

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

community. Staff have built strong relationships with the Police Community Support Officer. This has led to an effective working relationship and has changed the children’s perception of the police. Restraint is used only as a last resort. When used, it is for a minimal amount of time and at the lowest level. Records maintained on restraints and incidents are comprehensive. There is clear evidence of the registered manager monitoring records and challenging Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 5 staff where she feel approaches used, such as calling the police, are not warranted. Incidents of children going missing from the home have reduced. When this does happen, the staff act appropriately. Key-worker sessions take place to find out the reason why the child went missing. The registered manager ensures that return home interviews are completed by the placing authorities, applying pressure when needed.

p.4

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

Current practice for the vetting and appointment of staff is in line with safer recruitment guidance.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a very experienced and qualified registered manager. She has a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the home. Plans have been developed, with input from the staff and the children. This holistic approach gives a sense of ownership to the staff and, most importantly, the children. Parents and other professionals praised the registered manager for her leadership skills, support and inclusive working practices. The registered manager is both aspirational and inspirational for the children and the staff team. She leads by example, which has led to the team being innovative and creative in its practice. An example of this is the children’s audio guide. There are plans for this to be changed into a video format in the near future. This work will make the information in the children’s guide more accessible to those children who struggle with, or are reluctant to engage in, reading.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Excellent monitoring systems are in place which assist the manager to address shortfalls swiftly. In addition, monitoring is used to identify patterns and trends. This information is used to evaluate and develop practices in the home. The registered manager is committed to providing the best care to children, and sees review and continuous development as essential, for example developments in life story work with children. As well as looking at children’s history, the team is providing children with a record of their time at the home, including reports, on a USB thumb drive. This is used to impress on the staff that the children’s stories are still being written. Children receive care from a very committed staff team. The staff ably demonstrate their excellent knowledge of the children and their passion to provide high-quality care. Staff talk with love and pride about the children and celebrate their achievements. Since the

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

last inspection, there has been the need on occasions to use staff from the organisation’s other homes and a very limited number of agency staff. This has not had any adverse effect on the children, as these staff always work with experienced staff who are well known to the children. The staff are trained to ensure that they meet the needs of the individual children. This supports the progress the children are making, especially in their education and their reduction in risk-taking behaviours. Staff meetings are used for training with staff, presenting projects linked to the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. External speakers also attend staff meetings to discuss developments in childcare practices. The registered manager supports staff in their career development by encouraging them Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 6 to carry out research and access additional training. This has included mental health,

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

first aid, radicalisation, Teens in Crisis, and hospital education. This work has enhanced the team’s skills and enabled the staff to improve the service and care that they provide for the children. A member of staff is an assessor with the Business and Technology Education Council, which is providing additional support for children doing this course. Staff receive regular supervision, but the quality of the supervision records is not consistent. One record did not provide enough detail of the discussion held or consistently revisit actions set at the previous session. In addition to formal supervision, detailed debriefs are held after shifts and after incidents. This provides staff with an opportunity to reflect on events, analyse what could have been done differently, review working strategies and amend these. This work has led to a reduction of incidents and the use of restraint. Parents, children who have left, and other professionals praised the team for the work

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

that it does. Parents said staff support them as well as their children. Other professionals commented on how well the staff advocate for the children in their care. An example of this is staff advocating for a child regarding their next home. Staff felt that this was not in the best interests of the child due to restrictions at the home, which would limit the child’s freedom of movement. This issue was addressed and the child moved on successfully. Records maintained by the home range from very good to appropriate. An independent visitor regularly visits the home. The staff discuss these reports in team meetings and use them to develop the home. The home’s statement of purpose is current and provides an accurate reflection of the services the home provides.

p.6

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.6

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: SC061878 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Masonic Hall Offices, School Hill, Chepstow, Gwent NP16 5BZ

p.7

Inspector

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8