The Banyan Tree

Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 1 SC396186 Registered provider: Living Life (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It cares for up to five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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: 26 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children are generally happy and safe in their placement.  Good-quality activities are plentiful. The budget extends to national and Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 2 international travel. This opens up new and exciting opportunities for children.  The home’s therapeutic approach works well. The company’s psychologist supports the staff team. This approach means that care is highly individualised.  Children consistently obtain the help that they need. Staff support them to cope with their past trauma and to make sense of why they live at the home.  The manager and staff always have children’s best interests at heart. The manager is fully involved in day-to-day care arrangements. She has developed some very positive relationships with children. This means that she is well placed to make informed decisions and to lead the work.  Advocacy and children’s meetings are used effectively to make sure that children

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Key findings from this inspection

have a very strong voice. Children have plenty of opportunities to be involved in the running of the home and they have a say in what happens in their own life.  All children are doing exceptionally well in their education.  Staff feel well very well supported and know that they can go to their manager for support. They are highly motivated in their work, which they thoroughly enjoy.  Children develop age-appropriate independence skills. A user-friendly resource helps children to be interested and make excellent progress in this area.  New practice is developed from up-to-date research. Children clearly benefit from this innovative approach.  Children are cherished by staff and managers. Children know that they are genuinely cared about.

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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

 There has been an isolated incident in which staff did not follow an important behaviour support plan. The staff and managers have acknowledged this error of judgement and its potential impact on the young person’s welfare. Although the error is not a reflection of widespread weakness, it has exposed some areas where improvement is required to the leadership and management of the home.  A detailed review and evaluation of the incident have not taken place so that managers are able to demonstrate that lessons have been learned and practice improved.  Some records are not clear enough to provide an unambiguous account of key events at the home. They do not always provide a sufficiently clear account of incidents to support future investigations.  There are some confusing inaccuracies in supervision records. Managers are undertaking a review into why important safeguarding discussions that took place

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Key findings from this inspection

in 2017 are recorded in a 2016 supervision record. Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/09/2016 Full Outstanding 15/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 4

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children to aspire to their full potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard requires the registered person to— Understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home, is having on the progress and experiences of each child and to use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. Use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(f)(h)) This requirement is set in particular relation to learning from mistakes in providing safe care to children. Also, this is in relation to risk assessments for lone working. 17/11/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) This is in particular relation to staff supervision.  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Ensure that a note of the content and or outcomes of supervision sessions are kept. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home was judged to be outstanding at its last inspection and there continue to be areas of practice that are exceptionally strong. However, a recent safeguarding incident has exposed some areas where improvement is required. Identified shortfalls have the potential to impact on children if they are not put right.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have some wonderful opportunities. Some have recently been on high-quality holidays in leisure parks and on ‘camp’ in America. Also, one child has enjoyed several nights in New York. Another child has a trip to Ireland planned. Children feel valued as a result of these experiences. Their confidence and self-esteem grow.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn independence skills that prepare them for adulthood. Work in this area is particularly strong. Resources are innovative and engaging, helping children to learn.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make children feel special. Children’s achievements are always celebrated. One child was nominated for an award by their local authority. The manager’s nomination was influential in the child winning first prize, much to the pride of everyone involved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s lives are enriched by their experiences at this home. Children are highly involved in their local community. Also, charity work has a high profile. For example, staff and children planned a recent summer fete to raise money for a charity chosen by the children. This has taught children planning and teamwork skills. It has also given them experience of working with the public.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education has an extremely high profile. All children are doing very well. Children who struggled to maintain a school placement before they came to the home are settled in a well-established learning routine. Strong partnership working with schools ensures that staff are well aware of children’s strengths and difficulties. The manager reflected very positively on each child’s progress. She talked about one child, saying: ‘They are doing brilliantly, with improved homework and all targets being reached.’ Given this child’s starting point, this progress is exceptional. One young person, who used to struggle in their education, is doing so well that he is now a mentor for other children at his school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have the help that they need to cope with their past trauma and to make sense of why they are in a children’s home. The company psychologist leads this work and knows the children extremely well. Children’s well-being is constantly evaluated to ensure that the right support is offered. Careful research and planning help staff to understand what they need to do.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All therapeutic practice is based on up-to-date research. For example, innovative approaches that help staff and children to think about happiness and well-being have been adopted. Currently, a model called ‘10 keys to happiness’ is being used to help children to identify how their happiness could be improved. There is a real feeling of staff and children working together on this. The work is carefully evaluated by the psychologist and the manager to make sure that children’s progress continues. Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 6 Children are only admitted to the home when full and comprehensive information is available. All risks, behaviours and vulnerabilities are fully considered so that existing children’s progress is not hindered. The manager is decisive when it comes to children’s placements and has recently made effective and robust decisions about placements. She protects children and makes sure that they are appropriately placed to continue to make

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

There has been an isolated incident in which staff did not follow an important behaviour support plan. Staff allowed the child to be in a car with other children when the child’s behaviour support plan was clear that this should not happen. There was an assault on another child and a staff member. This incident was an isolated example of poor safeguarding practice and, although it has exposed some management shortfalls, is not a reflection of wider failures to protect children. All other evidence points to children being safe in this placement.

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

The way that staff respond to risk-taking or potentially harmful behaviours is generally strong. Risks and vulnerabilities are well understood. For example, there was an occasion when two children went missing together, but this was managed extremely well. Risks were kept to an absolute minimum. Staff protected the children involved.

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

Recruitment practices are very robust. Children are part of the recruitment process. Their views are seen as very important. The manager takes these views into account when she makes a decision about suitability. Recruitment records demonstrate great vigilance so that only the most capable and caring staff are selected. This helps to protect children.

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

The use of physical intervention is appropriate. Restraint takes place only when it is absolutely necessary. The registered manager monitors all incidents closely and takes appropriate action when any shortfalls are identified. She has excellent monitoring systems. Her analysis ensures that she has a very full picture of all events and any patterns and trends. This data informs future practice and keeps children as safe as they can be. Children’s behaviour improves, and incidents of physical intervention are reduced over time. This opens up other opportunities, such as improved contact with their family, and better attainment and progress in education.

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

Staff regularly listen to children’s views and influence changes in their life for the better. For example, they have recently listened to a child’s own views about how they want to proceed with family contact. Their work has influenced other professionals’ decisions and has ensured that the child’s wishes are fully taken into account while also ensuring that the child is safe at all times. Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 7

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A recent safeguarding incident has highlighted some areas in which improvement is required in leadership and management. The management response to the incident has not been robust enough to clearly demonstrate that lessons have been learned. There was not enough focus on what went wrong and how to prevent a recurrence of such an event. Some staff involved have not had formal supervision with their manager to have their performance appraised since the event. Analysis of what went wrong, and how staff practice and performance could be improved, is not evident. Procedures have not been reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some supervision records contribute to a confusing picture of how the incident has been dealt with. For example, a discussion about the incident appears to have been added to a 2016 supervision record.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some records do not clearly ‘tell the story’ of what happened and when. It can be difficult to identify which staff or children are involved in incidents. Should an investigation be required in the future, the home’s records would not provide a clear, unambiguous account. For example, the manager was not able to tell inspectors, or to see from records in the home, which staff member was left on duty by herself during a recent event. Another example of record keeping that might hinder future investigation is the recording of children’s whereabouts at night. Records do not always tally and information is not sufficiently clear for the manager to establish children’s movements during the night.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Despite the shortfalls identified, there are clear strengths in the leadership and management of the home. Staff have great confidence in their manager. They feel listened to and valued. They also feel well supported, because they can call on the manager, the deputy manager or the responsible individual for advice and guidance at any time. One member of staff described the registered manager as ‘top notch’. Good working relationships between staff and managers mean that staff thoroughly enjoy their job. One said, ‘I love it here.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a thorough induction process for new staff, and this is monitored by the manager. Staff receive training and supervision to ensure that their understanding of policies and procedures is good. Bespoke training is delivered in line with the home’s therapeutic approach. The company’s psychologist is fully involved in the delivery of training. He regularly advises staff on their approach to individual children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager’s communication with other professionals is excellent. She monitors the service that children receive from other agencies, ensuring that this is consistently of a high standard. Where she feels that children do not receive the level of service that they deserve, she actively and constructively challenges. Her approach positively influences other professionals’ performance, as well as that of her own staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is registered with Ofsted. She has the necessary experience and the appropriate qualification to run a children’s home. Despite the shortfalls raised, she is highly skilled and makes sure that the service continues to develop. She also seeks to Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 8 improve her skills through training and personal development. She uses her learning well to positively affect the children’s quality of care. Recently, she has completed her first own piece of research in practice. This was focused on children who are criminalised in the care system. She has been careful to cascade her learning to the staff team.

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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 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: SC396186 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Living Life (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 60 Overstone Road, Sywell, Northampton NN6 0AW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Lorraine Andrews

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Inspector(s)

Caroline Brailsford, social care regulatory inspector Katarina Djordjevic, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 10 Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 11 Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 12 Inspection report children’s home: SC396186 13 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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

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