Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in New Forest

Inspection report children‟s home: SC035593 1 SC035593 Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd

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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 children‟s home accommodates a maximum of four young people who have complex emotional, behavioural and educational difficulties and autistic spectrum disorders. The home is privately owned and includes a local educational establishment that resident young people attend. Young people also have access to the organisation‟s therapeutic services.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: SC035593 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make good progress in their education, social and independence skills.  Young people develop trusting relationships with staff, which enable them to reflect on past experiences and make positive choices.  There has been a significant reduction in young people‟s risk-taking and aggressive behaviour.

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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

 An investigation of an allegation against a member of staff lacked rigour.  Risk management strategies do not sufficiently inform staff of how to protect young people at risk of exploitation.  Managers‟ monitoring reports lack analysis and evaluation of practice.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/10/2016 Full Outstanding 11/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC035593 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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that staff— (2) (a) (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies. 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must— (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— (a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (vi) the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person 30/11/2017 Inspection report children‟s home: SC035593 4 to do so (“the authorised person”)— (i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and (c) within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation

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Requirement Due date

that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3) (a) (iii) (iv) (vi) (vii) (b) (i) (ii) (c))

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Recommendations

 When considering new placements, the registered manager should fully consider the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56, paragraph 11.4) In particular, the registered manager should evidence their judgement of compatibility between the young people.

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Recommendations

 All managers working in a children‟s home must have the qualification in regulation 28(2) within the relevant timescales listed in regulation 28(3). All staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, must have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). The registered person may extend the time period if the member of staff hasn‟t worked in the role for a prolonged period, such as sick leave or maternity leave, or if it is not reasonable to expect the member of staff to complete in this timescale due to the nature of the hours they work. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that there is a workforce plan in place. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟ page 54 paragraph 10.8) In particular, ensure that it contains the information required by the guidance.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home‟s staff in response to the event. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 63 paragraph 14.13)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective placement planning ensures that young people are only admitted to the home if the managers are certain that they can meet the young people‟s needs. Staff work closely with each young person‟s parents and professionals to obtain a full picture of the young person. This ensures that a comprehensive plan of care is in place upon a young person‟s admission. Consequently, the staff have a good knowledge of the young person Inspection report children‟s home: SC035593 5 to support them to settle into the home quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, the managers do not evidence their consideration of the impact of a new young person joining the home or their assessment of the young people‟s compatibility. As a result, records do not demonstrate that the staff are taking action to mitigate any adverse impact of the young people living together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The consistent approach of the staff promotes a sense of stability and security, enabling the young people to feel safe and able to trust the staff. Staff have a good understanding of young people‟s past experiences and how these have influenced young people‟s current personalities and behaviours. As a result, the staff are able to demonstrate empathy and successfully use play and humour to engage the young people. Consequently, the young people are beginning to respond to the staff‟s guidance and feel able to confide in staff about their feelings, worries and concerns. This has resulted in young people reflecting on their past experiences and making positive changes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good role modelling and continuous encouragement by staff inspire the young people to want to develop and to do well. Each young person has made effective and sustained progress in their education and independence skills. Young people are learning to manage their emotions and express them more positively, resulting in a significant reduction in aggressive and violent outbursts.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The championing of safe and fun experiences by staff ensures that the young people are active and stimulated, while at the same time learn how to keep themselves safe. Consequently, the young people do not want to engage in activities that had previously put them at risk, resulting in a significant reduction in young people going missing and engaging in offending behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people develop a greater self-awareness and improve on their ability to empathise with others. Regular meetings between the young people successfully support them to express their feelings towards each other and to reflect on incidents of conflict together. As a result, young people‟s social skills and their relationships with their peers improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective joined-up working with the organisation‟s therapy team contributes to maintaining a structured and nurturing environment where the young people feel able to process their experiences, understand their backgrounds and move forward. Consequently, the young people are developing a more positive view of themselves and the wider world, and increasing their resilience and ability to progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of the young people‟s relationships with their families and friends. Staff support the young people to improve their relationships with their families, resulting in increased contact and overnight stays. Consequently, the young people maintain a sense of belonging within their own families and benefit from their ongoing support. Inspection report children‟s home: SC035593 6

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improvement to be good

Young people stated that they „feel safer‟ since moving to the home. However, an investigation of one allegation, made by a young person against a member of staff, lacked the required depth and rigour. Although the staff informed the relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer and the police, the organisation‟s investigation lacked objectivity. This risks young people feeling ignored and not listened to, and may result in them not wanting to raise concerns about the staff‟s practice in the future.

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improvement to be good

Delays in notifying other agencies of significant events have hindered the relevant authorities‟ responses, including the regulators, ability to ensure that managers have taken action to safeguard the young people.

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improvement to be good

Strong and trusting relationships between the staff and young people help the young people to feel secure and able to approach the staff team when they feel unsafe. However, gaps in current risk management strategies to safeguard a young person with a previous history of being groomed and exploited do not inform staff of the signs and symptoms of exploitation or of all necessary preventative strategies. Consequently, staff are provided with insufficient guidance on what actions they must take to prevent the young person from being exploited again in the future.

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improvement to be good

Out-of-date risk management strategies for online safety do not reflect the actions that the staff are taking to protect the young people accessing the internet inside the home, such as the home‟s internet filters. Risk management plans lack consideration of the risks of the young people accessing the internet on their own devices outside of the home and do not contain strategies to minimise these risks. Consequently, the staff are not advised of the steps they must take to safeguard the young people when online at all times.

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improvement to be good

Managers have arranged for the police to provide education on subjects such as the risks associated with going missing, radicalisation and gangs. However, there is limited evidence of the staff discussing young people‟s risk-taking behaviour with them and advising them of how to protect themselves. As a result, it is not clear if the young people are being provided with guidance to enable them to take responsibility for their own safety.

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improvement to be good

Positive relationships between the young people and the staff, along with the staff‟s effective implementation of the home‟s missing from care procedures, have resulted in a significant reduction in missing incidents. Staff work closely with the young person to establish the reasons why they went missing. Staff use this information successfully to prevent the young person from going missing again in the future.

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improvement to be good

Consistent support and sensitive guidance from the staff are supporting the young people to develop their emotional awareness and to learn to use self-management strategies. Consequently, the young people are recognising their feelings and expressing Inspection report children‟s home: SC035593 7 them more positively, resulting in a significant reduction of incidents that require physical interventions. However, incidents of physical intervention and the use of sanctions are not recorded in line with regulation, hindering the manager‟s ability to monitor and evaluate staff‟s practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the previous inspection, the young people and the staff team have experienced several changes in the management of the home; this affected the staff‟s morale and was unsettling for the young people. The previous registered manager has since returned to the home, which has had a positive and stabilising impact. Both the young people and the staff members spoke highly of the manager. He has an excellent knowledge of the young people in his care. He is a good role model and uses his knowledge to guide and inform staff‟s practice to ensure that they provide a child- centred approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular reviews of the young people‟s progress ensure that the young people‟s development is monitored and plans are regularly scrutinised to ensure that they remain effective. Good communication between the staff and other professionals ensures that the required resources are in place to meet young people‟s needs and keep them safe. Where necessary, the manager challenges other agencies to ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high expectations of the quality of care offered to the young people and has taken action to address shortfalls in practice. He has acted swiftly on recommendations made by the independent person. The manager demonstrated a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the service however, this has not translated into the home‟s development plan or regulation 45 quality-monitoring reports. The manager‟s regulation 45 reports lack analysis and evaluation to inform the home‟s development. There is no clear development plan in place outlining areas for improvement and how this will be achieved. Consequently, there is limited evidence for other agencies to assess if the young people receive a continuously improving service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Rigorous recruitment procedures ensure that only members of staff who have undergone the required checks are employed to work with the young people. The manager has ensured that the staff now receive regular supervision and feedback about their practice. Team meetings are used effectively to discuss the young people‟s progress and to reflect on, and review, strategies of support to ensure that they continue to meet the young people‟s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A systematic approach to training, through yearly training weeks, ensure that all staff are up to date on their mandatory training and have an understanding on how to meet the young people‟s needs. However, the staff have not had sufficient training in child exploitation to keep the young people who are vulnerable to exploitation safe. Two members of staff have not complete the required level three diploma in the mandated timescales. Inspection report children‟s home: SC035593 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: SC035593 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Forest Care Ltd, West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton SO45 6AA

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Inspector

Melissa McMillan, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC035593 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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