Children's home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Havant

Inspection report children’s home: SC482344 1 SC482344 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home. It provides care for up to eight children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The organisation also runs a registered school that children living in the home may attend.

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

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Children are made to feel welcome when they move in by the staff and other children. Inspection report children’s home: SC482344 2  Children are kept safe, and they like living in the home.  Strong and lasting relationships develop between staff and children.  Staff know and understand the individual needs of each child well.  Children’s views are listened to and acted upon.  Children make excellent progress in their education attendance and achievement.  Children take part in meaningful activities and have fun.  Children develop their independence skills well.  The move of the manager and some of the children to another home has been managed highly effectively.

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Records are not all up to date or easily accessible.  Risk assessments have not all been updated.  Some staff are not up to date with their training.  The frequency of supervision for one new member of staff was not in line with the organisation’s expectations.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Outstanding 06/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/07/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC482344 3

p.2

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.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which: include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all information that staff need to care for a child effectively is accurate and up to date. 20/12/2017

p.3

Recommendations

 Continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Ensure the workforce plan is implemented. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) In particular, ensure that the agreed timescales for staff to achieve core training and updates of this training are met in every case. Also, ensure that the organisation’s expectations about the frequency of supervision for new staff are adhered to.  Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their

p.3

Recommendations

important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5) In particular, ensure that case files are easy for children to access now and in the future. Inspection report children’s home: SC482344 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The careful assessments carried out when considering referrals to the home ensure that new children fit in well with those already living in the home. New children are welcomed warmly by all and settle quickly into day-to-day life in the home. One child said, ‘I like everything to do with the home.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a home in which strong and long-lasting relationships develop. Children have a clear sense of belonging and said that there is a family feel to the home. Children who have left the home keep in contact with staff, sometimes for advice, and other times just for a chat.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respect children’s views and listen to them. A child said, ‘Whenever I need help, staff listen to me.’ Staff ensure that children’s views are taken into account in their care planning.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know and understand how children’s life experiences have affected their behaviour and emotional well-being. Care planning for children focuses on minimising the negative impact that past experiences have had on children’s overall well-being. Children learn how their histories have affected them. Children realise from this that things that have happened to them in the past are not their fault. As children’s emotional well-being improves, and their self-esteem and confidence increases, they develop appropriate coping strategies. A parent said that staff had managed to turn his son’s behaviour around.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children begin to achieve very well in their education. Some children, who have been out of school for long periods, are now achieving 100% attendance. Children have developed an interest in their learning; they experience academic success and develop aspirations for their futures. A young person said, ‘The staff helped me through all my GCSE revision which was really helpful.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are kept busy throughout their day. There is a wide range of activities for them to choose from. Taking part in these helps children to develop skills in many areas of their lives and provides them with new experiences and hobbies that keep them occupied. They also make new friends who have similar interests. There is a long- standing expectation that children are involved in charitable events, such as helping at the local soup kitchen or raising money for local and national charities. From taking part in these events, they develop compassion for others and a sense of community spirit.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health, and where they need specialist help for their physical or emotional needs, this is provided. For example, children are supported to attend and engage in appointments with mental health professionals.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have appropriate, carefully assessed and supported contact with their family and friends and other people who are important to them. For some children, this has Inspection report children’s home: SC482344 5 helped them to maintain a sense of their identity and to develop stronger relationships with their family. These relationships will be useful for them when they move into independent living.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live in this home take the opportunities provided to them to grow and develop into a well-rounded people. They achieve well in areas of their lives with which they had previously struggled. Children begin to enjoy their lives to the full and move into independent living, as well as becoming rounded people who have a positive contribution to make to society.

p.5

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

Children are safe living in this home. Children trust the adults caring for them and tell them about their worries and fears. A child said, ‘I have close relationships with all the staff and I speak regularly about my personal issues within and outside the house.’

p.5

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

Staff are aware of how to deal with child protection or safeguarding concerns. All required notifications about children’s safety are referred to the relevant professional or organisation; inter-agency working is strong.

p.5

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

The approach to assessing risk is generally sound. The implementation of risk assessment strategies keeps children safe while still allowing them an appropriate level of autonomy. However, in one case, evidence of a new risk to a child emerged and risk management strategies had not been developed. While this could have impacted negatively on the child’s well-being, it was immediately addressed during the inspection.

p.5

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

Children understand any restrictions on their lives and know that these are in place to keep them safe and out of trouble. Children like and respond well to the reward system, and they learn to reflect on their mistakes and work out how they would deal with a similar situation more effectively.

p.5

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

There are only infrequent incidents that require staff to intervene; this is a reflection of children’s improving emotional well-being. Staff are proactive in addressing any situations before they cause difficulties. When incidents do occur, staff take appropriate action. For example, a suspicion that a child might be being groomed for terrorist activities was dealt with swiftly. Children recognise the progress that they have made in managing their behaviour. One child said, ‘I manage my behaviour better, as I listen more and try to think before I act.’

p.5

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

There are regular health and safety checks to the home so that risks from the environment are minimised. The environment is of a high quality and is well maintained. Staff are recruited using thorough procedures, and this minimises the risk of unsuitable people working with the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC482344 6

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left the home recently, and recruitment for this post is underway. The interim management arrangements are appropriate. The manager moved to manage another of the organisation’s homes, and five of the children moved to that home with her. This lessened the level of disruption for the children, and the move has been managed well.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to these recent changes, there has not been a strong focus on development over the past few months. However, the children’s safety, well-being, experience and progress have remained uppermost in the leadership’s and staff’s minds. Good, strong working relationships with placing authorities and other agencies, professionals and children’s parents have been maintained to support the care planning for children.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The arrangements for monitoring remain effective. Generally, the recommendations made from the monitoring are met in a timely way. Additionally, the recommendations made at the previous inspection have been met in full.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are a number of new staff since the last inspection. These staff are settling into their caring roles well. Staff care deeply about each child, and there remains a strong ethos of putting children first. Staff are passionate about improving the lives of the children. A parent of one of the children said that staff ‘treat him as one of their own’.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, staff are well supported through supervision, team meetings and by their peers. However, there was a gap noted in the frequency of one new staff member’s supervision. Staff training and development is an area that the organisation invests in well, although there were a few gaps in training for some staff.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The records made and maintained were not all of a high quality. For example, the results of statutory reviews had not been obtained from the placing authority and, as a result, some care plan targets were out of date. There was also some incorrect information on one child’s file about his health needs. Records are held in both paper and electronic systems, and therefore it is difficult to allow children full access to their records now or in the future.

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. Inspection report children’s home: SC482344 7 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

p.6

Information about this inspection

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: SC482344 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

p.8

Inspector

Rosie Dancer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482344 9 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.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9