Children's home run by Highfield North East Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report children’s home: SC408656 1 SC408656 Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private company operates it.

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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: SC408656 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young people enjoy excellent relationships with staff and they feel safe and secure in the home.  The young people make good progress in building self-esteem, empowering them to make sense of past life experiences.  The committed and nurturing staff team provides consistent care and boundaries enabling the young people to learn appropriate ways of expressing their feelings.  The skilled and experienced management team members are excellent role models for staff and the young people alike.  The good, collaborative working with partner agencies, promoted by the manager, ensures that the young people receive consistent care and messages to meet their needs.

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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

 Pathway plans are not sufficiently detailed in assisting the young people to prepare for transition to adult life.  The lack of the inclusion of young people’s, staff members’ and other interested parties’ views in the manager’s report under Regulation 45 does not provide them with an opportunity to influence care in the home.  The external visitor’s reports lack depth and rigor.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/10/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC408656 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 system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 01/01/2018

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  As the home will have a day-to-day understanding of young people’s capabilities and needs, children’s home staff will have a valuable contribution to make to the pathway planning process. They should actively seek to make the fullest contribution, working with other relevant professionals. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.28)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people enjoy living in a spacious and comfortable home that they very much see as their home. Their wishes are evident in the decoration and choices, both in the shared rooms and their own bedrooms. This enhances the young people’s sense of belonging and inclusion. A young person said, ‘I am really happy here. This is my home and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people feel safe, nurtured and valued as a result of the warm and targeted care that they receive from the consistent staff team. This empowers the young people to form trusting attachments with staff and start to make sense of painful past life experiences. The deputy manager said, ‘They know they can make mistakes and we’re still here for them. All their lives, people have rejected them but we don’t, we’re still here Inspection report children’s home: SC408656 4 for them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Detailed placement plans are developed together with the young people. This empowers them to express their wishes and feelings regarding their care and to understand what their expectations are. The young people grow in self-confidence and feelings of self- esteem as they feel listened to and respected as individuals. A young person said, ‘I’m much happier here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The dedicated management and staff team works proactively with the young people to enable them to learn independence and self-care skills. However, preparation for transition to adulthood is an area for development in this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all of the young people are attending school or college daily in line with their education plans. This could have a negative impact on their future employment and life opportunities. However, the management team and staff work in close collaboration with partner agencies to ensure that the young people have an appropriate education provision identified and to encourage the young people to attend. For some young people, this is ensuring that they have time with a tutor daily while on a period of exclusion, and others, a college placement in a neighbouring city. An education tutor said, ‘Whatever I ask the staff to do, they will support me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Excellent partnership working with health professionals ensures that all of the young people are making significant progress in having their physical and emotional health needs met. The young people are encouraged and supported to attend both generic and specialist health appointments which enhance their well-being. The staff at the home hosted a sexual health workshop with a specialist practitioner, which provided the young people with the necessary practical and emotional information that they need to make informed choices about their sexual health. The increased confidence that the young people gain as a result of this sensitive approach to their needs empowers them to be open in discussing their life choices with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people grow in the confidence to express their views in a positive manner as a result of the many opportunities that they have to share their wishes. For example, the young people contribute towards staff members’ annual appraisal. Complaints information is readily available to the young people but, such is their happiness in the home, and the confidence that they have in raising issues before they become a problem, there have not been any complaints. A social worker reported that the home was ‘excellent’ and said, ‘I feel that [home’s name] is as a children’s home should be.’ With the support and encouragement of staff, the young people participate in inclusive activities in the community. Their involvement in pastimes such as army cadets and horse riding builds confidence and increases their opportunities to form friendships with their peers, thus enriching their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where the young people are able to have contact with family members, in line with their care plans, they receive full support to do so. The home recognises the importance of maintaining, and, in some cases, assisting the young people to successfully rebuild, those important familial relationships. This maintains cultural links as well as providing Inspection report children’s home: SC408656 5 avenues of support in the young people’s future adult lives.

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

Excellent individual risk assessments complement a comprehensive locality assessment and clearly identify areas where the young people may be vulnerable. These are reviewed and updated regularly, demonstrating the progress that the young people make in keeping themselves safe. A young person said, ‘I want you to know how safe I feel in the home because of the staff I like.’

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

The management team uses reflective practice effectively with staff members to enable them to learn from incidents and prevent recurrences. Lessons learned are shared collaboratively with partner agencies, as well as the young people, so that all can take pride in achievements and maintain the young people’s protection. An independent reviewing officer said of their young person, ‘She’s safe and well provided for.’

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

The effective implementation of individual missing from home risk assessments, which comply with the home’s policies and locally agreed protocols, prevent young people from going missing from the home. Staff proactively maintain contact with young people when they are away from the home and will look for them if they are late, as good parents would. As a result, the young people feel safe and secure and do not want to be away from the home, and missing from home episodes are extremely rare.

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

The proactive staff team is fully aware of the potential for bullying behaviours within the resident group. A booklet designed to support the young people to make the home a ‘bully free zone’ is available for them to understand how to cope if they are feeling intimidated, or how to lessen their impact if they are prone to such behaviours. Consequently, the young people feel safe, and none reported any concerns about bullying.

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

Some young people, new to the home, are still in the process of learning that inappropriate and aggressive language, particularly towards visiting professionals, is not acceptable. The staff team is working sensitively and carefully in addressing this, to encourage engagement with the young person yet empower them to curb such behaviours.

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

Detailed behaviour management plans and the good role modelling demonstrated by the management and staff team encourage the young people to behave appropriately. As a result of the sanctions that they receive, the young people learn not to destroy shared household items or behave unsafely in the care. Emphasis is placed on rewarding good behaviours and working on an incentive scheme rather than applying negative consequences. As a result, the young people recognise the benefits of treating each other, and staff, with respect. This enhances their future life opportunities and feelings of well-being. A staff member said, ‘Children are safe here because of us staff and our relationships with them. It is homely and caring and feels safe in here, and everybody is well looked after.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC408656 6 As a result of the sense of security and feelings of belonging that the young people have

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

in the home, the need for physical intervention is extremely rare. Since the last inspection, it has only been used twice, and both occasions were in order to protect a young person from self-harm. An education tutor said, ‘I go in to a lot of the homes, and here has a real calmness and feels like a home.’

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

Detailed safeguarding and child protection policies are understood and effectively applied. All staff receive the training that they need to identify and protect the young people from becoming involved in child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. The young people are safeguarded as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The nurturing and experienced registered manager holds appropriate management qualifications and has been in post since this home opened in 2010. He is ably supported by an equally well-qualified deputy. Together they form a positive and stable management team and are excellent role models for the staff. Their consistent use of reflective practice ensures that the young people’s changing needs are understood and met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Both of the recommendations raised at the last inspection have been met, demonstrating a capacity to improve. The young people’s increased access to their records and positive response to the use of appropriate consequences enable them to take more responsibility for their behaviours and make good choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring visits and reports, although complying with regulation, are not sufficiently rigorous to ensure that all areas for development are identified. The manager uses his detailed internal monitoring processes to ensure that young people’s well-being is promoted and that they are safe. However, although he canvasses the views of the young people and other interested parties, he is not including those, nor the views of staff, in his report. Therefore, the opportunity for them to influence the care in the home may not be being fully recognised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s detailed statement of purpose provides a comprehensive picture of the care provided. This ensures that young people are appropriately matched with each other and placed, enhancing their opportunities for success. Professionals reported positively about the communication and support from the home in order to meet the young people’s needs. This ensures that a collaborative and consistent approach is applied to care planning. A social worker reported, ‘I was very impressed at the length the home went to prepare [Name] for moving in to the home and supporting her there.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One of the strengths in this home is the longevity and consistency of the staff team. As a result, a motivated and committed staff team cares for the young people. The staff team members are appropriately trained and well supported through regular supervision to meet the needs of the young people. For example, in preparation for the admission of a Inspection report children’s home: SC408656 7 new young person, a team meeting was used effectively to inform and educate the staff in how to meet the young person’s specific and diverse needs. A staff member said, ‘I have stayed here because I love it. I love the way it’s run, the managers are supportive and I feel I can talk to them anytime. It is a calm and homely environment.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The committed and nurturing manager is ambitious for the young people in his care to achieve the best possible outcomes. He uses his knowledge of the young people’s needs and vulnerabilities to work with the staff team’s strengths to provide high standards of care. He has recently introduced new individual progress plans for each young person. These demonstrate the strides that the young people are making in achieving their goals, and areas where they may need more assistance. For example, this includes challenging a placing authority and education department to fund an alternative education placement for a young person. As a result, young people are making good progress in most areas of their lives and are happy. The deputy manager said, ‘It’s more than just a job. We want these children to be children and have all the experiences children should have.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The thoughtful manager works with the young people to empower them to understand issues of equality and diversity. As a result, ‘theme nights’ are not just about food but the country and culture as a whole. In addition, at a young person’s suggestion, this week the home is celebrating its first gay pride night. This not only encourages the young people’s active participation but also enables them to explore their gender and beliefs and develop a deeper understanding of diversity.

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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: SC408656 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 37 Emerald Street, Saltburn-by-the-sea, Cleveland TS12 1EE

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Inspector(s)

Ann-Marie Born, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC408656 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.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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