Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 1 SC437128 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) 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 is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is one of a number of privately owned homes in the organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 November 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 18 January 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Highly personalised care ensures that young people make significant progress in different aspects of their development, including behaviour and education.  Young people make huge strides forward in their ability to manage their emotions.  Young people feel safe and are safe due to how well staff manage risk.  Staff develop excellent links with the in-house clinical team. This ensures that the therapeutic knowledge and skills of staff is at the heart of their practice.  The homely environment is a welcoming and pleasant space for children and visitors.  Staff radiate an infectious positivity and enthusiasm.  Excellent communication by staff forms the cornerstone of effective collaboration with partner agencies.  The registered manager has created a culture which promotes creativity and innovation. This practice benefits young people significantly.  The registered manager’s influence extends beyond the reach of the home. She

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Key findings from this inspection

willingly shares her knowledge, skills and practice with other homes and providers.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/07/2016 Full Good 21/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people live in a house which embodies the characteristics of a family home. It is a warm, homely and pleasant place to be. Every inch of the home has been influenced by the young people. This provides them with a strong sense of belonging. Bold colour choices reflect the vibrancy of staff and young people. Thoughtful staff heap praise on young people so that they learn to believe in themselves. Staff do this verbally every day. They also give young people cards within which quotes are written by staff, telling the young people why they are great. Creative strategies, such as this one, show young people that staff care, and that they are there to help the young people to feel valued and boost their self-esteem. As a result, young people are happy to live in the home, they like the staff and they say that they do not want to leave. A young person told the inspector, ‘Of all the homes I have lived in, this is

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

by far the best.’ Staff have an in-depth knowledge of young people’s backgrounds and current needs. As a result, staff provide young people with highly personalised care. All young people make significant progress in their emotional, behavioural and educational development. A local authority commissioner said, ‘This is a very good provision with trained and dedicated staff, who have a good understanding of the young people residing there.’ Staff work hand in hand with the clinical team in order to understand and respond to the emotional health needs of young people. Staff are creative in their approach. For example, one young person had a den in his bedroom, the garden and at school. These safe spaces gave the young person somewhere to go when he was struggling to manage his feelings of anxiety. The progress he has made means he no longer needs these dens. All the young people have made impressive improvements in their ability to regulate

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

their emotions. A clinical therapist said about one young person, ‘Staff have supported him well. He has made an amazing amount of progress.’ Staff work exceptionally well with teachers and educational psychologists. This collaborative working ensures that young people receive the support that they need in school to enable them to succeed. For example, staff stay in school with young people when they are struggling to manage their emotions. Furthermore, staff request extra homework and use card games as a way to promote young people’s learning. Excellent support has helped young people to improve academically. A head teacher said, ‘[Name of young person] is clearly making great progress.’ Regardless of their starting points, staff are successful in helping young people to develop the skills that they will need for the future. For one young person, this has meant teaching him to tie his own shoe laces and make a bed. For another young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

person, bespoke support ensures that he will have the best opportunity to live independently. A local authority commissioner said, ‘The work they do for independence is excellent.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 4 Staff encourage and enable young people to get involved in lots of leisure activities. This has huge benefits for children. For example, one young person goes to army cadets. This is a phenomenal achievement when considering his past social isolation. Furthermore, young people are given the opportunity to go abroad. For some young people, this is their first opportunity to go on holiday. Young people grow in confidence and self-esteem as a result of such experiences.

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

Staff support young people to develop the skills that they need to make safe choices. For some young people, this has resulted in a significant reduction in risk-taking behaviours. An independent reviewing officer said of one young person, ‘He would go missing overnight, he was violent to his parents, he would come home with lots of money, and there was a concern about him being exploited. We were headed for secure, but they [the staff] have figured out what his user manual is.’ Intuitive, alert staff keep young people safe. The tailored support provided by staff ensures that young people feel safe. As a result, young people don’t feel the need to use coping strategies such as self-harm. For example, staff identified for one young person that night times were a significant source of anxiety. Staff introduced a white noise machine, changed the young person’s bedroom lighting and introduced a night-time settling routine for the young person. This

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

has had a massive impact on the young person, improving both his emotional health and associated behaviours. Young people do not go missing as they have no need to. They feel safe in the home and are given space when they need it. Young people seek help from staff rather than run away. Nonetheless, staff remain vigilant to the potential for such behaviour. Individualised missing protocols, trigger plans and ‘quick grab’ fact sheets ensure that staff are able to respond swiftly in the event of a young person going missing. Staff manage risk well as they plan ahead and consider the potential for new risk-taking behaviours. For example, links with a specialist substance misuse team have been established so that staff can respond quickly in the event of young people presenting with these behaviours in the future. Staff are dynamic and flexible in their approach to behaviour management. Staff know young people well and understand what approach works best for them. Staff are quick

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

to recognise the signs that a young person is struggling. Consequently, staff are able to defuse situations at the earliest opportunity. The respect that young people have for staff means that their behaviour is generally good. Staff place a strong emphasis on promoting positive behaviour. Staff praise young people continually and give them certificates for their good behaviour. Young people display these certificates with pride in their bedrooms. This approach helps young people to develop a sense of accomplishment. Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager’s motivation and enthusiasm is infectious. She receives universal accolades from young people, staff and partner agencies. Similarly, she talks with pride about her staff and young people’s achievements. The registered manager holds a suitable management qualification. The registered manager uses a range of monitoring systems. This ensures that she has a detailed and analytical understanding of the care that young people receive. As a result, the registered manager successfully identifies patterns and trends. She uses this information to inform the development of the service and to continually improve. The registered manager’s influence extends beyond the home for which she is in charge. Within her own organisation, the registered manager is influential in the development of systems and new ways of working. She is open to sharing her successes with people outside of the organisation so that many young people benefit from her expertise and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

creativity. This openness is inspiring. The standards set by the registered manager provide a high benchmark which her staff strive to achieve. Staff believe in the registered manager; they want their home to be the best, and they all have high aspirations for young people. Child-focused staff endeavour to give young people the very best possible support. Personalised care ensures that young people make significant improvements in their emotional and behavioural development. Highly skilled and knowledgeable staff have the opportunity to complete lots of training. An independent visitor said, ‘There is a positive culture of training and development’ The registered manager reviews the impact of training by testing staff in team meetings and supervisions. This ensures that young people are looked after by staff who have the skills to meet their complex needs. Excellent communication is at the heart of the staff team’s collaborative approach with

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

partner agencies. Links with the police, schools, clinical team and local authorities are well established and effective. This ensures that staff are at the forefront of decision- making in respect of young people’s care planning. Staff advocate strongly for young people and are able to influence decision-making to meet the young people’s needs.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 6 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

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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: SC437128 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited, Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Health, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

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Inspector

Paul Robinson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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