Children's home run by Wessex College Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 1 Registered provider: Wessex College

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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 who may present with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 14 to 15 December 2017

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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

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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: 12 September 2017 (first following registration)

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers have worked effectively to bring about the necessary improvements following the previous inspection. Records have been reviewed, updated and reordered to provide detail which identifies the needs of young Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 2 people and guides staff to provide the support they need.  Additional staff training, improved support, and the appointment of a new manager have raised staff morale and confidence. The adults in this home are better equipped to provide a good service, and help young people to make progress and improve their experiences.  The support provided is having a significant impact on the safety, progress and experiences of young people. One has become settled in a very short space of time, and both are less anxious.  Behaviour management strategies are well developed. Young people benefit from early identification of behaviour which indicates that they are not OK.

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Key findings from this inspection

Interventions reduce the potential for young people’s communication methods to become unacceptable or dangerous.  Young people have developed positive relationships in the home. They feel listened to and want to stay. They are making long-term plans and have invested time and effort in personalising the home.  Education provision is a priority. One young person is engaged in academic learning after a lengthy gap in attainment. Another makes use of the educational opportunities offered while school placements are being commissioned.  Independent monitoring of the home has improved with the appointment of a new visitor. She is applying rigour to this monitoring, and delivers crucial and regular oversight of the care and support provided.  The feedback from professional stakeholders is consistently positive. One, who has known a young person for some years, said he was close to tears in a meeting, finding the positive difference in the young person very emotional.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12 September 2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 3

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

The home needs to continue to apply and progress the development plan. The responsible individual should continue to undertake quality assurance visits to support the new manager, and act quickly if any shortfalls or concerns are identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care and support provided to young people is instrumental in improving their experiences and ensuring that they are able to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy sound relationships with the adults in this home. They are included in the decisions made about their lives and futures, and feel listened to. Adults have provided the support and encouragement needed so that for the first time young people have been able to fully participate in meetings where decisions are made about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s health has improved. All regular health checks are up to date, or are booked to take place. The care provided is having an impact on young people’s emotional well-being. Professional stakeholders report that young people have made progress beyond expectations. They are particular pleased with a reduction in anxiety, which is helping one young person in particular to sleep better. Adults encourage young people to make healthy, informed choices. There is a reduction in some risk-taking behaviour which can lead to health issues. Unfortunately, despite being offered the support and guidance to give up, young people continue to smoke.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Securing education provision has been a particular focus since the previous inspection. One young person is catching up on work quickly following a period out of school. He recently reported that, for the first time, he is able to visualise characters and places in a book. This has given him a thirst for reading. Where young people do not have a school placement the staff continue to make representations on their behalf. Staff challenge the lack of provision while making sure the young people have opportunities to build skills and knowledge, to assist in making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Arrangements are in place for young people to meet with and keep in touch with those who are important to them. The adults in the home work in partnership with parents, often in difficult and challenging circumstances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The adults in the home do not have any delegated authority to make decisions relating to a young person in their care. They have made continuous and sustained challenges when they believe that restrictions imposed by the placing authority are not in the young person’s best interests, and are affecting his ability to develop social, emotional and independence skills. Despite these restrictions, the young person is making progress. Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 4 Moving into the home has gone well for one young person. Managers had made sure information was provided before the move, and had met with the young person. They made the best of what was a very difficult situation. The young person demonstrates that he has some trust in the staff, and has settled well in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people living in the home together get on well. They have been well matched and are of a similar age. They have some shared interests and are spending some leisure time together. There are plenty of adults working in the home, which allows them to support young people to follow individual hobbies and do different things when they want to.

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

Young people are safer since moving into the home. The risks they attract or present are understood by the adults in the home. Young people are helped to understand risks and manage them appropriately.

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

Behaviour management plans are based on observations of young people. Early identification of distress and anxiety is key to supporting young people to communicate their feelings without the use of dangerous or difficult behaviour. Clear and consistent boundaries are in place, and young people feel safer as they know what is expected of them and can predict responses. Observation and planning is ongoing and continually updated. Behaviour management planning and involves feedback from the young people. As relationships and trust develop between young people and adults in the home, there is a gradual reduction in incidents.

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

Physical restraint has not been needed to manage behaviour since before the previous inspection. Sanctions are rarely used, and the manager has been quick to amend three sanctions which were not effective and/or were not linked to the presenting behaviour.

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

Leaders and managers continue to challenge when they feel that young people are not able to take suitable age-appropriate risks because of the restriction imposed by the placing authority. Some restrictions are unrealistic, and are affecting one young person’s ability to develop independence skills. This is an ongoing concern.

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

The number of incidents of one young person going missing from the home remain high (although there has been a reduction in recent weeks). This is partly due to over-reporting at the insistence of the placing authority. The manager and leaders continue to try and address this issue on behalf of the young person.

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

Adults working in the home have received additional support, guidance and training to help them identify and respond effectively to any safeguarding issues. One young person has moved out of the home since the previous inspection, significantly reducing the safeguarding issues and concerns that were present.

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

Adults discuss topical issues with young people, and provide them with the information and Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 5 support they need to make informed and safer choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

Since the home first opened in May 2017, there have been a number of managers in place, two with limited success. Senior leaders and managers rallied to make much-needed improvements following the previous inspection. These included the appointment of a qualified and significantly experienced manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The numerous changes made a substantial difference to the progress and experiences of young people. These changes need to be fully embedded in practice and constantly applied over a period of time to demonstrate that the quality of care provided is sustainable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

Shortfalls identified at the previous inspection form part of a development plan which is reviewed and updated on a weekly basis. This practice has driven, and continues to drive, improvements. The new manager also has a development plan in place. Among the improvements, she demonstrates a passion for staff development and support. Within two days of starting this job she identified and took action to address a lack of supervision for some staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

Staff report that they are feeling supported and included in decisions made about the home. They have a renewed sense of purpose and a trust in the new manager. Two of the staff said they had a real sense of pride in the recent achievements of the young people, and enjoyed coming into work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The strengths and weaknesses of the home are understood and well documented. Decisive action is being taken, or is being planned, to address any weaknesses. There is still some ongoing development of records, to avoid drift in plans for young people. The application of sanctions is also being reviewed to make them more purposeful and effective in managing behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The staff team remains stable, although several members have limited experience and the majority do not have a childcare qualification. The use of agency workers has now stopped. Where gaps in staffing exist, the organisation can call on a team of workers who have completed induction and essential training and are known to the young people. Most have previously worked in this home.

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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, Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 6 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: 1253583 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ward Goodman, 4 Cedar Park Cobham Road, Ferndale Industrial Estate, Wimborne BH21 7SF

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post vacant; Current manager: Theresa Armstrong

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Inspector

Janice Hawtin, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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