Children's Home run by Hygge Care Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1220887 1 Registered provider: Hygge Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a small limited company. It specialises in preparing children for foster placements, and it uses a therapeutic approach. It provides care and accommodation at any time for up to three children aged between five and 12 years of age.

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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: 1220887 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children form positive and trusting relationships with staff. As a result, children feel safe and secure.  The registered manager and staff advocate for children. Consequently, children are treated fairly and receive the services that they need.  Staff undertake work with children that is effective and individualised to meet their needs.  The registered manager and staff work with children using a therapeutic model of care. This is effective and children are progressing well.  The registered manager and staff constantly look at what children are trying to communicate through their behaviour. This results in children being able to share their worries and fears and manage their emotions.  Staff listen to children’s wishes and feelings and support them in the decisions that they make.  Staff receive regular supervision and support from the registered manager and a clinical phycologist employed by the company.

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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

 When incidents occur that require the use of physical intervention, the registered manager does not record the discussions that take place with staff afterwards. This is a missed opportunity for reflection and analysis.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1220887 3

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Recommendations

 Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59) This is with reference to documenting debriefings with staff following physical interventions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy living at this home and have positive relationships with the staff. One child told the inspector, ‘This is the best placement I have ever been in.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager’s and the staff’s commitment to ensuring that children are happy is instrumental in the progress that children make. For example, one child was feeling anxious about his key worker going on annual leave. Direct work was undertaken with the child to support him with this. The child was given a calendar so that he could see when his key worker would return, and she gave him her teddy to look after while she was away from the home. As a result, the child felt less anxious and was able to manage his emotions while the member of staff was away.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s emotional and behavioural needs well. This is recognised by other professionals. A social worker told the inspector, ‘They (staff) prepare them emotionally for foster placement. They give them emotional warmth and consistency.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a wide range of experiences that empower them and build upon their confidence and self-esteem. For example, one child is part of a project for children in care to have a voice. He attends monthly meetings to share his views and opinions. The child told the inspector, ‘It is a very important role.’ Another child spoke about enjoying ice skating and having his own ice skates. Clearly, children enjoy a range of activities that are individual to their needs and promote their own sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children are in education. One child has achieved 100 per cent attendance and enjoys attending school. Another child is attending school on a reduced timetable. However, this is progress as, prior to this, the child was being excluded and the school wanted the child to be ‘home schooled’. Staff (including the clinical phycologist) worked in partnership with the school to support it to understand the child’s needs. The child designed his own ‘safe space’ at school where he can go if he is struggling to manage Inspection report children’s home: 1220887 4 his feelings. Staff communicate daily with the school and carry out individual work with the child when the school raises concerns about the child’s behaviour, for example bullying and not following rules or respecting others. As a result, the child’s attendance is gradually increasing, and he is managing to attend and engage in lessons that he

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not rely on reward/sanction-based systems to manage children’s behaviour. Challenging behaviour is not viewed negatively but is referred to as ‘muddles’, which staff discuss with children. The registered manager and staff consistently help children to understand what is causing them to behave in a certain way. For example, one child started to have an increase in ‘muddles’, due to the police not taking any further action after the child made a disclosure. The registered manager and staff supported the child and explored his behaviour with him. A social worker told the inspector, ‘The registered manager does not look to manage the behaviour of children, but unpicks it to see why it is happening.’ Consequently, children are able to understand their behaviour and feelings, equipping them for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have made the choice not to see family members. Staff have supported the children in making these decisions and listened to their wishes and feelings. A child told the inspector, ‘The staff don’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.’

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

Children are safe and feel safe living at this home. Staff do not dismiss children’s fears, but work with them to try to lessen or overcome the fears using a nurturing approach. For example, one child told the inspector, ‘Sometimes at night I feel scared, but the staff will take me round the house to show me everywhere is locked up.’ Another child struggled to have any furniture in his room when he first moved to the home. With the staff’s support and patience, the child now has a furnished bedroom and has asked to have his room repainted. As a result of staff’s approach, children feel safe and are able to share their worries with staff. This helps children to manage their emotions.

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

Staff carry out key-work sessions with children. The sessions are relevant and meet the children’s individual needs. Child-friendly resources are often used to inform sessions. For example, when discussing antisocial behaviour with one child, online resources were used to explain what this meant. Additionally, if staff are unsure about how to approach a subject with a child, they will seek support from the clinical psychologist, who guides staff in their approach. As a result, staff teach children to keep themselves safe and identify the risks associated with different types of behaviour.

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

Due to consistent care and a therapeutic approach, there has been a reduction in the severity and use of physical interventions. Staff are clear that physical interventions are used as a last resort to keep children safe. The registered manager’s oversight of incidents means that he is able to spot patterns in behaviour quickly and work with children to address any worries that they have. The registered manager would benefit from documenting the debriefings that take place with staff to aid further oversight and analysis of incidents. Inspection report children’s home: 1220887 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate about the therapeutic service that he provides to children. He disseminates this through his staff team, with support from a clinical psychologist who assists in supporting and training the staff. A social worker told the inspector, ‘His understanding of therapeutic work is amazing. He is the therapeutic lead, and he guides his staff in this way.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the training that they receive from the clinician, which is an integral part of the service provided. One staff member told the inspector, ‘We use a therapeutic approach. We do sessions with the psychologist; they are really helpful, and they help us understand how to approach things.’ The sessions create a structured training programme for the staff. The approach and models being used are inspiring and help to develop staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular formal supervision from the registered manager, in addition to supervision from the clinician. A member of staff reported, ‘I have supervision, and it is helpful on a work and personal level.’ As a result, staff are more emotionally prepared to care for the children, as they have the opportunity to look after their own well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has established positive links with other services to allow a smooth transition into foster placements when children are ready. A social worker from the fostering team told the inspector, ‘I meet with the registered manager regularly. He is really proactive, he knows who he is working with and he wants plans to be in place for young people. He is all about the young people.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has developed a service that is therapeutically led. He is aware of the strengths of the home and is continuing to develop an effective and successful service for children.

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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 difference 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: 1220887 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hygge Care Ltd, Number 8, The Pavilions, Cranmore Drive, Solihull, B90 4SB

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1220887 7 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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