Children's Home run by The Serendipity Centre Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC485423 1 SC485423 Registered provider: The Serendipity Centre Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The privately owned home is registered to care for up to five children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The organisation which owns the home also has sister homes in the local area and a therapeutic education setting. The home specialises in caring for girls who have experienced physical and/or emotional trauma in their past, while also providing access to therapeutic services.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 December 2017

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children‟s home: SC485423 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make good progress while living at the home.  Knowledgeable, skilled, caring and nurturing staff support young people to explore, manage and address their anxieties and behaviours.  Young people are developing positive skills to manage and self-regulate their behaviour, emotions and anxieties.  Staff support young people to develop essential life, social and independence skills which prepare them well for adulthood.  All young people attend education settings. Those struggling to engage full time have specific individual education plans, with structured and meaningful daily activities.  Young people are successfully engaged in addressing their physical and emotional health, and this is having a positive impact on their future life chances.  Staff work closely with external professionals, which has a positive impact on young people‟s plans.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers have not consistently reviewed and evaluated records to ensure that they are clear, detailed and contain all the required information.  Leaders and managers have not reviewed incidents and safeguarding concerns to explore patterns and trends and review whether interventions have been effective.  Staff systems for recording and managing complaints, incidents and concerns are over-complicated and create confusion about outcomes and actions.  Staff have not all had their practice reviewed and appraised at least annually.  Staff have not achieved the required qualification within the required timescale.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/07/2016 Full Good 01/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC485423 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and Use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(f)(g)(h)) 01/04/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(c)) 01/04/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)) 01/04/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC485423 4

p.3

Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home‟s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child‟s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. („ Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, paragraph 4.11 page 22)  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‟, paragraph 9.59 page 49)

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress while living at the home. They are learning positive ways to self-regulate and manage their anxieties and to come to terms with previous trauma and experiences, through the support and nurturing approach of staff.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have good attendance at education. They follow individual programmes of meaningful educational activities, work experience and college taster opportunities. Staff support young people through creative plans to seek and access training and work experience opportunities. They regularly review plans with education providers, with amendments made as required.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage young people to obtain healthcare support and advice, with referral to specialists when required. Young people access and engage in a variety of therapy sessions dependent on need, choice and interest. Young people are able to review and reflect on their behaviours, anxieties and what they can do to assist themselves to manage feelings. Young people attend protected weekly activities which have a positive impact on their emotional welfare, confidence and self-esteem. Staff encourage young people to lead healthy lifestyles through a balanced diet and regular physical activity. Staff follow clear and detailed plans to manage young people‟s complex healthcare needs. However, a plan has not been formulated for a young person who is prescribed „when necessary‟ crisis medication.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans are detailed and informative, with practical advice and guidance for staff. However, a risk management plan to support a young person when in crisis contains insufficient detail and does not describe all of the strategies that staff use to support the young person. Inspection report children‟s home: SC485423 5 Staff complete pre-admission assessments and planning for each new arrival to the home. Staff make contact with young people prior to admission to explore their likes and dislikes, and how they wish staff to decorate their bedroom.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The voice of young people is apparent at the home. They influence decoration, menus, activities and plans for future holidays. Young people are informed and consulted about new admissions to the home. They are also involved in reviews and meetings which concern them.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff form positive relationships with young people, and young people seek guidance and support from trusted adults. Staff are knowledgeable and caring in their approach with young people. They are child centred and support young people to achieve their full potential.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people take part in a wide variety of activities that provide them with a wealth of opportunities and experiences. These include outings to the theatre, swimming, horse riding, visits to restaurants, shopping and many more.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff facilitate and assist in family contact. They follow detailed contact plans which help to ensure that contact between young people and families is well managed and positive for all parties.

p.5

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

Young people feel safe and secure at the home. They form relationships of trust with staff and seek their support and guidance when worried or upset. Young people develop positive strategies to manage their anxiety, feelings and emotions.

p.5

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

Staff access safeguarding training and have a good knowledge, understanding and clarity about their responsibilities if a concern arises. Staff are swift to intervene when required and support young people. However, records lack robust evaluation and monitoring oversight to ensure that they are detailed and correct and provide all required information.

p.5

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

Young people are supported by staff to manage their behaviour through clear, detailed behaviour management plans. Plans detail triggers and causes for behaviour with preferred methods to de-escalate and manage crisis situations. Qualified and trained staff have, on occasion, used physical intervention. The records completed have not received subsequent internal scrutiny to ensure that they contain all the required information to meet regulation. One record stated that a young person was injured, but lacked detail about the support and medical attention that were offered. The quality of records has improved recently, but further sustained development is required. As a result of staff intervention, young people develop positive skills and learn to review and reflect on incidents and their own responses.

p.5

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

Staff give many rewards and celebrate young people‟s achievements. Sanctions given are linked to the behaviour or cause, and staff have recently begun to consider whether Inspection report children‟s home: SC485423 6 a sanction was effective, fair and reasonable.

p.5

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

Episodes of missing are well managed through a coordinated and supportive approach to both finding young people and their return to the home. Staff explore and assess a young person‟s welfare and try to understand the reasons for the absence, upon return to the home.

p.6

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

Staff provide practical advice, guidance and education to young people about some topics through one-to-one sessions. Staff have not provided a wide variety in the topics explored and so young people are not informed about all the risks that they may face in the future.

p.6

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

The system for recording the concerns and complaints raised by young people is overly complicated and confusing. It does evidence that young people are provided with the outcomes to complaints and concerns. However, in one case this was delayed and in another there was no outcome recorded. Staff have met with young people to explore their concerns and provide outcomes to most concerns raised.

p.6

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

There have been no complaints received from others, outside of the home.

p.6

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed, and the records demonstrate that all necessary information is gathered pre-employment. One set of records viewed had multiple references from a previous employer, yet managers did not note that they were from the same organisation.

p.6

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

The home environment is safe, well presented and maintained, with all required health and safety checks completed.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been changes in the leadership and management of the home. The previous manager resigned in August 2017. The home‟s new manager is in the process of applying to become the registered manager. She aspires to bring about positive change to the home and staff feel well supported by her. The manager has effective systems to evaluate the quality of care provided at the home. The home‟s development plan clearly identifies areas of weakness and strengths. A regularly reviewed and updated action plan states what is required to improve the weaknesses identified.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The monthly independent visits to the home provide an additional layer of scrutiny and challenge, with areas for development identified then incorporated into the home‟s development plan.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers and leaders have not evidenced robust critical evaluation and monitoring. There has been drift and lack of oversight to ensure that the actions identified are completed or implemented. Records have not been consistently and routinely scrutinised, reviewed or evaluated to identify patterns and trends. Some systems and records are overly complicated and create duplication inconsistencies and errors. An Inspection report children‟s home: SC485423 7 example is that staff seek young people‟s views, post-incident, but not those of the staff involved, and there is little or no reflection on the effectiveness of an intervention.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff access monthly supervisions from their line manager. They are in the process of altering the system for recording these to ensure that they evidence the full content of the discussion and actions. Not all staff have had an annual appraisal of their practice. The manager has implemented a system to address this, but it is not yet complete. A completed appraisal viewed by the inspector did show that a robust development conversation and review of practice had taken place. Staff move between homes in the organisation, but specific performance goals are not routinely shared with new managers.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff access a wide variety of training specific to their role. One member of staff has not achieved the required qualification within the timeframe set, but managers are aware of and addressing this.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have good links with those outside of the home, and staff support young people to access community events, resources and services. Managers have developed robust, effective working relationships with external professionals and stakeholders, and this has a positive impact on their plans.

p.7

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.

p.7

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: SC485423 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Serendipity Centre Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1st floor, Goodlands House, St Lukes Close, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2US

p.8

Inspector(s)

Amanda Maxwell, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC485423 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(s)

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 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(s)

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

p.9

Inspector(s)

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

p.9