Children's Home, Residential special school run by Hesley Services Limited in Doncaster

Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 1 SC035687 Registered provider: Hesley Services 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

This is a residential special school owned by a private company. It is registered as a children’s home and offers care and accommodation for up to 37 children and young people who have severe learning disabilities and complex needs, including autistic spectrum disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 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 outstanding

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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: 28 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people have a smooth introduction to the home following a thorough assessment of their needs, looking at their impact on existing residents. Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 2  Children and young people all make continued progress from their starting points.  Staff provide children and young people with tailored support, enabling them to take part in a variety of enjoyable activities.  Transition planning is highly comprehensive and child-centred. Staff work with families and other services to provide a cohesive plan that meets individual needs.  Behaviour management is good as a result of strategies developed by the multi- disciplinary team.  The manager is a strong leader, and the committed management team works well together to ensure that children and young people receive the best possible care.  The introduction of the robust recruitment and induction process ensures the

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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

 Some supervisors have not received supervision training and lack experience in supervising staff. This leads to inconsistent supervision sessions and recording.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/11/2016 Full Good 15/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/09/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year (Regulation 33(4)). Specifically, some supervisors lack experience in supervising staff and have not received training to perform this function. This has led to inconsistent supervision records. 27/02/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make continuous progress over time in different areas of their development. Small and realistic achievements lead to improved self-esteem and confidence. Children and young people, especially those previously living in a hospital setting, have an improved quality of life, improved emotional well-being, and the opportunity of living in a comfortable, personalised home setting. One parent said: ‘[Name of young person] has made a lot of progress. He is now in school full time. Staff have been very adaptable.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Allocated keyworkers have a good understanding of children and young people’s complex needs, behaviours and traits. They also provide the opportunity for each child and young person to make positive and sustained trusting relationships. Some live at the home for many years and are actively encouraged to develop independence skills. Carefully planned individualised transitions allow young people to successfully move to their adult provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The management team gives strong consideration to new referrals. Careful deliberation and robust care planning, with a clinical opinion from the multi-disciplinary team, ensure that staff can meet the complex needs of children and young people. The home environment is adapted prior to children and young people’s arrivals to keep them safe. For one young person, who regularly absconded putting himself at significant risk, this included installing a high fence so he could safely enjoy the garden. Managers consider the potential impact on the other children and young people and group living at the Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 4 home. This helps children and young people settle quickly with limited disruption to existing residents. This also reduces the need for unnecessary moves to alternative accommodation for children and young people who struggle with changes of routine or environment. One staff member said: ‘Admissions are well planned. We ask whether we

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

can meet young people’s needs, from their clinical needs through to their educational needs, but we strongly match the young person with others.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people have excellent attendance at the on-site school, with the introduction of a primary class to reflect the younger ages of newly admitted children. Those who previously struggled with going to school are now regularly attending and the majority of children and young people are meeting or exceeding their targets. They benefit from the collaborative working between the residential staff, school staff and the multi-disciplinary team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people benefit from a variety of social and recreational activities including the use of on-site amenities. These include the sports hall where they attend groups such as rebound trampoline therapy. The use of the newly acquired outdoor play equipment promotes children and young people’s physical health and fitness. The activity coordinator provides a weekly programme for each child and young person. This allows them to pursue their individual hobbies, providing stimulating and new activities to widen their interests. These experiences give children and young people the opportunity to socialise with their peers to improve their social skills. Friendships develop, and for some young people this has allowed them to become more tolerant so they can now live with their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people give their views in a number of forums. Some attend the council, representing the opinions of their peers. Creative staff who produce individual social stories support children and young people who have limited verbal communication. The use of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and visual aids such as pictorial weekly planners make sure children and young people are fully involved in their care planning and decision-making. Managers promote the use of independent advocates for children and young people. This gives them a voice when important decisions are made about their future.

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

In accordance with their care plans, children and young people have a high level of supervision to keep them safe and protected. Staff know the vulnerabilities specific to each child and young person, and implement safeguards to protect them from harm. Staff sensitively and firmly promote clear expectations, boundaries and structure to help children and young people to feel secure. Children and young people do not go missing and there are no concerns that they are at risk of child sexual exploitation. A parent said: ‘My son is in a safe place. I trust the people here. It is a good place and he has the right staff team.’

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

Regular multi-disciplinary team meetings provide a forum to discuss children and young people’s individual plans, including behaviour management. Risk assessment and Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 5 management plans are working documents and outline strategies for staff to use. Staff monitor potential triggers and patterns, and respond swiftly to self-injurious behaviours, often predicting these before escalation. There are times when staff need to hold children and young people, but only as a last resort to keep them safe. Staff reflect on these incidents with clinicians to ensure that practice is consistent and meets children and young people’s needs. This leads to a reduction in the levels of challenging behaviour, and restraints lessen in frequency and duration as a result.

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

The newly appointed rota coordinator is responsible for robust recruitment procedures. Thorough checks and questionnaires ensure the safe and careful selection of staff. The management takes immediate and thorough action in response to any concerns about the conduct of staff. The manager seeks advice and guidance from the designated officer for the local authority. This means timely outcomes and quick resolutions to any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has extensive experience working within residential care, and has the required leadership qualification. This includes working with children and young people who have physical and learning disabilities, complex health and behavioural needs. He became the registered manager at the home in March 2015.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides strong leadership that is child-centred, and he is passionate about providing the best possible care for children and young people. This commitment is also evident in the management team whose members work well together to ensure the smooth running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager knows the children and young people very well and prioritises their diverse needs effectively. He maintains a thorough oversight of their behaviour, needs and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive an in-depth induction and complete a workbook to use to reflect on their practice. A new recruit spoke about the comprehensive induction and training and felt prepared to work on shift. She said; ‘I didn’t think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. I felt very supported. Everyone is there for me if I need help.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professional development is encouraged and supported. Staff receive excellent ongoing training, which includes bespoke training when issues arise, such as crisis intervention work to support children and young people with mental health problems. This keeps staff’s knowledge fully up to date. Staff benefit from their close contact with the multi- disciplinary team and on-site epilepsy specialist who provide ongoing training, advice and competency testing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive good levels of support and supervision. However, staff receive supervision from a number of managers, and not all of them have received training in supervising staff. This results in an inconsistency in the quality and recording of these sessions. Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 6 Monitoring is excellent, and the evaluation of the service is insightful and contributes towards making improvements, such as the employment of the rota coordinator to improve recruitment. Staff have also received mentoring to improve and make recording concise and consistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers demonstrate a sound understanding of the areas for development and the manager has a clear vision for the future. Consultation takes place with stakeholders, parents and young people to inform the quality of care review. The regulation 44 visitor monitors the service thoroughly, routinely noting areas for improvement.

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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: SC035687 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hesley Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hesley Hall Coach House, Hesley, DONCASTER, South Yorkshire DN11 9HH

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Inspectors

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Matt Reed, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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