Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in Southampton

Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 1 SC402135 Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns and operates this home. It accommodates a maximum of four young people between the ages of 10 and 17 years who have complex emotional, behavioural and educational difficulties. The home uses PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) and Dyadic Developmental Practice models to inform its approach to working with them.

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Information about this children’s home

A flat is attached to the house to provide support for developing a young person’s independence skills, reintegration into the community or an assessment of needs. The company has the provision of a small specialist education unit, which is used when it is assessed that young people are not able to attend mainstream school.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The provider’s methods of working are well embedded in practice. Staff ably articulate their understanding of the approach and how children and young people have benefited from it.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff offer a high level of emotional support to children and young people and relationships between them, particularly those formed over a significant period, are instrumental in helping young people to overcome difficult experiences.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people make significant progress, particularly in developing independent living skills and in managing strong emotions. This helps them become more resilient and able to address their personal challenges.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Moves into and out of the home, including those within the organisation, are managed extremely well, leading to successful transitions, when young people have been either enthusiastic or reticent to make the move.

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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

 Young people do not read or contribute to the many live documents that affect them. This means that the manager and staff do not record or explicitly take into account children’s views, wishes and feelings in placement planning or in the improvement of the home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Quality of care reviews are not underpinned by the quality standards, so important areas are not addressed. The review does not include an evaluation of what has been done in the period covered nor does it lead to actions that can be measured in terms of improving the care of children and young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager has not had a formal induction to the role, meaning that the level of accountability and responsibility, particularly to Ofsted as the regulatory body, has not been fully appreciated.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home does not have a workforce plan, so the essential policies and procedures required by statutory guidance are not coherently drawn together.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/06/2016 Full Outstanding 14/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/05/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 3

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard the registered person must ensure: that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (2)(f)) 23/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must undertake such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the registered manager has the skills needed for managing the home. (Regulation 29(4)) 23/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirement that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(2)(d)) Specifically, ensure that applicants provide a full employment history, together with a satisfactory explanation of any gaps in employment, in writing. 23/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) Specifically, obtain and retain the placing authority’s placement plan and every school report received in respect of the child. 23/03/2018

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Recommendations

 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’, page 22, paragraph 4.11) In particular, record and report back to children all actions agreed in key-work sessions and young people’s meetings.

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Recommendations

 For some children who have experienced severe trauma, have mental health difficulties or have been excluded or out of education for significant periods, it may be necessary to address and work through their past experiences and present needs before they can positively participate in learning activities and formal education. Staff in children’s homes will play a key role in supporting these Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 4 children in line with their personal education plan or EHC plan and recommendations from education and health professionals. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.3) Specifically, keep personal education plans on file and available to staff.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which should: - detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose; - detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding and health and safety and mandatory qualifications); - detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; - detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, comply with guidance set out in ‘An employer’s guide to right to work checks’ (The Home Office, 16 Aug 2017).

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Recommendations

 Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months; also see regulation 13(2)(h) (the leadership and management standard). The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a significant and clear development in children’s and young people’s capacity to manage and contain difficult feelings over time. Young people who have recently been admitted have shown improvements too, as a member of the family of one young person commented: ‘He seems happier since the move, more at ease and comfortable. Our phone calls have been easy-going and we don’t have the long pauses we used to.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 5 Staff have a commendable understanding of the theoretical approaches to working with children and young people adopted by the provider. Those spoken to were able to give examples of how following them has changed their practice and benefited particular young people. This demonstrates a very positive impact on the ability of young people to manage difficult past experiences and therefore have improved future prospects.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s progress has included significant reductions in the number of physical interventions required to keep them and others safe, and an increase in their self-care and independence skills. One parent commented on her child’s ability to manage feelings, to the extent of being able to demonstrate empathy for others, which was not the case prior to admission.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some areas are stubbornly resistant to progress, such as healthy eating choices. An attempt to include a request to have a takeaway meal once a month as a reward for making better choices met with disagreement among the group. With little help to resolve their differences, it resulted in stalemate and young people commenting, ‘I doubt it will ever happen.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

House meeting minutes give limited details of the views expressed by young people and evidence of them is mostly confined to key-worker recordings about matters that concern them as individuals. This includes the decor of bedrooms and choices of activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a shared view between staff and young people that to routinely ask the subjects of records to sign each time something is written about them is ‘institutional’. The commendable frequency of updating plans and recording of conversations has the unintended consequence of reinforcing the idea that this is unreasonable. Instead, children and young people sign a declaration saying that they do not wish to read what staff write but will review paperwork every few months. In practice, such reviews are rare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The prevailing opinion of children and young people is that recording is at best a necessary evil or even, as expressed by one, ‘disrespectful’. This hinders the benefits young people may experience by having sight of documentation about them. It contributes to the fact that the views, wishes and feelings of children and young people are absent from their placement plans. The manager and staff have not engaged children and young people effectively in the process so that they appreciate the value given to their contribution.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage positive behaviour through targets set for children’s and young people’s conduct that are scored, resulting in a ‘banding’ for the level of privileges earned. Behaviours tend to be described as what children and young people should not do and points are lost when they are exhibited, rather than gained when they behave well. This does not sit within the overall ethos the provider has developed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A daily living skills programme helps young people to acquire the practical skills they will need to look after themselves and contribute to the very successful moves made to more independent provision once they are old enough. Staff and managers have developed excellent practice in planning and helping young people prepare for this important step Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 6 and for moves within the organisation. The latter includes moving staff with children to maintain continuity of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support each young person through individualised care planning. Although some significant documentation was missing from case records (including personal education plans for all children of statutory education age and, for one young person, no local authority placement plan) staff acted in accordance with and acted on recommendations from children’s reviews and health plans.

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

Staff make thorough individual risk assessments that result in clear strategies to reduce concerns. Together with placement plans and positive handling plans, they are frequently reviewed in the light of experience so that the whole team is aware of the most up-to-date information.

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

Plans and assessments are sent to social workers, and staff sign to say that they have read and understood them; however, children and young people do not, nor do they read records of key-work sessions.

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

Staff record all significant conversations with children and young people, which can be daily, as key-work sessions. The narratives are rich accounts of the issues raised by either party and the evident emotional and practical support provided. Actions are not drawn out for ease of reference and they are not reviewed in future sessions. This means that it may not be clear to children and young people how staff have acted on their views, wishes and feelings and there is potential for the intended outcomes not to be realised.

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

Children and young people say that they feel safe and that bullying is not a problem in the home. One young person acknowledged that ‘sometimes we can get out of hand with each other but staff will step in if we can’t pull things back’. Some young people said that they did not talk to staff about concerns (although records read and observations made during the inspection indicated otherwise) but others said they would ‘talk to anyone here’, confident that ‘they will take it seriously and take precautions needed’. Childline or advocates are routes that young people knew they could take if they felt it was necessary.

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

Staff are well versed in the safeguarding procedures to follow if they are concerned about the welfare of a child and, in response to questions, demonstrated a commitment to pursuing them through line management or by whistleblowing if they thought safeguarding leads were not acting to protect children.

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

The provider operates safer recruiting procedures, but perusal of files revealed an occasion on which a gap in employment history was not explored and omissions in recording how a right to work in the UK was established and whether references were verified. Practice, including that of record-keeping, is therefore not sufficiently robust to evidence that every opportunity has been taken to ensure the suitability of those working with vulnerable children. Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 7 One member of staff who witnessed a colleague having to hold a young person commented that even though ‘he was bitten and punched he was calm, and talked to show the child he was still cared for’. This illustrates the approach taken and why the number of physical interventions reduces over the time young people are at the home. Figures gathered show that one young person who was frequently restrained on admission has not required to be held for many months. Records demonstrate that staff

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

have managed such events well and that helping young people to regain equilibrium and learn from what happened is integral to their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The recently registered manager has clear aspirations for the quality of care provided for children and young people and high expectations of their ability to achieve. She and her staff have a detailed knowledge of each young person, and the progress they are making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are very positive about the support provided by the manager and the ethos of the team. One commented, ‘She has been a big support to every single one of us to the best of her ability – and we likewise. She has bonded well with the team. I think everyone would say we are a good team and the biggest support is the manager.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Sampled records of supervision and appraisals demonstrate that these are effective processes to enable staff to undertake their roles; however, a workforce plan should be developed to bring together the various policies and procedures, including an updated policy on supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The induction process for new staff is thorough; they and staff in a new role, including the manager, receive more frequent supervision to monitor their competence and level of performance. Staff report that this has prepared them well, but the manager has identified significant gaps in her understanding of the implications of becoming the registered person, specifically in terms of complying with the children’s homes regulations and the responsibilities of the registered manager. She has not received an adequate induction to ensure that she has the required level of understanding of the role, but has responded promptly when gaps in her knowledge have become apparent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

An example of the lack of understanding has been in the manager’s reviews of the quality of care under regulation 45. These have essentially been form-filling exercises, which has meant that she has not followed statutory guidance, such as including the views of young people, and that actions have been limited to continuing current plans, such as providing ongoing training. Thus, opportunities have been missed to gain a thorough understanding of care given and to develop plans that build on strengths and address weaknesses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Nevertheless, the home is meeting the aims and objectives, as set out in its statement of purpose, extremely well. Progress is measured through the attainment of targets set for each child or young person and other achievements, and is described in a number of documents, including an outcomes tracker, internal care plan reviews and reports for statutory reviews. These concentrate on developments since the last such review but Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 8 there is no mechanism for easily demonstrating progress since a child was admitted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Parents spoken to have a high opinion of the home and the staff here. One described them as ‘brilliant, helpful, polite and welcoming’. This was, in part, as result of reducing perceived problems experienced with another agency prior to admission, demonstrating effective engagement with the wider system to the benefit of children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The organisation as a whole and staff in the home have built strong relationships with other professionals involved in the care of children placed with them. One manager said that he was ‘very impressed’ with the provider, particularly in maintaining academic progress, the knowledge of its staff and the quality of their communication with him. He commented, ‘This is one of the better homes I deal with – by a long chalk.’

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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: SC402135 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Forest Care Ltd, West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton SO45 6AA

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Inspector

Chris Peel, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC402135 10 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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