Children's home run by Happy Children Home Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1258894 1 Registered provider: Happy Children Home 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

The home is privately owned. It provides care and accommodation for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: This is the home’s first inspection.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because: Inspection report children’s home: 1258894 2  From their starting points, young people make outstanding progress in all aspects of their lives.  Young people who have previously experienced high levels of instability present as very happy and settled.  Staff know young people extremely well. A dedicated staff group provides young people with an exceptionally high standard of care.  Staff protect young people extremely well. They consistently implement comprehensive risk and behaviour management plans. These plans keep young people as safe as possible.  A multi-disciplinary approach to the care of each young person is highly effective. Extremely well-established partnership working with placing authorities and external agencies ensures that each young person has a bespoke package of support.  Young people feel respected and highly valued. Their views shape all decisions about

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Key findings from this inspection

the home.  An aspirational and enthusiastic manager leads a well-motivated staff team. Inspection report children’s home: 1258894 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress and enjoy extremely positive experiences with staff. One young person said, ‘The home is fabulous. The staff make us happy, you cannot really fault them. If you have got a problem you just go straight to them and they will sort it out for you.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The house is welcoming, warm and in extremely good condition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Feedback from professionals about the progress that young people make is also exceptional, particularly in relation to education. Staff support young people to understand the importance of education. Young people who were not in education are now attending educational provision. This is a significant improvement for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are aspirational and encourage young people to develop their talents. As a result, young people grow in confidence. Staff support young people extremely well to become healthier, both physically and emotionally. Physical activity is promoted alongside healthy eating. Young people are encouraged to engage in a wide variety of community activities. For example, one young person has found a part-time job and another young person has become a member of a football team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Referrals to external agencies such as the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), a smoking cessation clinic, bereavement counselling services, and Connexions are made as soon as a specific need is identified. A social worker said, ‘They have done more than we would have expected. We work well together; they are just really great with young people.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The lives of young people become less chaotic as they settle into the home. They receive an exceptional level of support. Emotionally warm care helps young people to learn how to trust adults. This, in turn, enables young people to invest in the home. For example, one young person said, ‘All I can basically say is where I am living now is like my new family, so basically I have a new family and a new home now.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are respected and valued by the staff. Their views are fully taken into account in the day-to-day running of the home. Young people attend team meetings and help in the recruitment of new staff. This provides young people with a sense of responsibility and control over their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff promote the rights of young people and advocate on their behalf. For example, staff were persistent and determined when insisting that one young person received a place in a local school. The manager has also supported a young person to access essential therapeutic intervention. A young person said, ‘He helped me to see that I needed support. I couldn’t see it, but he explained it and I then understood what he was saying.’ Inspection report children’s home: 1258894 4

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

Young people feel very safe in the home. They are able to identify key members of staff who they can share any worries with. Staff build strong relationships with young people. These relationships underpin the nurturing home environment and help young people to feel safe. A police officer said, ‘They manage the children really well. They do not speak about young people like they are not there. They include them in conversations. When I’ve visited I’ve been mega, mega impressed.’

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

Young people who have previously experienced high levels of instability and frequent placement breakdowns present as very happy and settled. Staff provide them with high levels of praise and encouragement, alongside structure, routine and consistent boundaries. One young person said, ‘I have got all the support that I need here. I have got these guys; they have done so much for me. I don’t need a counsellor or a therapist or anything else. They are amazing.’

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

There is no bullying in the home. Although episodes of young people going missing continue, they are much less frequent. The staff manage these situations exceptionally well and ensure that young people are safely returned home. One young person insightfully said, ‘I like it here and I really like the staff. I run away not because I don’t want to be here or be away from the staff but just because I want to go back and see my family and friends.’

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

No restraints have been used in the home. A restorative justice approach is taken by the staff when dealing with young people’s behaviours. Young people’s behaviours are understood in the context of their histories, ensuring that wherever possible young people are not criminalised.

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

When young people move to the home they are given a booklet about staff members’ interests, likes and dislikes. This helps young people to begin to settle and learn about the staff who will be caring for them. Staff also write positive comments in young people’s personalised books each day. This simple but highly effective approach improves young people’s self-esteem and assists them to feel valued. A personal assistant to one young person said, ‘The home has been able to implement boundaries for him, which is a massive achievement. His difficult behaviours have lessened. He has made really good progress and he responds well and likes the staff.’

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

Direct work is carried out with young people about their individual needs. This work is innovative and comprehensively addresses young people’s vulnerabilities.

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

Extremely well-considered risk management plans help to protect young people. Young people who have been assessed as being at significant risk of harm are carefully monitored. This does not, however, prohibit them from participating in a wide range of exciting activities and experiences in the community. Rather, robust risk assessments enable young people to enjoy new experiences and take reasonable risks as part of their growth and development. Inspection report children’s home: 1258894 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership and management are highly effective. The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He is aspirational and ambitious for young people. The manager is held in high regard by the young people, staff and partner agencies. One member of staff said, ‘We have good management here. They get the job done and really care about the young people.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager demands the highest standards from the staff. Staff share his vision to improve young people’s lives. Morale is excellent. The cohesive staff team ensures that young people are well supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Practice is informed by extensive research. The manager’s knowledge of and insight into the complex needs of young people living in residential care are excellent. A therapeutic approach is provided when caring for young people. The manager said, ‘We are not an agency; we are a family. That is the message we want to give. They need love and nurture.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A strength of the home is inter-agency working. Other agencies say that communication is exceptional. A social worker said, ‘There are regular staff who communicate really well with me; they are brilliant. They do therapeutic parenting which is what is needed.’ By networking with the police and local residents, the manager is fully informed of any local issues that could affect young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff say that they receive high-quality supervision. This gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice. Staff also attend regular and productive team meetings that improve staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are well trained. All are on target to gain the required professional qualifications. One worker said, ‘Training is great; if we want to go on a course we can. We just ask and it’s sorted.’ In addition to mandatory training, staff receive training in relation to the specific issues that are affecting the young people they care for. As a result, staff are able to meet the individual and unique needs of young people in the 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, 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. Inspection report children’s home: 1258894 6 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

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Information about this inspection

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: 1258894 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Happy Children Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Walk House, 99 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7LF

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Inspector(s)

Davinia Lawton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258894 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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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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