Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children's Services (2) Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report children‟s home: SC398480 1 SC398480 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private company that operates a number of children‟s homes across the country owns this home. This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 3 June 2014. He holds a level 5 equivalent qualification in leadership and management in health and care services.

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 good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 30 November 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC398480 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/06/2017 Full Good 02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC398480 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 31/05/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 31/05/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1)(5))

p.3

Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered manager ensuring that complaints made against the home are in line with the organisation‟s complaints policy. 31/05/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(c))

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. 31/05/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC398480 4

p.3

Recommendations

 Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home‟s records as „living documents‟ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take young people‟s education seriously. Staff make sure that young people maintain good school attendance, even if this means travelling a long distance. One teacher told the inspector that staff are „professional, organised and accommodating, often making changes to their plans or routines and being flexible in order to best support [young person‟s] needs and his transition into school.‟

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff attend fortnightly therapeutic consultations. These meetings enable staff to increase their understanding of young people‟s emotional health.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The layout of the home includes a purpose-built independence flat. This flat enables young people to begin to experience what it is like to live independently. Staff remain close by and offer support when needed. This opportunity to live independently helps to equip young people with essential life skills, confidence and self-esteem so that they can progress successfully to adulthood.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage young people to access varied activities that reflect their individual interests. This can include horse riding, ghost hunting, specialist youth groups and going on holidays. These opportunities enable young people to enjoy positive and rewarding experiences during their time at the home.

p.4

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

Staff complete detailed risk management plans for all young people that are updated following any significant incidents. Despite this good practice, staff do not routinely read the updated risk assessments before starting their shift. This means that sometimes staff are not up to date with young people‟s current risks or aware of how to reduce these risks.

p.4

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

Staff follow young people who go missing from the home and encourage them to return. This approach means that young people begin to understand the risks they can face in the community and accept the help from staff to make safer decisions.

p.4

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

A new physical intervention policy has been introduced. This has helped the staff to use more de-escalation techniques. As a result, the number of physical interventions in the home has decreased. Inspection report children‟s home: SC398480 5 The registered manager has implemented a system to improve the recording of medication. However, despite this improvement, staff continue to make a record of what they have administered to a young person in multiple places and sometimes not in a consistent way. This compromises having a clear oversight of the administration of medication.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In the last few months, a new responsible individual has been appointed and changes have been made to the staffing arrangements. These changes are helping staff to work more closely together as a team, which has resulted in staff providing more child-centred care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from the police, teachers and social workers is positive. Communication between the different agencies is described by professionals as being excellent and has helped to promote a team approach in the way that young people receive coordinated care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training to support their understanding of the needs of young people. However, this training has not extended to helping staff to have knowledge in supporting young people who can self-harm. This can have an impact on members of staff‟s ability to respond to young people in crisis.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been one complaint since the last inspection. This was not addressed in line with the organisation‟s complaints procedure as laid out in the statement of purpose. This shortfall in practice means that there is a lack of transparency in how staff deal with complaints raised by the community.

p.5

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.

p.5

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: SC398480 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

p.6

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Millward

p.6

Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC398480 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.6

Inspector

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 http://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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7