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Inspection report children’s home: SC480705 1 SC480705 Registered provider: Arc HD Services Ltd

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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 privately run children’s home. The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have complex emotional, mental health and behavioural needs. A multi-disciplinary team supports young people with their mental health needs. The registered manager has been in post since December 2015.

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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 Good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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Outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC480705 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2017 Full Outstanding 18/10/2016 Full Good 27/06/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/03/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC480705 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1) and (2)(b)) In particular, review the use of staff personal mobile phones to communicate with young people. 31/05/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress while living in the home. The warm and caring environment allows young people to safely work through their emotional distress, while transitioning to living in the community, often after periods in residential hospitals. Young people flourish as a result of the unconditional support from the highly dedicated staff, who genuinely put the needs of young people first in all aspects of their care and running of the home. Young people make excellent progress in their emotional well-being through carefully planned care. Joint working with mental health professionals allows for smooth transitions from their often hospital-based care, into a community-based setting. Pre- placement assessments consider both the young person moving into the home and the impact for those already living in the home, and recognise that it is a potentially destabilising time for all. The home has protective fixtures and furnishings which enable

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

young people to regulate themselves in their own personal flats. Young people’s views are central to the planning and running of the home. Young people are able to share their views at any time, and staff act on these whenever they are able. Key-work sessions are planned in line with care plans, to ensure that they reflect individual need. In addition, incidental conversation forms allow other significant Inspection report children’s home: SC480705 4 discussions and actions taken to be recorded. Young people are particularly pleased to have their own video streaming accounts, so they are able to watch films and box sets of their choosing. The staff have recently developed achievement files for each young person that hold photographs, certificates and notes from staff on particular successes or experiences. These allow young people to view their file, including care plans and reviews, whenever they choose. This helps remove anxiety over what information is held in their main file,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

as non-confidential information is duplicated in these. Young people make excellent progress in education, including sitting a wide range of subjects for their GCSE exams. If young people are struggling to manage their workload, staff liaise with schools and colleges to develop strategies to maintain positive engagement. Young people have key staff that they can go to while in school or college, and say that they are happy having this link. In addition to formal education, young people have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of socially and emotionally stimulating activities. They are encouraged to make friendships in the local community, and have been to parties and stayed overnight at friends’ homes. Young people are prepared for their next steps through a planned independence programme. The manager and staff are evaluating the contents of the programme, by considering to what extent it has been beneficial to those young people who have

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

moved on. Staff remain in contact with those who move on, and continue to meet with them, if the young person chooses to, in order to provide continued support into adulthood.

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

Young people are confident in their home and were observed approaching staff with any worries or concerns. Staff are skilled in supporting young people who are showing signs of distress, and were seen to support them extremely effectively. If young people feel they could not approach staff, the home also has links to an advocate, who young people can contact at any time and by various communication methods. The home has strong links with the designated officer in the local authority, who is confident in the home’s safeguarding procedures. Any concerns are shared with partner agencies swiftly, and the home actively encourages meetings and discussions to safeguard those that they care for. The manager has actively challenged partner agencies when she has felt that they have not acted on disclosures effectively or in a timely manner. Staff are thoughtful regarding individual needs and the risks that young people may be

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

subject to. It is recognised that those living in the home have histories of self-injury, including eating disorders, but it is clear that this does not define the young person, or who they can become. The home is ligature resistant in as non-institutional a manner as possible, and all doors are barricade proof. However, this does not mean that young people are prevented from expressing their anger and distress. Close working with partner agencies and the home’s therapeutic team allows young people to re-direct their negative emotions into safer channels of expression. The vast improvement in a young person’s presentation and actions since moving to the home from secure accommodation Inspection report children’s home: SC480705 5 demonstrates the benefits to her living in the calm and settled environment. The open culture in the home enables young people to feel safe, and that staff genuinely care for them. Risk identification forms and risk assessments are shared with young

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

people to show that they are also part of the process of reducing their self-injury and other harmful behaviours. Both young people currently living in the home have had significant reductions in their self-injury while in placement. Young people are afforded as much freedom as they are able to cope with. They have independent time in the community, with clear plans for remaining in contact with staff. Staff know where young people are likely to go if they are unhappy or are taking a walk to relax, and will go to these locations should the young people not remain in contact or return within agreed time frames. Clear plans are in place with the local police should a young person be missing, although this is rarely required. Staff currently use their personal mobile phones to contact young people, which has the potential to blur their personal and working boundary. To this point, it has not led to any harm. The

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

responsible individual is considering how best to manage a change to the policy, without young people feeling rejected by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is effectively managed by a highly committed registered manager. Along with the deputy manager, they lead by example, particularly through their aspirational approach to care. They expect all staff to provide high-quality individualised support for the young people living in the home, and for all staff to identify that the young people’s needs are always paramount. The management team knows how well each young person is progressing. The team meets regularly with key workers, developing the care plans and key-work sessions for the upcoming three months, while reviewing any progress and actions to be carried over. Records are clear and cross-referenced, to ensure that they are easily accessible and to reduce miscommunication and a disjointed approach to care. Staff say that they feel well supported and that they can approach managers at any time. It is an inclusive team, in which all staff are able share their views and ideas, but

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

with an acknowledgement that the managers make final decisions. Staff are enthusiastic about the training available to them. In particular, they find the monthly sessions with the therapist useful, as they explore each young person’s needs and potential reasons for their actions and behaviour. This, along with the programme of therapeutic-based training, makes staff feel more confident in their roles and have a genuine understanding of the therapeutic ethos that the home promotes. The managers have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the home, and use a range of evaluation tools. The manager and responsible individual challenge the independent visitor to produce more evaluative and in-depth monthly reports, as they seek the constructive criticism. The managers produce a thorough monthly analysis of the home to inform six-monthly reviews of their progress. The development plan is

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

comprehensive with a focus on improving the experiences for young people while in the home and when they have moved on. Inspection report children’s home: SC480705 6

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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: SC480705 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Arc HD Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Arc HD Services, Wessex House, Upper Market Street, Eastleigh SO50 9FD

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC480705 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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