Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC037910 1 SC037910 Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people. The key theoretical model used in the home is the ‘Pillars of Parenting’ model to help children and young people recover from experiences which have rendered them vulnerable and disrupted their primary relationships. The home currently cares for children and young people from 10 to 17 years old. The manager has many years’ experience in children’s services and has been the registered manager for 11 years.

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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 good

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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: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC037910 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2017 Full Good 21/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC037910 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the quality standards including the children’s homes regulations’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) In particular, senior leaders should avoid making admissions decisions that are in opposition to those of the registered manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people grow in confidence and blossom in their self-esteem. From a starting point of withdrawal, they are able to go on, for example, to represent young people’s views at an all-party parliamentary committee or perform a dance in public.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people, some with severe attachment difficulties, form excellent relationships with the adults caring for them. They trust the adults to help them and promote their well-being. Staff produce a high-quality memory book with pictures, photographs and personal messages. Children and young people remember their positive experiences and reflect on their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people enjoy positive and constructive relationships that continue after they have left care. Staff stay in touch with children and young people, giving them a clear message of their value and importance. Former residents, who are now adults themselves, visit for meals or phone staff for a chat or advice. Children and young people still living in the home aspire to make a success of their lives in a similar fashion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Other professionals speak highly of the home. A statutory report stated that a young person had done ‘incredibly well and there were no concerns about behaviour’. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘(Name of young person) has done fantastically well, she now has an amazing support network.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support children and young people to stay in good health. For example, they work with children and young people to overcome a fear of needles so they can have their routine vaccinations. Inspection report children’s home: SC037910 4 Children and young people develop their independent living skills. They leave the setting and are able to hold a tenancy and take good care of themselves. They gain employment in accordance with their interests and dreams. They speak positively of their experience in the home, recognising the changes they have made over the years. A former young person said, ‘I am proud to have lived there. They really are family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff fully support education. They are creative and innovative in their approach to making learning a positive experience. For example, one young person was able to access a dance academy, resulting in a public performance once thought impossible to achieve.

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

Staff demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the underlying therapeutic emphasis of the home. Under the guidance of a clinical psychologist they apply theory in practice. Staff help children and young people make connections between the ways their underlying emotions have an impact on their behaviour. Children and young people are able to manage and improve behaviour.

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

Staff call for and attend high-risk strategy meetings to agree plans for how to keep children and young people safe. They identify the triggers and take action to meet individual children and young people’s needs, so they are able to modify their risk-taking behaviour.

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

Staff challenge other professionals to take action to resolve issues so that any temporary limitations, necessary to keep children and young people safe, can be lifted. Staff use a creative approach so that children and young people can see people who are important to them while being kept safe.

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

Staff keep children and young people safe, identifying the risks and managing them so that children and young people become increasingly safe. Staff search relentlessly for children and young people who are absent without permission. Staff involve other agencies, such as the police, when necessary. Strategies are successful. There have been three such incidents since the last inspection.

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

Staff use a variety of strategies to keep children and young people as safe as possible in the cyber world. Children and young people enjoy trusting relationships with staff. They show them any image or message that concerns them on their electronic device, confident that staff will guide them in the right action to take.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A very experienced and qualified registered manager leads the home. She shows exceptional leadership and support, proving to be a role model for the high standards of care that she expects. She uses reflective practice in formal supervision to support staff to strive towards continually improving the standard of care. Inspection report children’s home: SC037910 5 A highly motivated staff team is unreservedly committed to children and young people’s needs. It works collaboratively to provide stable and consistent care so that children and young people form attachments that they have previously lacked. Staff travel considerable distances so that children and young people can spend time with their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager acts in the best interests of each child or young person, challenging the practice of other professionals if necessary. On one occasion, a senior leader in the local authority overruled her decision not to admit a child in an emergency, on the grounds of compatibility with others in the home and the staffing situation. This decision undermined the registered manager and compromised her ability to make admissions decisions in the best interests of the current group of children and young people. Despite the resultant safeguarding issues and challenging behaviour, the registered manager and her team were relentless in their pursuit of achieving positive outcomes for the child, who has now moved on to an alternative provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager deploys staff effectively. She is aware of the current staff shortfalls and has developed an interim plan to redeploy staff while she recruits additional team members. This plan involves closing the home for a short period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring is exemplary. Staff use a ‘performance action group’ data form to monitor progress and incidents. This provides excellent, detailed oversight, monitoring and measuring of achievements. An independent visitor acts as a critical friend, identifying the pertinent issues and helping to drive improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents speaks positively of the communication from and care by the home. One parent said, ‘The registered manager is really good and the staff manage my daughter really well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff worked with an international charity, with the aim of eliminating institutionalised care, to model how a homely environment and therapeutic support provide positive outcomes for children and young people. Other professionals described the event as the ‘most influential’ part of their visit to the United Kingdom. They described the staff as an ‘inspirational team’.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC037910 6 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: SC037910 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester SO23 8UG

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Inspector

Keith Riley, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC037910 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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