Children's home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report children’s home: SC378407 1 SC378407 Registered provider: Timeout Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. If required, children and young people can access the organisation’s school and therapy department. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2014.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC378407 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/09/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC378407 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.3

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i))

p.3

Requirement Due date

Specifically, redecorate those areas where holes have been repaired and ensure that any future damage caused by the children is fully repaired to a high standard. 28/06/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person, if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) Specifically, improve the level of consultation with third party stakeholders, including children’s parents and relatives. 28/06/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 Ensure that information in electronic records can be easily accessed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2). Specifically, ensure that the records of young people’s debriefs following incidents of restraint can be located easily.

p.3

Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to respond to the health needs of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12). Specifically, ensure that all staff complete training in working with children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Inspection report children’s home: SC378407 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The experience of living in this home is having a significantly positive impact on the lives of children and young people. Each child or young person has benefited from the unconditional care and support provided by staff with whom they have developed strong and meaningful attachments. This has brought about a genuine sense of belonging and stability, with both young people regarding this as their home. A social worker wrote, ‘[Name] was placed at this home after several placement break downs.’ They went on to say, ‘[Name] has severe behavioural and emotional needs, but since moving to this home, he has managed to build trusting relationships with staff who provide a routine that supports him every day.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Both young people have made significant progress relative to their individual needs and starting points. This is particularly evident in the fact that despite significant periods of non-engagement in education, they are both now engaging successfully in school or college placements. This is down to the manager and staff who have been relentless in their efforts to identify appropriate placements and provide ongoing support through working collaboratively with education providers. This means that any presenting obstacles and barriers to participation are successfully overcome through an agreed collaborative approach.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people are supported well to maintain a healthy lifestyle through good diet and exercise. They have lots of opportunities to engage in physical activities such as playing football, going for walks and riding on their bikes and scooters. They are supported to attend routine health appointments and when necessary referrals for assessment are made to specialist services.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people have access to the organisation’s therapists who provide direct support for them, as well as providing information and guidance for staff. Staff are exceptionally skilled at delivering agreed strategies within the home, which has been significantly beneficial for one young person in particular. A therapist said, ‘The level of support for [Name] has been exceptional. Staff recognise the need for consistency and always make sure that it is the same person attending therapy with him. This has been really beneficial in establishing a secure attachment figure. The member of staff now supports him during the sessions and is really effective at translating what we do in therapy into daily practice in the home.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff recognise the importance of family relationships and do their utmost to support and improve contact. Where appropriate, they maintain strong links with family members and offer good support and guidance to them as a means of improving their ability to care for their child. The effectiveness of this support is evident in the fact that a return home is being considered for one young person. His mother said, ‘Staff have been really supportive of him and of me. When I am having problems with him, they are available to help me manage his behaviour, which is much improved. The manager has gone out of her way for him and me. She is trying really hard to help me and him prepare for when Inspection report children’s home: SC378407 5 he comes home. This would never have been possible if it wasn’t for the staff. They all go above and beyond and what they have done and how they have helped my son is fantastic.’

p.4

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

Children and young people feel safe. The manager and staff have a thorough understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and are fully committed to and effective in promoting children’s and young people’s safety and well-being.

p.5

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

There have been no safeguarding concerns or complaints since the last inspection. Links with external safeguarding agencies and professionals are in place and have been used effectively when managing the one allegation made against a member of staff.

p.5

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

Keeping children and young people safe is integral to care planning and day-to-day practice. The staff have a good understanding of each young person’s behaviours, risks and vulnerabilities, and give the management of these the utmost priority.

p.5

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

Staff understand the need for children and young people to take age-appropriate risks and apply parent-like boundaries that enable them to do this. A social worker said, ‘[Name]’s relationship with his girlfriend is distracting at present, but staff are doing good educational work around appropriate relationships for example. They balance his needs well in this respect and when he is away from the home they have good procedures for keeping in touch and making sure he is safe.’

p.5

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

Staff are well trained and benefit from the input of qualified therapists who provide advice, guidance and support in the management of risk-taking behaviours such as verbal and physical aggression. They implement well-thought-out risk management strategies, which are clearly having a positive impact on improving children’s and young people’s emotional regulation, resulting in a reduction of these types of behaviour over time.

p.5

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

Staff are very calm and caring in their approach to managing challenging behaviour. They understand the motivational factors of this type of behaviour and are able to recognise and respond to changes in mood. They make every effort to avoid physical restraint, but when it is used, it is always as a last resort and is done in a sensitive and caring manner. Positively, the need for this type of intervention is reducing both in terms of frequency and more significantly in severity. This is because staff are good at helping children and young people form secure attachments that make them feel less anxious and unsafe.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is fully involved in all aspects of care planning and acts as a positive conduit between the home and external agencies. She is a strong advocate and is willing to challenge professionals in order to ensure that children and young people have access to the resources and support that they need. A social worker said, ‘The manager and the Inspection report children’s home: SC378407 6 staff work well with other agencies. They are always asking for meetings to consider the best way of working with [name]. The manager has got one eye on the future and is aware of the work that needs to be done.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children and young people benefit from living in a well-run home where their needs are consistently prioritised. Staff describe the manager as supportive and always available. They receive regular supervision and have recently started to have their performance appraised every four months. This competency-based approach highlights the organisation’s commitment to developing a competent and effective workforce.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have good access to mandatory and needs-led training, and are supported well to acquire a qualification relevant to their roles. A number of staff have not completed training in working with children and young people who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), despite this being an identified need of one young person in the home.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some progress has been made in addressing the requirement made at the last inspection. Damaged doors have been repaired or replaced. However, the issue of not redecorating when holes in walls are filled, after being damaged by children and young people, is still evident. This detracts from what is essentially a pleasant and well- maintained home.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Two recommendations were also made. There is evidence that staff are supporting young people to clean their bedrooms and no longer give pocket money until this task is complete. Staff are much more familiar with the home’s electronic recording system and use this effectively to maintain what are on the whole comprehensively detailed records that provide an insight into each child’s or young person’s life. There continues to be the need to consider how restraint records can be better coordinated. For example, the manager was unable to locate two post-restraint debriefs during the inspection. Other evidence was provided confirming that these had taken place.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring activity is generally good. The manager maintains good oversight of staff practice, care planning and the progress that children and young people make. Her six- monthly monitoring report is comprehensively detailed and highlights how young people have benefited from living at the home as well as areas that can be improved. This process is further strengthened by the monthly scrutiny of an independent visitor who provides a sufficiently detailed report that can be used to address any identified shortfalls. However, these reports rarely include the views of external stakeholders, including parents and relatives. Inspection report children’s home: SC378407 7

p.6

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.7

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: SC378407 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Timeout Children’s Homes Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Timeout Children’s Homes Limited, Unit 2, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire HX6 4DH

p.8

Inspector(s)

Paul Scott: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC378407 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector(s)

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.9

Inspector(s)

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

p.9

Inspector(s)

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

p.9