The Newman Holiday Trust

Inspection date 29/08/2013 Inspector Nick Veysey Type of inspection Full

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Registered person The Newman Trust For The Handicapped Registered manager Judith Helen Wardlaw Responsible individual Anand Chitnis Date of last inspection N/A The Newman Holiday Trust Inspection report for residential holiday schemes for disabled children Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

This is a charitable organisation that operates one week holidays at five designated venues around England. It provides holidays for up to 22 children at each venue who have emotional and behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment. The inspection was carried out at one of the holiday venues.

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Brief description of the service

The Trust provides a service to children who may not otherwise get a break or a holiday and who are nominated by parents, social services or other professionals. Each holiday venue is run by an on-site holiday organisers and volunteer helpers.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be Outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

This is the scheme’s first inspection since it has been registered as a residential holiday scheme for disabled children and the introduction of the new regulations and national minimum standards. It was previously registered and inspected under the regulations and national minimum standards for children homes.

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Overall effectiveness

Children enjoy exceptionally positive experiences during their stay at this holiday scheme. They experience a full range of opportunities that promote their personal growth and development in a supportive and safe environment. This includes taking part in varied, new and stimulating activities, and making new friends. They develop confidence in their abilities, make choices about how they spend their time, develop their independence and discover new skills and interests.

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Overall effectiveness

Children’s needs and welfare are central to the running of the scheme. Children are safe and protected from significant harm. They are extremely happy with the quality of care and the support they receive from the helpers. The scheme is exceptionally well-planned and coordinated. This ensures it is highly personalised and tailored to comprehensively meet the individual needs of each child and young person, and take into account their characters and disabilities. Helpers work in a coordinated way with children, their family and professionals to ensure that children and young people continue to get the right help and guidance during their stay.

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Overall effectiveness

Helpers are highly committed and have skills, experience, qualifications, understanding and knowledge to meet children’s diverse needs on a daily basis. They are kind, friendly and determined that children really have an exceptionally good time. This is reflected in the strong and positive relationships and trust that exists between children and helpers.

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Overall effectiveness

The leaders are energetic and provide strong leadership with a clear emphasis on providing a very high standard of care and support. They demonstrate a strong commitment to complying with the new regulations and national minimum standards. They understand the strengths of the scheme and are committed to continue to develop and secure improvements.

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Experiences of children and young people

The experiences of children and young people are Outstanding .

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Experiences of children and young people

Children with disabilities and complex needs thoroughly enjoy their holiday, and stimulating and exciting activities. They are happy and provided with opportunities that enrich their lives and promote their welfare and personal growth. The activities are well planned and suitable for the children’s ages, needs, and interests. They include: arts and crafts; cooking; singing and dancing; physical exercise and sports; games; swimming; trips out to an adventure activities centre, farm, theme park, and ice cream parlour. Children have opportunities that may not be otherwise available to them. They have significant care needs and in many cases this is their only holiday. Children are confident and secure in their time away from home and their families. Their behaviour is exceptionally good and they do not take part in risky behaviours that may place them at harm.

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Experiences of children and young people

All children, including those with complex needs, actively participate in a wide range of different activities. Helpers are extremely good at sensitively encouraging children to take part in activities taking into account their abilities and level of confidence. The activities provide social opportunities for children to meet new people and make friends. Children are very positive about the choice of activities. They said that they had really enjoyed going on the bigger rides at Flamingoland and having a go at the adventure activities. They said they get to do things that they do not have the chance to do at home. They get to try new things and new challenges in a supportive and safe environment. A child said ‘I enjoyed going on the zip wire and walking on robes blindfolded, I was brave even though I was scared.’ They said there is plenty to do and to look forward to including going to the farm to see the

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Experiences of children and young people

All children are able to exercise choices about what they take part in and follow their own interests. For example, choosing what costume to make for the fancy dress disco, including Ben 10 and Rapunzel, sparkly microphones and crowns. They learn new skills, for example how to make a camp fire safely and decorating biscuits. Their experiences enable them make significant improvements in their communication and social skills, develop interests and become more confident and independent in their abilities.

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Quality of care

Children’s welfare and enjoyment is firmly placed at the centre of the running of the scheme. The leaders and helpers have high aspirations for the children and effectively ensure each individual child’s full participation in the activities and life of the scheme. There is a strong commitment to providing opportunities for children with very complex needs regardless of the challenges this presents. Children’s achievements are celebrated. Children enjoy their holiday in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. They feel that leaders and helpers want them to have a good time and are interested in them and concerned about their welfare. They enjoy positive and constructive relationships with each other and helpers. Leaders and helpers have effective interpersonal skills that enable them to build trusting relationships with children. They have suitable skills to communicate with children who use different

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Quality of care

methods of communication, including Makaton. Children feel their views are listened to and taken seriously about the activities and the personal care they receive.

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Quality of care

The scheme is extremely well organised and planned. High quality assessments enable leaders to make a thorough analysis of children’s individual needs and develop a comprehensive plan to ensure children’s individual needs are met and they get the most from their holiday. This involves home visits to meet children and their parents or carers, and seeking information from the social care, health and education professionals involved in children’s lives. This information also helps leaders to effectively match individual children with helpers that have the skills and attributes to meet their personalities and needs. Helpers effectively put each child’s plan into practice to promote children’s safety, well-being and development. The helpers are friendly, well-motivated and skilled at supporting disabled children. They have a detailed understanding of individual children’s circumstances, interests and disability;

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Quality of care

and how best to support to meet all their diverse needs, including those relating to children’s cultural background and personal identity.

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Quality of care

Children enjoy healthy lifestyles and continue to have excellent access to a full range of health services, including qualified nurses on-site, and receive excellent support with any health problems. The nurses are knowledgeable and experienced in working with children with complex needs and learning disabilities. They have strong and effective links with parents and health professionals involved in the lives of the children and young people. As a result, their health care is not disrupted during their stay. Leaders, helpers and the nurses monitor children’s health and take appropriate action if children become unwell or have an accident. There are effective systems and safe practices for managing and storing medication. Children receive the medicines that meets their individual needs and in line with medical advice. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and individual

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Quality of care

The venue that the scheme uses is suitably located, designed and maintained. It meets the individual needs of the children attending and provides comfortable accommodation, suitable kitchen and dining facilities, sufficient space and facilities for the activities the scheme provides. The venue is secure from unauthorised access and a physically safe environment that takes into account children’s needs and disabilities. Children share bedrooms with helpers of the same gender. The arrangements have been fully risk assessed to ensure that children receive the level of support and supervision they require at night because of their complex needs. The arrangements have been agreed by parents and social workers and promote the safety and welfare of children.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is Outstanding at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Children are safe and have a strong sense of safety and well-being. Their behaviour is exceptionally good, they are not involved in harmful risk taking behaviours, do not go missing and are protected from bullying. They feel able to talk to leaders and helpers if they are worried, and their worries are taken seriously and sorted out. Leaders and helpers actively promote children’s safety and protect them from harm. They are suitably trained in safeguarding, including identifying the signs and symptoms of abuse and safeguarding children with disabilities and children who do not communicate verbally. Helpers follow suitable safe caring practices, including when helping children with their personal care. Children are appropriately supervised, including in the community and at night. Detailed risk assessments and management plans protect children from harm, while enabling them to take reasonable risks suitable to their age and circumstances as part of their growth; for example taking

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Safeguarding children and young people

part in new and thrilling adventure activities.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Leaders and helpers promote positive behaviour and help children deal with any worries or frustrations constructively. Helpers are vigilant and deal with any concerns promptly in a calm manner to which children respond positively. Children usually get on and are understanding and tolerant of each other’s needs and disabilities and engage with positively with each other.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The scheme’s policies for child protection, bullying, complaints, reporting serious incidents, behaviour management and missing children are suitable and consistently followed. There are clear practices and arrangements with local police and children’s services to support and promote children’s safety. Leaders appropriately report any serious incidents involving children to the relevant agencies, including Ofsted. Leaders and helpers are thoroughly and carefully selected and vetted to ensure that they are suitable to work with vulnerable children, and have relevant skills, experience and motivation.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the residential holiday scheme for disabled children are Outstanding . Children come to stay in a highly efficiently organised holiday scheme that meets its objectives. The Registered Manager and leaders have suitable skills, knowledge and experience to run the scheme. They provide strong and effective leadership with a caring ethos and culture, which reflects the aims of the charity to provide disabled children with an enjoyable and safe holiday that enhances their future development and creates opportunities for personal growth. The holiday is adequately resourced. It is funded through charitable contributions, fundraising and donations. Parents, children, social workers and other people interested in the scheme have access to detailed information about its aims, objectives and the support provided.

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Leadership and management

The manager, leaders and helpers are unpaid volunteers, including health, education, and social care professionals, and students. They all have relevant experience of working with children, including volunteering with schools and youth organisations in the community. They clearly demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering exceptional childcare practice tailored to the individual and personal needs of the children they look after. Helpers are well-prepared for working with individual children. They receive detailed information about each child and the support they require, and suitable training and guidance, including in safeguarding and manual handling. The skills available among helpers match children’s needs exceptionally well. The scheme employs a sufficient number of helpers to meet each child’s individual needs and run the activities, including where children may require additional support. Helpers are deployed effectively to ensure children and young

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Leadership and management

people are always appropriately supported and safeguarded. Helpers are well- supported by the manager and leaders. Daily helpers’ team meetings provide the opportunity to reflect on children’s progress and how best to support them, the events of the day and to look at ways to improve things.

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Leadership and management

The scheme continues to show an excellent capacity for continued improvement based on its performance and the extremely positive experiences for children. The manager and leaders show a clear understanding of the new regulations and national minimum standards and a strong commitment to comply with their requirements, for example the sleeping arrangements are consistent with the new regulations. The manager and leaders effectively monitor the quality of care to enable them to have a clear understanding of the strengths of the service and identify areas for improvement. The changes necessary to improve the service always take place; for example, involving the nurses in the assessment of children’s needs.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to inform children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspection of residential holiday schemes for disabled children - Interim framework for inspection of residential holiday schemes for disabled children and the evaluation schedule for residential holiday schemes for disabled children.

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