Children's home run by Wessex College Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 1 Registered provider: Wessex College

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children aged over 11 years who may have experienced adverse childhood experiences resulting in trauma, abuse and attachment difficulties. This is one of six homes operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The accommodation is split between two adjoining houses. Both houses have two bedrooms for children. The home is situated in 12 acres of land belonging to the private organisation. There are plans to develop this land into a care farm.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 14 December 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/12/2017 Full Good 12/09/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and objectives it seeks to achieve for children; and uses this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, improve the quality of the home’s environment and ensure that children’s bedrooms are maintained to a good standard. 29/08/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be 12/09/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 4 communicated through behaviour. 12: The protection of children standard

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect children from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that any damage to the home is swiftly repaired and made safe. Ensure that the neighbouring barns owned by the company are clear of any objects that may pose a risk to children. Also, ensure that children do not smoke inside their bedrooms or elsewhere in the home 29/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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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 to aspire and fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the registered manager improves the home’s monitoring systems to show how they critically analyse information, identify learning points and take action to improve the quality of care. 12/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records 12/09/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 5 The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes- the effectiveness and any consequence of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (2)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that leaders and managers monitor the effectiveness of any sanctions they impose on children and take action when they identify that sanctions are ineffective.

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improvement to be good

The home’s environment is not maintained to a good standard throughout. Leaders and managers plan to refurbish the home to continue to address this shortfall. This refurbishment plan does not address the concern that some children’s bedrooms are not clean and their bedding is of poor quality.

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improvement to be good

Staff spend time with children and provide them with access to independent agencies to help them to understand the impact of smoking and substance misuse. Despite this good practice, on occasion children smoke in their bedrooms. Not all staff give the same consistent message to children about not smoking.

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improvement to be good

Children are making progress from their starting points, however the progress for some children is more significant than for others. Leaders and managers recognise that the progress some children are making is slower than they anticipated. Leaders and managers are working effectively with external agencies to address this.

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improvement to be good

Examples of the progress some children are making include:  attending school more often  reducing criminal behaviours  reducing the frequency of going missing from the home  building relationships with their families  spending time in the community independently of staff.

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improvement to be good

Children mainly develop positive relationships with staff. However, some staff show a lack of understanding about children’s previous trauma. Leaders and managers recognise this weakness and aim to improve staff’s understanding of children’s previous Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 6 experiences and how these may be communicated through their behaviour. It is too soon to assess the impact of this work.

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improvement to be good

Children and staff receive good clinical support. The clinical team develops positive relationships with children and provides guidance and strategies to staff which helpfully inform care plans and behaviour support plans.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children well to build their relationships with their families. Children successfully see their family and friends more frequently and independently of staff.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to different activities. Some children take advantage of these opportunities more than others. Staff supported one child to start attending local clubs they had previously been involved in. Now, that child goes to rugby, water polo and the gym frequently. Another child enjoyed climbing Snowdon with staff.

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improvement to be good

Action is not taken quickly enough, following behavioural incidents, to ensure that the home is well maintained. One broken window is still awaiting repair. Similarly, leaders and managers do not take sufficient action to review the physical environment and remove items hazardous to children.

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improvement to be good

To help children behave positively, staff use reward schemes and consequences. Consequences are largely financial and do not always link effectively to the negative behaviour. Children tell staff that consequences have little impact on their behaviour. Leaders and managers know that consequences are not effective. However, there are no records to show this evaluation or describe the action leaders and managers will take to address this shortfall.

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improvement to be good

Children have risk assessments and behaviour support plans that identify risk and provide staff with strategies to minimise this. Leaders and managers do not update these documents regularly enough following significant behavioural incidents.

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improvement to be good

Missing from home incidents continue to decrease for all children. When children go missing, staff take effective action and implement the missing from home protocol swiftly. Mainly, children receive an independent return home interview. However, the registered manager does not receive a copy of the full discussion that takes place and is therefore unable to use this information to inform the care of children.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers implement the child protection procedures effectively. When a child protection concern arises, appropriate referrals are made to the relevant safeguarding agency. Leaders and managers follow advice from safeguarding professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 7 Leaders and managers do not yet demonstrate that they have a good understanding about the quality of care children receive. The quality of monitoring is inconsistent. It is unclear how leaders and managers use monitoring systems to develop staff practice and improve outcomes for all children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The company director identifies weaknesses in the home. She has recently become the responsible individual in order to ensure that the action plan to address these weaknesses is implemented effectively. Despite this positive development, leaders and managers working in the home do not take action quickly enough to make improvements. The registered manager does not embed a culture in the home of high expectations and aspirations for all children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff praise the direct support from the registered manager. Supervision is regular and supports staff to develop. Staff also receive effective clinical supervision. However, when staff raise a concern in supervision it is not always clear in the supervision records what actions leaders and managers take to address the concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children receive care from a consistent staff team. The members of the staff team recognise the importance of consistency for the children. They commit to covering shortfalls in the rota as an alternative to using agency staff.

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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: 1253583 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Cedar Park, Cobham Road, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne BH21 7SF

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Inspector

Nicola Lownds, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1253583 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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