Children's home run by Holibrook House Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC377702 1 SC377702 Registered provider: Holibrook House Limited

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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 privately owned home provides care for up to six children and young people. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children and young people who have social and emotional difficulties. The home aims to provide a therapeutic environment. In addition to having two other children’s homes, the company is a registered education provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

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

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC377702 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC377702 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

12. The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, (2) the registered person must ensure— (a) that staff: (vi) take effective action whenever there is serious concern about a child’s welfare. 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

11. The positive relationship standard In order to meet the positive relationship standard, (2) the registered person must ensure— (a) that staff: (vii) help each child understand, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; (xi) de-escalate confrontations with or between children or potentially violent behaviour by children. 30/09/2018

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Recommendations

 Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff, or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should ensure that the behaviour management strategy is kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  Ensure young people develop skills to have positive relationships with others, including those outside the home, and learn to resolve conflict positively. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, Inspection report children’s home: SC377702 4 paragraph 8.6)  The registered person must ensure that the necessary support is given to children to enable them to access their education. (‘Guide to the children’s homes

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Recommendations

regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13)  The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being to enhance, and supplement, that provided by their school through personal, social and health educational. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18) In particular, staff should help young people understand and change negative behaviours in key

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Recommendations

areas of health and well-being, such as the use of legal highs and drugs.  The registered person should ensure that young people are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people in the home receive good care from the staff and manager, who develop positive relationships with them. Young people are supported to talk about their difficult feelings, which has led to a reduction of disruptive behaviour. Individualised care plans include the young people’s needs and the support provided as well as identifying desired outcomes. Young people are in good health and staff ensure that any health concerns are addressed. Young people receive support in relation to their emotional well-being from staff who have access to the in-house clinical group sessions. Young people also receive specialist services from the child and adolescent mental health service when necessary. For some young people who have more challenging starting points and complex needs, there is room for improvement in supporting them to develop skills to manage their own conflicts. Young people are offered key-working sessions and are encouraged to build

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

secure attachments to trusted adults in the home. However, some of the key-working sessions need to be better planned and structured. A robust analysis of the sessions to evaluate the impact of the work with the young people is lacking. The registered manager routinely carries out impact assessments on new placement referrals. Only one young person has been admitted to the home since the last inspection. The staff and manager are keen to ensure sustained stability in the home Inspection report children’s home: SC377702 5 before a young person is admitted, and they admit only those whose needs can be met by the staff team. Young people know how to complain. Complaints are handled appropriately by staff and the manager. The children’s guide is easy to understand, and is child focused. It includes the contact details of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner as a resource for the young people. Young people’s progress in education is mixed. Some young people have struggled with

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

their attendance. However, one young person completed her GCSEs under challenging circumstances with staff’s encouragement and support. Diligent efforts have been made by the home, working alongside the educational authority, to support young people who are not accessing education or are not achieving in line with their personal education plans or educational healthcare plans. However, there is room for improvement in engaging the young people to make progress in their attendance and attainment. Young people have a say about their meals and activities, among other matters of interest. However, their views are not routinely sought on how to improve the overall quality of care in the home. Since the last inspection, young people have left the home in planned moves to a semi- independent accommodation or their family home. Young people learn independent living skills. Young people are supported to experience positive contact with their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

families. Views from social work and educational professionals are generally positive about the care and support offered to the young people by the home.

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improvement to be good

While there are no widespread failures, there is a clear need to take effective actions to help and protect young people, and in particular those with challenging behaviour. Behavioural support plans set out strategies for managing difficult behaviour. However, some of the standard strategies have been ineffective in managing more challenging behaviour. Moreover, there is limited evidence of young people having input in the completion of their own behavioural support plans. Staff have not used physical restraint on young people. Sanctions are used appropriately. Staff seek the young people’s views on sanctions. However, the effectiveness of sanctions is limited for some of the young people. Staff and the manager have a good understanding of the young people’s risks inside and outside of the home. However, there is room for improvement in helping to reduce some of the young people’s high levels of risks, particularly outside the home, through

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improvement to be good

proactive safeguarding practice. This includes supporting young people to avoid re- offending and delivering robust social and educative work to help reduce the risks of child sexual exploitation. Young people’s risk and health assessments are routinely updated. These assessments include risks associated with self-harming, misusing drugs or alcohol, and exploitation, as Inspection report children’s home: SC377702 6 well as their physical health. However, it is not clear how the effectiveness of the corresponding strategies and the steps to manage the risks on a daily basis are evaluated. Staff follow agreed procedures when young people go missing. Return home interviews take place regularly, and strategy meetings are convened to assess any emerging risk factors. However, there is room for improvement in taking effective actions to mitigate the persistent pattern of going missing from the home for some young people.

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improvement to be good

Staff make appropriate efforts to raise young people’s awareness of cannabis use and its potentially negative impact on their health and emotional well-being. Staff carry out appropriate room searches and impose supervised spending. However, there is scope for closer multi-agency working to support young people to reduce their cannabis use. Young people’s progress with their referral orders is mixed. One young person is generally compliant with the terms of their order, while the other young person has breached their order repeatedly. There is a need to evaluate what can be done differently to better support the young people in relation to their youth offending service programme. The home notifies Ofsted without delay of serious incidents that take place. The home’s location risk assessment and the safeguarding policy are comprehensive. Investigations into serious incidents or allegations of harm are shared with the

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improvement to be good

appropriate agencies and are handled in line with statutory guidance. Young people said that they feel safe in the home. They can identify trusted adults whom they can talk to about any concerns. Young people’s concerns are taken seriously by the staff and managers who understand their vulnerabilities. Views from social workers and partner agencies, such as the police and youth offending service, are largely positive about working in partnership to safeguard the young people. Parents state that they have no serious safeguarding concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively by an experienced, permanent manager who is suitably qualified. The manager has been registered since February 2018. Safe recruitment is in place, and the home is adequately resourced to meet the young people’s needs. Staff who do not have level 3 qualifications or an equivalent are currently enrolled on a course. The home is staffed by a stable workforce. The registered manager’s self-evaluation of the home’s strengths and areas for further improvement is underpinned by the quality standards. The manager utilises the independent visitor’s reports, audits, feedback and practice observations to scrutinise practice and raise standards. A plan is in place to improve the service, based on the aspirations that the manager has for the young people and the staff. The registered manager works diligently to ensure that the home operates in line with its statement of purpose, and the ethos of the home is reflected in the staff’s practice. The

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

manager aims to strengthen therapeutic work with the young people for greater impact. Inspection report children’s home: SC377702 7 Staff state that they find training and supervision helpful and that they receive good support from their manager to carry out their duties. Staff are challenged and developed through supervision and appraisals. However, the quality of the supervision and appraisal recordings could be improved. Staff and managers work in partnership with families and professionals to promote good outcomes and positive experiences for the young people. Young people receive culturally sensitive care from the staff and managers.

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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: SC377702 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Holibrook House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, 172 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London E17 4QH

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Inspector

Linda Kim-Newby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC377702 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 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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