Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Oxfordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC482295 1 SC482295 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd

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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 children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to seven children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a suitably qualified manager who has been registered with Ofsted since August 2014.

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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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 15 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC482295 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2017 Full Good 07/10/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/12/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC482295 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

The registered person must ensure that at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2)(a)) 12/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 12/10/2018

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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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) In particular, pre-placement impact risk assessments need to be completed prior to new admissions, rather than subsequently.  Staff should have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk from harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12) This is in relation to staff receiving training in respect of self-harm and ligatures, and in relation to staff developing skills to alert them to risks associated with

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Recommendations

wider contextual safeguarding issues, such as gang affiliation, criminal exploitation and county lines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make good progress in many aspects of their lives because of the care and support they receive from staff. A young person said: ‘Living here has Inspection report children’s home: SC482295 4 made me a different person. The staff have really helped me to grow. Before, I did not think and now I am looking forward to the future.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work hard to make and maintain positive and trusting relationships with children and young people. Children and young people said that they feel very well cared for and that there is always someone on duty whom they feel they can trust and share their worries with. Children and young people have a secure base from which they can develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people’s physical and emotional health improves while living in this home. They stop smoking and engage in a range of physical activities. The manager and staff ensure that children and young people who have complex emotional needs receive specialist therapeutic support without delay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is given a high priority. All children and young people attend school and are achieving. For some who had previously been out of school for significant periods of time, this is significant progress. Children and young people develop aspirations for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Older young people have an opportunity to develop independence skills by moving into an independence flat which is attached to the home. One young person explained how this had helped her to prepare well for her transition to adult life. Many young people who have left the home value the ongoing help and support they receive after leaving the home. One previous resident said: ‘I consider the staff as family. Since moving out, they have continued to support me in my adult life. I know I can always call and that I will get good advice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children and young people to maintain their relationships with family members and those important to them, when this is safe. Geographical distance is no barrier. Children and young people appreciate how the managers and staff advocate for them, to promote family relationships.

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

Children and young people feel safe living in this home. One child said: ‘The staff make it safe for us as they are careful in their care of us. They are always here for us and they stick up for us.’ Another said: ‘I love the structure now that I am used to it. I know where I stand, and it makes me feel safe.’

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

Children and young people who have histories of going missing from home become safer. Incidents of going missing significantly reduce or stop. Trusting relationships with staff, key-work sessions, and group work facilitated by an external agency enable children and young people to develop insight into risks around going missing. A young person said to the inspector: ‘When I first came here I tried to run away, but staff found me quickly. Now, I do not want to run away. I was getting nothing out of it and I was putting myself at risk. I am learning how to keep safe and now know that there are risky people out there.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC482295 5 Proactive behaviour-support systems are effective. Children and young people reported that the praise and rewards they receive make them feel good about themselves. Incidents of physical intervention decrease as children and young people get to know the

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

staff, learn to trust them and develop an understanding of the rules, boundaries and reward systems in the home.

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

Safe recruitment practices help to ensure that only those adults suitable to work with children and young people are employed in the home.

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

The designated officer confirmed that the managers and staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and that they actively and appropriately seek and follow advice. However, not enough staff have undertaken a first aid qualification, resulting in a few occasions when no qualified first aider was on duty. Although this has not had an impact to date, it has the potential to do so should this not be promptly rectified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A committed management team leads the home well. The registered manager is well respected by staff and by other professionals. He leads by example and knows his children and young people very well. Staff like working in the home and they share the manager’s passion to improve outcomes for children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working is strong. External professionals who were spoken with during the inspection complimented the manager and his staff for good levels of communication and for actively seeking out resources that can help children and young people to become safer and make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met all requirements and all but one of the recommendations set at the last inspection. This has resulted in improved practice in relation to fire safety, case recording, notifications and risk assessments. Robust external and internal quality assurance systems continue to drive improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been some staff turnover since the last inspection. New staff are settling into their roles and they are completing relevant training. All staff would, however, benefit from some training in relation to self-harm, the use of ligatures, and the potential risks that could emerge in the future, such as gang affiliation, criminal exploitation and county lines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff receive supervision at the frequency that is outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. As a result, for some staff, there are missed opportunities for reflection to inform their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective and insightful and learns lessons from experience and practice. For example, following an unsettled period in the home, he carefully re-balanced the needs of all the children and young people in the home, resulting in one young person Inspection report children’s home: SC482295 6 moving on in a sensitive and thoughtful way. He has recognised that a period of stability is now required before considering new admissions. As recommended in the last inspection, the manager has improved pre-placement impact assessments. However, for maximum impact and minimal disruption when a new child or young person is admitted, these impact assessments should always be completed in advance of a placement being made rather than subsequently.

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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: SC482295 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

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Inspector

Rachel Griffiths, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482295 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 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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