Children's Home run by Orchard Children Homes Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1257740 1 Registered provider: Orchard Children Homes 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

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Some of the young people may have autistic spectrum disorder. The home is operated by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2017 and is appropriately experienced and qualified to manage a children’s home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1257740 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1257740 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress from their starting points. All three young people have experienced significant childhood trauma, and they now feel safe and reassured. Staff talk about young people with passion and pride. Young people thrive because staff show compassion and offer high levels of nurture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Consultation with young people is strong both in relation to the running of the home and ensuring that they have input into their placement plans. Young people share their views and can express their emotions because they trust staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person talks about the staff as being ‘like a family.’ Another young person wants to recommend the home to social workers. This is so that other young people can move in and be cared for in the same way that she has been.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Social workers are very positive about the outcomes for young people. One social worker stated that a young person has, ‘Done better than ever before. She is so much safer since coming to live at the home.’ Other comments include, ‘They manage her behaviour really well. She hasn’t run away since being there. She has tried but staff follow her and keep her safe. Staff are really caring.’ One young person’s independent reviewing officer describes the care as ‘holistic’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s education outcomes are outstanding. One young person’s school attendance is exceptional, as are his achievements. This young person is now in the top three for good behaviour at his school. This is particularly significant given the high levels of incidents and physical restraints that had previously occurred. This exceptional improvement in his behaviour (both at the home and in school) has supported good academic achievement and means that the young person now has friends at school. He took great pride in buying them all a stick of rock from Blackpool, ready for when he returns to school after the summer break.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Another young person, after extensive periods of non-attendance in education, now attends a mainstream school on a full-time basis. This young person’s positive comments included, ‘I think since I’ve been here I’ve improved on going to school, not running away and having more independence.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff commitment and dedication shines through when supporting young people to re- engage with learning and build confidence to attend school. Partnership working with the placing authority and link teachers is effective. These relationships provide quick access to alternative education arrangements when young people are unable to attend school or require additional help. For example, one young person now engages with tutors to improve her skills in maths and English. Staff support young people to complete child-focused courses on various topics. These include the impact of bullying, anger management, healthy relationships and ‘My Future, Where Do I Want to Go’. These Inspection report children’s home: 1257740 4 sessions are educational and most importantly build the young people’s confidence and emotional resilience. This is helping one young person as she prepares for her new education placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people grow in confidence and develop a firm sense of self-belief as they take part in a range of new and exciting activities. One young person excels in her horse riding hobby and now enjoys competing in show jumping events. The responsibility for caring for the horses has also helped her to develop greater empathy. Her sense of pride and achievement is consistently reinforced by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Other young people enjoy activities such as trampolining, canoeing, dog walking and going out to eat. A budding friendship has developed as two young people now play together and enjoy trying new things. This has given one young person an excellent opportunity to act as a role model, demonstrating her responsible behaviour. She is proud of how the other young person has grown in confidence due to her support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s health improves. Staff insight into the impact of childhood neglect promotes good, focused healthcare support. Staff perseverance and encouragement help young people to improve their personal hygiene and understand the need for good dental care and a healthy diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s emotional health and well-being are paramount. Staff work in partnership with mental health agencies and provide excellent support to young people. The addition of a private psychologist to the home demonstrates the provider’s commitment to young people’s emotional health. This helps to ensure that young people receive excellent support and helps staff to further develop their insight and practice.

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

Young people experience exceptional levels of safety and stability. This is due to the outstanding care planning and risk management framework, coupled with young people’s trusting relationships with the registered manager and staff.

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

Staff are highly trained and able to implement the home’s accessible and regularly updated safeguarding and child protection procedures. Young people are safe because the staff and registered manager ensure that the smallest concern is referred, discussed and addressed with social workers, the police and the young people as required.

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

Strong partnership working with social workers and constant vigilance give staff excellent insight into the safeguarding needs of young people, and the risks that they may face. Staff take their safeguarding and parenting roles very seriously. They consistently work in the best interests of the young people and are assertive in delivering difficult messages to young people when this is required. Messages and boundaries are clearly communicated. Young people fully understand how staff will continue to keep them and others safe. This insight is expertly translated into robust and regularly updated risk and behaviour management plans, which reflect the individuality of each young person. Inspection report children’s home: 1257740 5 Staff understand young people’s individual needs. They use this knowledge to inform their practice and provide meaningful support to young people. Staff have an exceptional understanding of the potential triggers for young people’s anxiety and behaviour. Timely

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

intervention, sensitive discussions and positive reinforcement minimise young people’s need to present challenging behaviours.

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

Young people no longer go missing from care and are supported to understand the risks of the internet, grooming and child sexual exploitation. There is also a significant reduction in incidents involving self-injurious behaviour and physical restraint. All young people develop a greater awareness about how to manage their behaviour. They all experience positive relationships and keep themselves safe. The staff team’s approach to behaviour management and developing young people’s emotional resilience is exemplary and worthy of dissemination to other services.

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

Meaningful one-to-one key-work sessions, day-to-day discussions and young people’s meetings help young people to explore their behaviours, emotions and the tensions that can arise from group living. Thoughtful matching when new young people move to the home, and close staff supervision, ensure that there are no concerns about bullying and help to create a warm and accepting environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager successfully manages a motivated staff team. The enthusiasm and passion of the staff are key to the significant progress that young people make and to the ongoing improvements in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and staff have met the statutory requirement and two recommendations from the last inspection. The registered manager has successfully worked with partner agencies to ensure that a young person now has (and enjoys) a full-time education placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

In addition, young people have enjoyed going shopping to buy pictures and ornaments for the hallway and lounges. They particularly enjoyed making the photo-frame displays which now take pride of place in the hallway. Young people live in a comfortable and well-maintained home. They enjoy having two lounges, affording them their own personal space when needed. Young people also enjoy the privacy of their own bedrooms, which are highly personalised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The recommendation to provide staff training in self-injurious behaviours and radicalisation has been addressed as part of the excellent training opportunities offered to staff. The extent and breadth of staff training is exemplary. Training is underpinned by research and equips staff with the skills that they need to work with young people who have complex needs. The registered manager also makes sure that staff access specialist training when required. For example, staff are completing a level 2 qualification in supporting young people who have autistic spectrum disorder. Inspection report children’s home: 1257740 6 Staff benefit from a high-quality induction and go on to achieve an appropriate qualification in residential childcare. Their process is supported by effective and regular supervision. Staff development is a key area of strength, with three senior staff members undertaking their level 5 qualification in leadership and management. The registered

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

manager takes swift, effective action when poor staff performance is identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

One-to-one staffing ensures individual support for each young person and underpins the excellent progress that young people make. Social workers have very positive views about the staff and how they work collaboratively with them. This ensures that the placing authorities’ plans and targets are adhered to and regularly reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager, responsible individual and staff are all very aware of their responsibilities. Recording is exceptionally clear and is focused on young people’s needs. Young people can access their records which, alongside photo albums, provide a meaningful account of their journey.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people’s concerns and complaints are managed very effectively. The registered manager and staff are excellent advocates.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Management monitoring and oversight of the home are extremely robust. The registered manager and responsible individual act when improvements are required. For example, they have improved the quality of the independent person’s monitoring reports and ensured their timely submission to Ofsted. All actions are now addressed, and these are included in the manager’s monthly monitoring.

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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: 1257740 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Orchard Children Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 222 Branston Road, Burton On Trent DE14 3BT

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Inspector

Elaine Cray, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1257740 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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