Children's Home run by Arc-HD Services Ltd in Hampshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1258831 1 Registered provider: Arc HD 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

The home is owned and run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people in individual flats. The home also has a shared kitchen and a communal lounge and dining room.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2017.

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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: 23 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1258831 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1258831 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 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— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that risk assessments include detail on relevant new behaviours and that plans should children be missing from the home are fully completed. 31/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)(2)) 31/10/2018

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Specifically, update the decor in the communal areas, ensure that any broken glass is thoroughly cleared away and ensure that the statement of purpose Inspection report children’s home: 1258831 4 details the anti-ligature fixtures and fittings.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) Specifically, include the criminal exploitation of children in staff training.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make excellent progress while living in the home through strong and nurturing relationships with staff. Their voice and views are evident; for example, all plans and risk assessments are written in the first person with the young person’s goals and aspirations clearly identified throughout. Young people say it is the best home they have ever lived in. Young people are able to express themselves as individuals through clothing, hair styles and colours, and playing the music they enjoy. They are supported to acknowledge their past and how this has formed who they are today.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people attend local schools and colleges. This is a major achievement as most have had severely disrupted education, often missing several years through illness. Staff have formed string links with education providers and work closely to ensure continued communication of individual needs. The home recognises barriers to learning and supports young people to overcome these. Examples of support include school staff teaching in the home and residential staff supporting young people in school. In addition, young people engage in various stimulating and age-appropriate activities to boost their confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s emotional and physical health is recognised as being key to their success, as is their ability to manage independently in the community. All have access to therapeutic interventions, which are monitored by the organisation’s therapeutic team. Young people are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles and consider what this means for them. Young people are provided with support to give up smoking, including monitoring the use of vapes and e-cigarettes. Medication is stored securely, and processes for monitoring and ordering medication are well embedded in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to learn independence skills, while respecting the initial reason they are in placement. The use of individual flats provides young people with space away from others, and enables them to learn to manage being by themselves and keeping themselves occupied. As a result, they can learn independence safely, knowing that staff are available at all times and that they can use the communal space in the home. Young people’s individual plans specify which areas they are currently able to Inspection report children’s home: 1258831 5 manage and prompt them to learn new skills such as spending time independently in the community, having friends and partners to the house, accessing mobile phones and the internet safely and administering their own medication.

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

Young people say they feel safe in the home, and observations showed that they were confident in their surroundings. All young people have staff they can go to when they are worried or upset. Staff are confident in their knowledge of processes to follow should they become concerned for a young person’s safety or welfare. They respond thoughtfully to disclosures and allegations, while ensuring that relevant partner agencies are aware of the concerns. Staff have training in safeguarding and child protection and are well versed in the risks and vulnerabilities of the young people they care for, including sexual exploitation. Some staff were aware of criminal exploitation risks, but they have yet to benefit from training in this area.

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

The home is furnished and designed in a manner that allows young people as much freedom as possible while recognising that their histories and diagnosis may lead to suicidal feelings and self-injury. Incidents of self-injury are low given young people’s histories, and young people’s plans tell staff how to respond should they harm themselves. Regular training with the therapeutic team ensures that staff are skilled in managing self-injury and other emotional well-being concerns, and have the opportunity to reflect on how it affects them as carers.

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

Young people rarely go missing from the home. Generally, if a young person is in danger of going missing, staff remain with the young person to discuss their anxieties and the reasons they feel the need to be away from the home. Response plans are mostly clear, although an up-to-date risk assessment for one young person was not available for staff.

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

Young people’s support plans are clear on how to respond to incidents of negative or undesirable behaviour. Young people are supported to express their feelings and emotions through positive methods such as talking, art and physical activities. Staff recognise that negative behaviour is a form of communication, and work with young people to reflect on how they were feeling at the time. The use of restraint had not been necessary for several months. However, a recent increase is being carefully monitored by the senior leaders and management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and the areas for further development in the home. A great deal of progress has been made since the last full inspection to improve the quality of care and outcomes for young people. The manager has clear plans on how the home and care can continue to improve. The use of independent monitoring and the manager’s own internal scrutiny inform the development plans for the home and the staff for the coming year. Inspection report children’s home: 1258831 6 Young people’s plans are updated monthly, highlighting the minutiae of progress that young people have made. Young people are fully engaged in the care planning process, setting their own targets and goals alongside those set at statutory reviews. The use of records highlighting each young person’s achievements and describing what has been a challenge allows for scrutiny of where progress has been made, no matter how small.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Achievements are celebrated with certificates; verbal praise and small rewards ensure that young people know that each little step is valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have strong relationships with partner agencies to ensure consistent care for young people. Joint planning with health and education services ensures that young people have the best outcomes possible. Managers actively challenge services when it is felt that they are not acting in a young person’s best interests. For example, when a young person was out of education for an academic year the home constantly sought education or training throughout the year.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Generally, the appearance of the home is that of a typical domestic setting. Young people’s flats are decorated in a way that highlights their individuality and self- expression. The decor in the communal areas, including carpets, is tired, which the manager recognises. On the inspector’s arrival there was some broken glass on the drive, which was immediately cleared up, although staff were unsure where it had come from. The use of anti-ligature fixtures and fittings is achieved in as homely a manner as possible, although bathroom fixtures in particular are institutional in appearance. The registered manager is currently exploring newly available alternatives that are still safe, but of improved appearance. The statement of purpose refers to the safe environment but is not explicit in its detail of the anti-ligature fixtures and fittings. The home’s location risk assessment is to be read in conjunction with young people’s individual risk

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

assessments. However, it does not contain all the detail stated in regulation. Inspection report children’s home: 1258831 7

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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: 1258831 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Arc HD Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wessex House, Upper Market Street, Eastleigh SO50 9FD

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258831 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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