Children's home run by Timeout Children’s Homes Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report children’s home: 1233981 1 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s 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

This home is registered to accommodate two children or young people between the ages of six and 17. The aim of the home is to provide every child and young person with nurturing and reparative experiences throughout their placement. The home specialises in treatment programmes for children and young people presenting with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties, as a result of attachment ‘disruption’ experiences in early childhood.

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Information about this children’s home

The team around the child at the home provides an effective and integrated approach which is met by therapeutic carers, education provision and individual therapy. The in- house therapeutic service ensures that the developmental needs of children and young people are assessed, and daily strategies implemented, in order to support the child or young person towards recovery.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the service has over 10 years’ experience of working in residential childcare settings, and is currently working towards a level 5 leadership diploma.

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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 good

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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. Inspection report children’s home: 1233981 2 Date of last inspection: 2 August 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/08/2017 Full Good 25/01/2017 Full Good 02/11/2016 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: 1233981 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, the 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 ─

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) ─

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate.

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Requirement Due date

Within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 30/11/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people living at this home have made exceptional developmental progress. This has resulted in one young person returning to the care of her family. Another young person has a clear transition plan to return to his family home soon. These are outcomes that were once considered unlikely, and are highly positive for both young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Transitions are managed in a very proactive and carefully considered manner. One young person who recently moved into the home has had a significant number of disruptions. Leaders and staff have worked closely with the young person and his support network to fully understand his needs in advance. As a result, he has settled into the home extremely well. One social worker said: ‘Since I met [name of young person] I have never seen him looking so well.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The strong bonds and close relationships that young people have with the staff are very apparent. The staff team has worked extremely hard to engage young people in positive activities. These include boxing, football and basketball. Young people are encouraged to Inspection report children’s home: 1233981 4 pursue their own interests and talents. This has resulted in enhanced social development and increased self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people engage in therapeutic interventions with the organisation’s clinician. One young person, who originally refused to engage, was eased into this work with art therapies linked to his individual interests. This young person now has regular counselling sessions, and has significantly reduced the number of incidents in which he displays challenging behaviour, demonstrating improved emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Healthcare is prioritised. One young person had a fear of attending the dentist. He has been supported sensitively to successfully combat this fear, and now attends regularly with the support of staff. This has resulted in improved dental health for the young person. The staff used a combination of research and therapeutic support to assist a young person to achieve improved continence. These are excellent outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff identified a variety of creative ways to help one young person to develop a positive self-image. These included attending festivals to celebrate aspects of her cultural heritage, introducing her to positive experiences, and accessing specialist hairdressing products and treatments. This young person visibly demonstrated a significant increase in her levels of self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people with a history of non-engagement and disruptions to their education are attending and achieving. One young person has completed exams in functional skills and is working towards GCSE qualifications. Another young person was previously taught in isolation. He has settled into the organisation’s school extremely well, and is engaging in a small class sized environment. He has won ‘pupil of the week’ twice in a short space of time, and is aiming to achieve ‘pupil of the month’ status soon.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home works innovatively with children and young people to educate them on topics that promote social and emotional development by using popular resources and their own interests. This includes using the stories from a care-experienced ‘grime artist’ to role model and encourage appropriate behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are encouraged to make choices about their day-to-day care arrangements. The staff help young people to complete colourful journey books which contain photographs and stories of achievements and positive memories. Staff take young people on holidays and arrange for young people to have opportunities to broaden their experiences, such as going to the theatre and stadium tours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The team understands the importance of good relationships with families. One family member said: ‘[Name of young person’s] progress is unbelievable. The staff always update me and ask for my opinion. I can’t ask for any more.’

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

Young people do not go missing from this home. Incidents of challenging behaviour have decreased in number considerably. One young person has a history of being unable Inspection report children’s home: 1233981 5 to regulate his emotions, which resulted in damage to the home. This behaviour has ceased through a combination of restorative practice and intensive emotional support.

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

One young person has a history of self-injurious behaviour. Leaders sought appropriate clinical input to devise a comprehensive safety plan. This contained effective distraction strategies and preventative measures for staff to follow. Any incidents are sensitively managed.

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

This service takes internet safety extremely seriously. The staff complete innovative work using very current research-based resources to help young people to understand how to keep themselves safe. One young person shared her learning about cyber bullying through delivering a presentation at school to her peers.

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

Restraints and sanctions are appropriate. The manager has ensured that there is a focus on restorative measures to help young people reflect on their behaviour.

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

The staff have physically intervened, when appropriate, to prevent young people from harming themselves. On some occasions, young people have been debriefed following an incident by a staff member who was involved in the restraint. This does not ensure that there is sufficient independence when considering the views of the young person. A requirement is made to address this.

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

Leaders continually monitor and evaluate incidents to promote a culture of continuous improvement. The physical environment of the home is well maintained and regularly checked for hazards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a highly reflective practitioner. She has a detailed theoretical knowledge of trauma and attachment theories. This knowledge is shared with staff and not only helps them to understand the reasons for the behaviour of young people, but also helps to inform their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has very high expectations of the staff and aspirations for the young people in her care, which has resulted in excellent outcomes. Staff present as happy in their roles and report that the service is very well led by a highly capable and competent manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision and support are excellent. Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions. Leaders make good use of therapeutic practitioners to provide additional clinical supervision and strategies for managing emotions and behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring and evaluation are comprehensive. Leaders are always seeking appropriate resources and using innovative methods to address the needs and vulnerabilities of the young people at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is assertive and confident, and demonstrated a keen ability to challenge Inspection report children’s home: 1233981 6 the wider system to achieve the best possible outcomes for young people. On one occasion, she successfully negotiated a specialist assessment of a young person’s needs that had previously been refused. This resulted in him receiving appropriate help and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professional relationships are extremely well managed. Placing authorities have provided highly positive feedback on the service and the outcomes for the children and young people who live at the home. One social worker said: ‘I am extremely impressed about the overall package on offer.’

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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: 1233981 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire HX6 4DH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dominic Macauley

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Inspector

Nicola Thomas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1233981 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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