Children's Home, Residential special school run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in West Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: SC482300 1 SC482300 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Limited 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 14 children and young people who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The company also provides an on-site education provision. The home’s manager has been in post since the beginning of August 2018 and has made an application to become the registered manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC482300 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2018 Full Good 17/10/2017 Full Inadequate 18/01/2017 Full Good 01/06/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC482300 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs (Regulation 5 (b)). 30/11/2018

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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. 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)). 30/11/2018

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health (Regulation 12 (2) (d)). 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due Date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child (Regulation 13 (1) (a) (b) (2) (c)). 31/01/2019

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Requirement Due Date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire (Regulation 25 (1) (d)). 30/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC482300 4 The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience (Regulation 33 (4) (b)). 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due Date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious (Regulation 40 (4) (e)). 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due Date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI (Regulation 44 (7) (e)). 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due Date

The registered person must supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed (Regulation 45 (4) (a)). 31/01/2019

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improvement to be good

Young people are all living within one home following the monitoring visit. There have been improvements to the home, which make the environment even more homely. Children and young people have been supported to personalise their own rooms. They make full use of the different living areas. Children are able to spend time with staff in the office and talk to the manager in their office, which is now within the home. This helps children to feel able to share their views and to raise any worries that they may have.

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improvement to be good

Children are consulted well by staff through the regular house meetings that are now in place. This is significant given the previous concerns raised in relation to staff practice and how this reflected the wider culture issues in the home. Staff have developed positive relationships with children following a significant number of staff having left. However, there are staff in the home who have continued to work with the children, providing consistency of care. The current staff team members are caring and responsive in their approach to the children and young people in the home. Children and young people are observed to seek staff out for support, which is key to children and young people feeling cared for and valued.

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improvement to be good

The planning for children moving to the home has been developed since the home’s new manager has been in post. This ensures effective communication with placing authorities and pre-planned visits, which help the child’s transition to their new placement. The home’s manager has begun to implement positive changes for young people moving on from the home. These have been planned moves and staff have provided significant support to individual young people to ensure a positive ending to their placement. Inspection report children’s home: SC482300 5 Children’s and young people’s engagement in education has improved, with this being most evident in those recently moving to the home. Education is recognised as important by the home’s new manager, who works closely with the in-house headteacher to ensure that children’s and young people’s individual learning needs are effectively met.

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improvement to be good

The individual health needs of children and young people are now being supported well by the in-house clinical psychology service. However, this has only been fully in place since this month, due to the home being unable to effectively access this service previously. The impact of this being that one young person’s mental health needs were not effectively met during a difficult period. These were communicated through his behaviour, which not only resulted in his own distress but that of other children witnessing his behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The staff team has supported children and young people to maintain contact with their families where this has been possible. The staff team has supported young people to access activities within the community that meet young people’s individual interests, which is important in terms of supporting their developing sense of identity. Young people have enjoyed an adventure break away and day trips out during the school holidays.

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improvement to be good

This full inspection took place following a monitoring visit in May 2018. The focus of this visit included allegations relating to staff practice for which the registered manager and responsible individual at that time had commissioned an internal investigation. This investigation identified ‘practice issues in relation to behaviour management, therapeutic ethos and safeguarding practices’. Following this investigation, disciplinary action was taken, with one staff member being dismissed and three staff members being given final warnings. While appropriate procedures were followed, the monitoring visit identified missed opportunities to safeguard children, because these allegations were not seen in terms of the culture of the home at that time.

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improvement to be good

There were a further four allegations relating to staff and the use of physical intervention during the month following the monitoring visit. These were appropriately addressed and reported to the designated officer. The two allegations relating to agency staff members were upheld and were effectively addressed with the agency. The home’s new manager is developing a new induction programme with the agency for new agency staff. There is now a small number of agency staff who work at the home and these staff do not include those where previously concerns were identified.

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improvement to be good

The home’s manager has provided regular supervision to the staff team since being in post. This is reflective in approach and provides staff with specific space to discuss any safeguarding concerns. The areas covered within the supervision template introduced by the home’s new manager enable this to happen. Specific reference to whistle-blowing supports the changing culture currently being embedded within the home. This is Inspection report children’s home: SC482300 6 important as the staff did not always feel able to share their concerns previously.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the safeguarding of children has improved since the monitoring visit, with children reporting that they feel safe in the home. However, identified risks following significant incidents relating to mental health issues for one young person were not consistently re-assessed. The impact of this being that the young person was not adequately safeguarded as the risks were not effectively addressed. Overall, there has been a decrease in the number of incidents since the monitoring visit. This includes a decrease in the use of physical intervention and restraints. Overall, the number of times that young people have been missing from the home has also decreased since the last inspection. Staff have responded appropriately to these incidents and have followed appropriate reporting procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The senior leadership team has restructured the service following the monitoring visit. There has been significant change, with there now being one house. This has impacted positively on children and young people in terms of the home’s new manager being based within the home. However, there have been wide-reaching changes to the staff team, with 22 staff leaving since the last inspection. The registered manager left at the end of July 2018 and the previous responsible individual left at the end of August 2018. This will have impacted on the children’s and young people’s lived experiences during this period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s new manager has not received an induction or supervision since starting in employment and this is really important given the issues raised following the monitoring visit. She was supported by regular contact with responsible individual and supervision is now being planned following the new regional manager starting in post this month. The management’s and the senior leadership’s monitoring and oversight were not effective following the monitoring visit. Staff supervision was not consistently in place prior to the home’s new manager taking up their post. This was a requirement from the monitoring visit which was not met. Training for staff in the home’s therapeutic model and approach to behaviour support has not been provided to all staff following the monitoring visit. This is key to staff who have been re-interviewed and are now employed as therapeutic childcare workers. This was a requirement from the monitoring visit which was not met. The home’s new

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

manager models best practice to staff and has clear expectations, which are communicated effectively to the staff team. Through this, staff are adopting therapeutic approaches, but these are yet to be fully embedded into the practice of the whole team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality of recording systems has improved following the home’s new manager taking up their post. This continues to be a focus for development in terms of those records relating to children and young people. Fire safety was not adequately monitored by the previous registered manager. This resulted in effective measures not being in place for several months. The home’s new manager has also commissioned consultants to review fire safety. However, the fire evacuation plan has not been reviewed, which is particularly important given the changes to the layout of the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC482300 7 Following the last full inspection, there has been a significant number of incidents of roof climbing, predominantly involving one young person over the summer months. There is evidence of the physical measures put in place following the October 2017 full inspection. However, these have proved to be ineffectual in deterring the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been no review of these existing measures following concerns being raised by the staff team. Although there are no current risks identified in relation to the children and young people in placement, this remains a concern given that one child had been enabled to access the roof by a previous young person who is no longer in placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s culture is changing with the home’s new manager in place. Staff feel that they have been effectively supported by the home’s new manager through the period of change. Staff have been able to develop trust in the home’s new manager. Staff are now effectively supported and supervised in their roles. Staff and the home’s manager have a real commitment and child-centred approach to their practice. The home’s manager has responded effectively to complaints made by young people. The home’s manager has a good understanding of the strengths of the home and what areas need to improve. Development of the home is key to the home’s manager and the new responsible individual. They share a vision for developing the staff team and practice in the home and how to achieve this.

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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: SC482300 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hillcrest Children’s Services Limited, Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post vacant Moira Storkey

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Inspector(s)

Maria Lonergan: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482300 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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