The Newman Holiday Trust

Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust The Newman Holiday Trust The Newman Holiday Trust Lowbrook Barn, Lancaster Road, Slyne, Lancaster LA2 6AL Inspection under the social care common inspection framework

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disabled children

The Newman Holiday Trust is a voluntary organisation which provides summer holidays for disabled children.

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disabled children

It provides seven one-week holidays a year at various venues in England and Scotland. It aims to provide a range of activities and experiences for disabled children who would not otherwise have a holiday.

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disabled children

The registered manager has been registered since 2014.

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Overall experience and progress of

children and young people, taking into account:

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outstanding

How well children, 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 residential holiday scheme for disabled children provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the residential holiday scheme contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.

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outstanding

Date of previous inspection: 15 August 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust

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Key findings from this inspection

This residential holiday scheme for disabled children is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Disabled children have a wonderful time on holiday. They have every opportunity to take part in high-quality activities and to have plenty of fun, including things that they would not normally be able to do.  The experiences make long-lasting differences to the quality of children’s lives. Children become confident and more independent. They have the chance to understand their abilities and the things that they can achieve.  The holidays are exceptionally well run and managed, and provide children with safe, enjoyable and fulfilling experiences.  The children received an incredibly high standard of personalised care and understanding from extremely motivated volunteers.  The holiday organisers and volunteers create a fantastic, positive and inclusive holiday atmosphere in which children feel very safe and happy.  Children’s behaviour is exceptional. Volunteers know how to help children to manage their feelings and frustrations and reduce their anxieties.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The holiday organisers and volunteers have built remarkably strong and trusting relationships with parents and carers. They communicate effectively about the best ways to understand and support the children. Parents are very confident and comfortable that their children will be safe, looked after properly and enjoy and benefit from the holiday.  The manager and leaders use monitoring systems extremely well to understand the strengths of the holidays, identify areas for development and make improvements. Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust

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outstanding

Disabled children enjoy a fabulous holiday. They have new, exciting and memorable experiences that add considerably to the quality of their lives. Children are very happy and there is always plenty of laughter. They make new friends and have the chance to spend quality time with friends from school. Children have the opportunity to do things and go to places that they may be not able to with their families. A child said, ‘This is my first holiday, it’s been great. I’m sad that it finishes tomorrow and it’s time to go home.’

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outstanding

Volunteers provide children with an exceptionally high quality of individual support. They are in tune with the needs and characters of the children whom they are supporting. The holiday organisers carefully and successfully match volunteers with children. This matching is based on the volunteer’s personal qualities, interests and skills to meet the child’s specific needs. For example, a child with complex health needs was matched to and supported by a volunteer with medical expertise. A child’s carer said that her child ‘Couldn’t have been matched with anyone better. It was impressive from the first time that they met, the volunteer already knew about him, his likes and dislikes, and what he was into.’

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outstanding

Children benefit immensely from the incredibly kind, understanding and humorous approach by the volunteers. This helps children to settle very quickly and build tremendously positive and trusting relationships with their volunteer. The volunteers communicate expertly in ways that each child can easily understand, based on the child’s level and means of communication. The volunteers encourage and support children to express their wishes and feelings and to make meaningful choices. Volunteers understand that children may communicate their views through their behaviour and appearance. They recognise when children may not be enjoying an activity, for example because it is too noisy for that child. They quickly adapt the activity so that the child can benefit from the experience, or they involve the child in something that the child likes better.

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outstanding

The benefits of the holiday can be long lasting for children and their families. Children find out about their capabilities and see that they can enjoy the same experiences as other children. They grow in confidence and become more independent. A parent said that her daughter ‘loves the holiday’ and that ‘It has made a big difference to her. She is much more independent and doing more things for herself at home, such as brushing her teeth and her personal care. She could always do these things but wouldn’t do them for us at home.’ Many children have made friendships that have continued outside the holiday, and they see each other often, which has reduced their social isolation.

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outstanding

Children take part in a wide range of exciting, engaging and inclusive activities. There have been trips to a farm and a theme park, circus activities, weird science Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust experiments, a talent show, discos, swimming, cooking, sports, party games, a safari treasure hunt and arts and crafts. The activities are creatively planned and designed to make sure that children do not miss out on anything that they want to do because of their disability. There are always enough volunteers to make sure that children have choices and that they derive the most enjoyment from the experience. Volunteers provide children with the reassurance and the confidence to take part in activities that they would otherwise find difficult, such as playing with other children, taking turns and going on rides at the fair. Volunteers take enormous pleasure in

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outstanding

seeing children enjoying an activity that they had been nervous about doing.

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outstanding

Exceptional safeguarding arrangements protect children from harm. Children, including the most vulnerable, feel safe and have a strong sense of well-being. Children trust the volunteers and holiday organisers enough to talk to them about their worries and concerns.

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outstanding

The organisation’s careful selection and checking of volunteers minimise the risks to children from unsuitable people. The manager and holiday organisers make sure that volunteers have the right personal qualities, enthusiasm, motivation and values to work with disabled children.

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outstanding

Volunteers are incredibly well prepared and trained in supporting the children and keeping them safe from harm. This meticulous preparation means that volunteers have a detailed understanding of children’s assessed needs, especially the additional vulnerabilities of disabled children. Volunteers provide every child with an excellent level of supervision that protects the child from risks, such as going missing and bullying. Volunteers are vigilant and curious. They recognise signs that may indicate that a child may be at risk of harm. Volunteers, holiday organisers and the manager understand their responsibilities for protecting children. They always take effective action when they have concerns about a child’s welfare, in line with the organisation’s procedures and the statutory safeguarding guidance .

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outstanding

The holiday organisers and volunteers have created an extremely safe and happy environment. Children’s behaviour is exceptionally good. Significantly, the children do not show the challenging behaviour that they may at home or school. Children are very happy and comfortable during their time on holiday. Volunteers understand that children may struggle with transitions and difficult situations. They use recognised communication strategies extremely well to reduce children’s anxieties and the risk of challenging behaviour. A child said, ‘I don’t like change. Here, I know what is happening next and this helps me.’ Children coped incredibly well when a planned activity could not go ahead at short notice. Volunteers let them know clearly about what was going to take place instead.

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outstanding

Volunteers recognise when children are becoming upset and respond appropriately, using the least intrusive way possible to support the child and keep the child safe. Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust The volunteers’ calm and insightful way of supporting children reduces the risks of aggressive or dangerous behaviour. This approach may be as simple as encouraging the child to try a different activity or talking with the child about what is wrong and, together, finding the best way to sort out the problem.

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outstanding

Volunteers have the knowledge and training to respond appropriately to children’s care and medical needs. They treat children with dignity and respect. They always make sure that children’s intimate care needs are met safely and sensitively. The arrangements for dealing with children’s medication are safe and effective. Volunteers, who are qualified nurses, carefully check with parents and doctors that they have the correct information about children’s medication at the start of each stay. They make sure that children always have the medicines and treatment that they require.

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outstanding

Children stay in a safe and pleasant environment. It is accessible and suitable to meet the needs of disabled children on holiday. Volunteers and children are familiar with, and have used, the emergency escape plan successfully.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The scheme is managed by a permanent, experienced and suitably qualified registered manager. The manager delegates day-to-day responsibility for each holiday to holiday organisers. This management structure is highly effective. The holidays are exceptionally well organised and provide disabled children with wonderful experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The holiday organisers have a flair for working with disabled children, and provide dynamic and inspirational leadership. They are highly ambitious and ensure that every child has the opportunity to broaden their experiences. Their priority is to make sure that every child has the best possible time during the holiday.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The holiday organisers have created the right atmosphere to make sure that children receive an incredibly high standard of care. Volunteers are highly motivated, enthusiastic and extremely positive. They work together cohesively and there is a fantastic team spirit. The holiday organisers provide volunteers with excellent support, reassurance and guidance. They encourage volunteers to reflect critically on how they are supporting the children and not to worry about asking for help. Volunteers receive good-quality training that is tailored to the personal needs of the children whom they are supporting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Highly effective care planning makes sure that children’s individual needs can be met during their holiday. The holiday organisers visit the child at home to obtain the up- to-date information that they need to understand how to support the child. The holiday organisers have built positive relationships with families before children join their holiday. Parents and carers are extremely confident that their child will be safe, have a lovely time and be looked after properly. Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust The leaders and managers have improved the quality and effectiveness of the organisation’s administrative and information systems since the last inspection. The monitoring of each holiday is comprehensive and the findings have been shared with Ofsted. Leaders have a detailed understanding of the strengths and areas of weakness and have made improvements. For example, volunteers have completed

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

valuable training in supporting positive behaviour. Also, records of serious incidents are now detailed and are completed promptly. The records show clearly what happened and the steps taken by the volunteers and holiday organisers to support the child. This level of detail has helped the manager to obtain the information that she needs to review the incident and to identify any concerns. Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust

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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 difference 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 the 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 residential holiday scheme for disabled children 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 Residential Holiday Schemes for Disabled Children (England) Regulations 2013 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust

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Residential holiday scheme for disabled children details

Registered provider: The Newman Holiday Trust

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Residential holiday scheme for disabled children details

Registered provider address: Lowbrook Barn, Lancaster Road, Slyne, Lancaster LA2 6AL Responsible individual: Anand Chitnis Registered manager: Judith Wardlaw

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Inspection report for residential holiday scheme for disabled children: The Newman Holiday Trust to 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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