Children's home run by Back on Track Children’s Services SE LTD in Dover

Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 1 SC473404 Registered provider: Back on Track Children’s Services SE 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 privately owned and provides care and accommodation for up to five young people. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home looks after young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2014.

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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: 14 December 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/12/2017 Full Good 23/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/09/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(2)(a)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that young people are consulted on, and contribute to, their behaviour support plans. 11/01/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, the registered manager must ensure that only the young people’s most up-to-date risk assessments are kept in care files.  Staff should understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13) Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 4 In particular, the home should ensure that behaviour support plans provide clear guidance and strategies, to enable staff to support young people’s positive behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good individualised care from managers and staff, who understand their needs. As a result, many young people have positive experiences and make good progress from their challenging starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team provides young people with consistency, security and stability. Incentives and rewards are tailored to each young person’s individual likes and interests. The staff team members ensure that each young person is safe and understands how to keep themselves safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff are strong advocates for the young people, ensuring that their views are heard. Managers communicate with placing social workers and families to provide a joined-up care approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people invest in the home and have a sense of belonging. They have developed positive and trusting relationships with the staff. All young people commented positively about managers and the staff team. They said that staff go the extra mile to ensure that they are happy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are in good health and have access to local services. Their emotional well- being is well supported by staff and managers, who are attuned to meeting their needs. Young people have access to several specialist services in the locality, including the child and adolescent mental health services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Keywork sessions cover important issues that are reflected in care plans. One young person stated that he and his keyworker discuss the things that matter to him. He said that he has built up a relationship of trust with his keyworker, who offers him good support when he feels stressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to lead healthy lifestyles. Young people take part in a range of activities, for example bike riding, walking along the white cliffs, and attending a trampoline obstacle course park.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite the progress that young people make, many of them are not attending mainstream education. Staff understand the barriers to education and try hard to encourage young people to attend. Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 5

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

Staff give the young people’s safety a high priority. A high level of staff supervision means that young people are safe in the home.

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

At times, some young people manage their emotions inappropriately by going missing from the home and engaging in antisocial behaviours. When a young person does go missing from the home, staff follow agreed procedures. A social work professional stated that she was ‘impressed’ by how far the staff would go to locate a young person.

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

Despite the efforts made by staff to engage young people in meaningful activities, there has been a recent increase in antisocial behaviour by some young people when they are out in the local community. A police community support officer stated that the home is good at seeking help and sharing information when it has concerns regarding the behaviour of young people. Managers have a genuine desire to work with the local community and young people to achieve harmonious living.

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

Behaviour support plans and risk assessments are in place. However, these plans often have little impact on young people’s behaviours. Young people are not involved in contributing to the development of these plans. Furthermore, risk assessments do not provide good enough guidance for staff on how to identify triggers to young people’s inappropriate behaviour or clear strategies for encouraging positive behaviour.

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

Strategies for managing the risks of gangs and child sexual exploitation contained in the home’s location risks assessment are good.

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

There are robust systems in place for the early identification of safeguarding concerns. Managers advocate on behalf of young people and work closely with social work professionals to ensure that when the safety of a young person cannot be maintained in the home, transitions to new placements are planned.

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

The systems in place for recording incidents, restraints and sanctions are appropriate. Young people’s views are recorded and there is good evidence of managers reviewing incidents and the effectiveness of sanctions.

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

Safer recruitment and selection processes are robust. This ensures that young people are looked after by staff who are suitable to care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. The home is adequately resourced to meet the needs of young people as outlined in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child focused and prioritises the needs of young people in the home. She spends time with them, is aspirational and wants young people to achieve to the best of their abilities. Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 6 The stability of the staff team is an impressive quality of the home. Staff know the young people well and work in partnership with families and care professionals to promote positive outcomes for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that the high level of support provided by the registered manager maintains staff stability. Regular supervision with the registered manager, together with quarterly group supervision with a psychotherapist, enables staff to consider their practice. Staff receive professional guidance on the management of their emotional health because of their work with challenging young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The members of the staff team have access to regular and good-quality training. As a result, they are skilled and experienced to meet the needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s evaluation of the home’s strengths and areas for further improvement is underpinned by her robust monitoring of the home. She uses staff observations, external feedback and the independent visitor’s reports to further scrutinise staff practice and care standards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All the requirements from the last inspection have been met.

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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: SC473404 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Back on Track Children’s Services SE Ltd

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: John McDonald-Baker

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Inspector

Juanita Mayers, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 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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