Children's Home, Residential special school run by Hesley Services Limited in Doncaster

Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 1 SC035687 Registered provider: Hesley Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a residential special school owned by a private company. It is registered as a children’s home and offers care and accommodation for up to 37 children and young people who have a learning disability and/or learning difficulties, together with complex needs, including behaviour that may challenge. The manager has been registered since June 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 28 to 29 November 2018

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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: 12 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: SC035687 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/11/2016 Full Good 15/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 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, and must ensure that staff— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) In particular, the manager is to challenge placing authorities when they do not provide documentation, such as care plans or pathway plans, or do not undertake planning in line with the Care Planning Regulations. This includes transition planning, so that timely arrangements can take place prior to a young person

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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— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 01/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 4

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Recommendations

 Please see Regulation 23. Care must be taken to ensure prescribed medicines are only administered to the individual for whom they are prescribed. Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people experience a carefully planned move into the home. Prior to admission, the management team completes an in-depth assessment of the children’s and young people’s needs. This includes the opinion from the in-house clinicians. The children’s and young people’s family members are included in the planning. This ensures that important information is acted upon to prepare and adapt the environment prior to admission. Careful matching with the existing children and young people supports minimal disruption. Consequently, newly admitted children and young people settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make continued progress in all areas of their development. Staff help them to learn and to develop their daily living skills such as planning, shopping and preparing their own meals. Young people were keen to show the inspector the food that they had made for their dinner. Children and young people become more tolerant of others and their surroundings. They develop their social skills and can sit together at mealtimes with their peers. Photographs show their individual achievements. For some children and young people, this has made a significant difference to their lives, both at the home and when they have contact with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

School attendance and children’s and young people’s attainments at school are good. Staff walk with them to school and stay with children and young people during their lessons. This provides children and young people with emotional and practical support. They benefit from this consistent care across the home and the school settings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respond in a calm, patient and reassuring way when children and young people struggle emotionally. For one young person, staff worked closely with the clinical team to look at the cause of his anxiety. Staff provided extra support and helped the young person to express his views. A manager said that this has led to him beginning to get back on an even keel. Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 5 Children and young people have access to a wide range of activities, both at the home and outside in the community. The activities coordinator provides a weekly schedule of events. This includes both individual sessions and group trips that help children and young people to build confidence and to make new friendships. Children and young people enjoy their weekly rebound trampoline sessions and were keen to show their new skills. This helps to keep them physically fit and healthy as well as helping them to

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

High staffing levels ensure that children and young people are closely observed and supervised at all times. Staff make individualised safety changes to the home depending on children’s and young people’s needs. For some, this means that they have internal window blinds or a heavy-duty bed, while still maintaining a homely environment. The staff ensure that children and young people are safe and protected.

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

There have been no missing from home episodes and children and young people are not at risk of sexual or criminal exploitation. Pictorial keeping safe leaflets about e-safety, bullying and child sexual exploitation have been developed. Staff use these child-friendly documents to educate the children and young people about issues that may affect them.

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

Risk management is effective. Staff have clear guidance to follow, which is outlined within the individualised risk management and help plans. On occasions, staff use physical intervention to keep children and young people safe and records are maintained to reflect the incidents. The management and clinical team have oversight of any harmful or self-injurious behaviours. They review the cause and the effectiveness of staff’s interventions. If needed, children’s and young people’s plans are changed to include new strategies for staff to use. For one young person, this has led to a significant reduction in the number of restraints used to keep him safe.

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

Managers openly encourage staff to report any concerns about staff conduct and practice. This has resulted in several allegations made in line with the company’s whistleblowing policy. The management team has investigated these and where necessary disciplinary action has followed. The manager has developed good links with the local authority’s designated officer and keeps safeguarding agencies informed of any concerns and allegations against staff.

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

Managers complete internal audits such as medication checks and unannounced night visits. These are in addition to monthly checks from an independent visitor to provide external scrutiny of the home. These audits have identified ongoing medication recording and administration errors. The management team has taken steps to address this and errors have reduced in frequency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been registered since June 2018. Prior to this, she was the registered manager of one of the provider’s other homes where she had worked for many years. Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 6 The manager has extensive experience and knowledge and is supported by a strong management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a high staff turnover since the last inspection, including some staff from senior positions. There has not been any negative impact on children and young people. Exit interviews identify other employment opportunities in the area as the main reason for them leaving. New staff speak of feeling prepared for their roles, fully supported by their colleagues and made to feel part of the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since taking up her post, the manager has focused on improving processes and procedures at the home. This has included making sure that staff receive timely supervision. Managers responsible for supervision have received training to support their knowledge and skills. This has resulted in an improvement in the quality and frequency of supervisions, so the agency has met the requirement made at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has also reviewed the quality of records as well as how they monitor children’s and young people’s progress. She has started the process of making improvements, but recording and monitoring shortfalls in some areas are still to be addressed. This does not have a negative impact on the progress and outcomes for children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite repeated requests made to social workers, some of the children’s and young people’s files do not contain placing authority care planning documentation, such as pathway plans. Timely planning has not always taken place to support some young people to move into adult provision. The management team has escalated its concerns to the placing authority which has been ineffective. This has left some young people with very little time to adjust to the move.

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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: SC035687 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hesley Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hesley Hall Coach House, Hesley, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN11 9HH

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Inspector(s)

Tina Ruffles: social care inspector Stephen Smith: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035687 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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