Children's home run by Clover Childcare Services Limited in North Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC424897 1 SC424897 Registered provider: Clover Childcare Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to six children who have a history of insecure attachments and challenging behaviour and/or who have experienced breakdown of numerous placements in foster care or children’s homes.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left this home on 2 December 2018. A new manager moved from another of the organisation’s homes to manage this one on the same date.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 December 2018

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2017

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC424897 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2017 Full Outstanding 27/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/12/2016 Full Outstanding 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC424897 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children at this home receive excellent care that meets their individual needs. They are making exceptional progress in many areas of their lives. Placing social workers described the children as thriving, maturing and doing much better. One social worker said that they feel assured about the skills of the staff and that the staff bring about best outcomes for children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff support children exceptionally well in their education. The organisation has recently opened its own school on-site to provide education for children who cannot be in a mainstream school. There are very close links between the school and the home, which help to make sure that children can get the most from their education. The home’s staff support the children at school, help the children to catch up on work that they miss in school due to their behaviour, and structure set times to help the children with homework.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The social worker for a child who moved school said that the child managed the move much better than had been thought, and that this was due to the support from the staff. A child in a local authority school has had daily support at the school from the home’s staff as his school placement was in jeopardy. The child has just received an award for making the most progress in his class. The children are far more likely to be successful in their education and later employment because the staff help and support them as a good parent would do.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff do life story work with the children. They are looking at how they do this to try and make it even more effective. Four staff have had external training and are in the process of planning a presentation to the remaining staff. The life story work involves getting information and photographs from family members, taking children to important places, such as the church that they were christened in, and recording through photographs and written comments about children’s lives at the home. This is all put into a good-quality book for the children to keep. The books provide the children with a meaningful understanding of their lives and memories to look back on in the future. A social worker said that this work has helped a child to understand why he is looked after. The child said, ‘I want to carry on sessions with [the psychologist] and learn more about my life.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Social workers said that the staff meet the children’s social, emotional and therapeutic needs. They said that the home provides the children with stability in a family-like setting. One social worker said, ‘It feels like walking into a family home.’ All of the social workers spoken with were exceptionally positive about the home. One said:

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

‘I don’t know many homes that would care for [the child] as they do. In other homes, he would not get the care, love and attention that he gets Inspection report children’s home: SC424897 4 here. If he needs something, they will make sure that he gets it. It brings a tear to my eye. They are so lovely. He is one of most damaged children I have worked with for a child so young. They see a real beauty in him.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff help the children to keep in touch with their families and friends. This includes planning to make sure that arrangements for the children to see their families go ahead and that all of the practical matters are addressed so that the children are not let down. The staff support the children emotionally to prepare for times with their families.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff support the children when they move on from the home. The social worker for a child who left during the summer said in an email to the home, ‘I am truly impressed with the support offered to him and the transition you supported to his new placement... you have given him fantastic support.’

p.4

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

The staff build exceptionally good relationships with the children. This is a significant protective factor as the children can speak to staff about any worries. It also helps the work that the staff do to help the children manage their behaviour more effectively.

p.4

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

One child was able to tell the staff that he was involved in risk-taking behaviour, including going missing, with people who were bad influences. Because of this, the staff worked with the child and other agencies and the behaviour stopped and the child became much safer. There is an exceptionally low level of incidents of children going missing from the home. The staff work with the children to reduce risk-taking behaviour in areas such as fire safety.

p.4

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

The work that the staff do helps the children to make big improvements in how they manage their behaviour. One child was able to recognise that how he dealt with something during the inspection was so much better than he would have done before. He was able to speak to a member of staff about a worry when he would previously have dealt with it by becoming aggressive.

p.4

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

Social workers gave several examples of children’s behaviour becoming much better and children learning how to manage their emotions more effectively. The staff help the children to be understanding of each other and develop empathy. This reflects the family atmosphere that the managers and staff promote. The culture and ethos of the home help the children to develop successful social relationships and an understanding and acceptance of others. This is built on by work that the staff do to help children understand different religious celebrations and to think about others through taking part in the ‘shoe-box appeal’.

p.4

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

The managers monitor the levels of physical interventions with the children. They identify any increases in incidents and use this information to help them understand the children’s behaviour and what is causing it. A social worker said that they know that their child is held more often than others, but they have no concerns about how this is managed. This social worker said that staff assess the risk and when they do hold the Inspection report children’s home: SC424897 5 child, they do it with love and nurture.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The previous registered manager left the home two weeks before the inspection. The current manager has moved from managing one of the organisation’s other homes as part of a well-planned management transition. He is in the process of completing his application to be registered. While this is a time of transition, the staff are positive about and have confidence in the changes. The high level of involvement that the directors have in the home is helping to bridge the change of manager. The transition is further supported by the in-depth knowledge that the assistant team managers have about the children and the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The directors and the manager have a strong focus on reviewing their practice and wanting to improve. This ongoing questioning and evaluating leads to the high levels of care that the children receive and about which social workers are so positive.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The organisation operates a research-based model of care. The staff are trained in this to a high level and this is evident in their practice. The use of the approach makes a significant difference to the outcomes for the children at the home. An external professional who works with the home said that he could not think of another organisation that has trained as many people to this level. He said that it is impressive that the organisation has influenced some of the thinking in this area of practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff have very effective relationships with placing social workers. The social workers said that the staff are good at communicating with them and go beyond the call of duty. They said that the staff support and coordinate the plans for the children. This helps to make sure that the children have realistic plans that can be used to meet their needs effectively.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers and staff listen to the children’s views and respond to them. This is in small things like choosing activities and bigger things like whether the children see their families. The children chose where they went on their summer holiday. The children’s records include some very positive comments about how much they enjoyed this.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children are at the centre of the work and practice at the home. Social workers spoke of the managers and staff wanting the best for the children, being genuinely interested in their progress and wanting them to do well.

p.5

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 Inspection report children’s home: SC424897 6 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.

p.5

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: SC424897 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clover Childcare Services Limited

p.7

Inspector

Clive Lucas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC424897 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8