Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report children’s home: SC398377 1 SC398377 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four young people whose adverse childhood experiences and trauma can lead to them exhibiting complex behaviours. A large national provider operates this home. The current manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2016. She holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC398377 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2017 Full Good 15/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/05/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC398377 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(2)(b)(iv)) 01/03/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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)(2)(c)) 01/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)) 28/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC398377 4

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is with reference to the need for managers to ensure that systems for the maintenance of a safe home environment that comply with relevant legislation are reviewed regularly and necessary updates are made.  As part of reviewing and revising where appropriate the Statement of Purpose (Regulation 16 (3)(a)), the registered person should review and update the children’s guide as necessary, and make sure children are given an explanation of

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Recommendations

any changes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.23)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are cared for by a committed staff team. This enables young people to make progress in all areas of their development. Staff create a welcoming, warm and friendly home environment that enables young people to thrive. When young people arrive home from school, staff help them to complete homework and then spend time together playing games. The atmosphere in the home is one in which young people are relaxed and at ease.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain good communication with young people’s schools and are positive about helping young people to secure academic success. Some young people have overcome barriers to their learning and have achieved 100% school attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a range of activities that reflect their individual interests. This includes going horse riding and having ice skating lessons. These opportunities develop young people’s self-esteem and social skills. In addition, the young people told the inspector that they enjoyed the opportunity of an annual holiday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each young person receives individualised care and placement plans are in place to help staff identify how they will meet young people’s needs. However, these documents are not always up to date. For example, one young person’s plan does not identify a specific medical diagnosis. This leaves staff without access to essential information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide young people with regular opportunities to express their views on matters that affect them individually or as a group in the home. Young people’s successes are celebrated, with each young person receiving an individual monthly newsletter that Inspection report children’s home: SC398377 5 shows their positive progress. Despite this positive practice, the young person’s guide does not accurately reflect the creative methods used to gain young people’s views in the home.

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

Young people told the inspector that they feel safe living in this home.

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

Staff implement clear boundaries and young people understand what is expected of them. This openness means that there are few incidents at the home.

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

Young people rarely go missing from the home. Staff know how to respond when young people go missing and are quick to follow and locate young people. One young person told the inspector of his shock when he first went missing that staff followed him and encouraged him to come home. He told the inspector that this action by staff is the reason that he knows he is safe at this home.

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

Staff complete work with young people to help to increase their understanding of risks. For example, young people who have experienced online risks are completing activities to develop their awareness. Young people are clear about the purpose of this work.

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

Management of medication is inconsistent. For example, records do not always accurately reflect the dispensing instructions for medication and staff are unclear what conditions medication is prescribed to treat. This lack of clarity has the potential to place young people at risk of harm through an increased risk of medication errors occurring.

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

The manager has a range of systems in place to ensure that the home is a safe environment for young people to live in. However, these have not been consistently followed. For example, staff had overlooked a series of weekly checks. In addition, fire drills have not been completed in line with organisational policy. This inconsistency impacts on the safety of young people’s home environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and have their performance reviewed annually. This provides staff with regular opportunities to reflect on and to develop their practice. Staff told the inspector that managers are readily available to them and that they feel supported in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although staff do receive regular training opportunities, the registered manager has not ensured that all staff have completed training to support their understanding of the individual needs of young people. For example, not all staff have completed training regarding epilepsy and none of the staff have attended training about caring for young people with learning disabilities, despite these being known needs for young people at the home. This leaves staff without essential skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager advocates strongly for the young people and will challenge Inspection report children’s home: SC398377 6 placing authorities when she believes that they are not meeting their responsibilities. A team manager told the inspector that the authority had ‘appreciated the appropriate challenge’. This open communication enables progress in young people’s care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has received one complaint during this inspection period. This was responded to in a timely way and demonstrated the willingness of managers to learn from and to respond to complaints. The complainant told the inspector that they are happy with the response that they received and with the action taken.

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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: SC398377 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited, Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Millward

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Caroline Adams-Evans

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Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC398377 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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