Children's Home run by Consensus Support Services Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 1 SC386258 Registered provider: Consensus Support Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation. The home’s overall aim is to ensure that children are safe and cared for and to give children a safe place in which to express themselves. The registered manager has been in post since 4 September 2015.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 January to 1 February 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and 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 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.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 September 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/12/2016 Full Good 16/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Relationships between children and staff are remarkable. Staff genuinely want children to achieve, and they work extremely hard to support the children to make progress. The impact of the care that children receive results in excellent outcomes and progress. A child who has a history of criminal activity, school refusal and significant health issues is now attending school full time. He accesses a range of therapies that have helped him to progress socially and behaviourally. Staff have received specialist training in managing this child’s health needs, which has led to improved health outcomes. Creative approaches to managing specific individual needs, such as therapy to overcome fear of vaccinations, have enabled children to access health treatment that previously caused significant anxiety. A young person who moved on from the home following a long-term placement there has had an exceptionally well-planned and supported transition over a considerable

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

period of time. The organisation enabled this young person to reconnect with his twin brother. The organisation purchased and adapted a property specifically for the young people to move into. This has enabled them to have increased independence and benefit from this important family relationship. Both young people receive ongoing support from the organisation. A member of staff from the children’s home went to the new home with the young person who moved on, to provide consistency and familiarity. The manager of the adult service that now looks after these young people said that this was an exceptional transition. Another young person who has lived at the home for a number of years has progressed from a starting point of aggressive behaviours, inability to make eye contact and difficulties at school to full engagement in education, engagement with therapy and good social skills. He is due to move to semi-independent living, which he has been well

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

prepared for to give him the best chance of success. Care planning is thoughtful and detailed. A culture of valuing every individual and celebrating the progress that they make has been established. Consequently, children feel loved. Close, caring relationships with staff help the children to feel safe and unconditionally accepted. All of the children have school placements that are tailored to their needs. Education plans are ambitious. Staff strive to support children to progress. The strong relationships that the staff have forged with education providers ensure that children have a good network of support. Teachers identify these relationships as a strength. All of the children are in full-time education. Three of the four children did not previously attend school consistently. The work that staff have done with children on stabilising behaviour and managing emotions has contributed significantly to children being ‘school ready’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s mental, physical and emotional health are promoted to a very high standard. Their emotional needs are identified by relevant health professionals and therapists. Care plans are designed with these needs in mind. Children benefit from sessions that enable them to manage their anger and frustration. These sessions have had meaningful Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 4 impact. The children develop resilience. Staff encourage the children to take part in a rich variety of activities. These activities develop children’s social skills and help them to learn. Play is seen as an opportunity to enjoy being a child in a safe environment. Careful consideration is given to the resources and toys that are purchased for the children. A child has developed better mobility skills by using a doll’s pram. The summer holiday, which involved many different and stimulating activities, clubs and parties, was a great success. The activities included a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

caravan holiday, trips to the beach, a giraffe hunt, horse riding, and trips to the zoo and to the Sealife Centre. Children belong to a local youth club, and enjoy special treats such as going to a nail bar. Children enjoy regular trips to cinema screenings for children who have autistic spectrum conditions. All of the children had birthday parties to which family members were invited. The range of activities reinforces to children that they are valued and cared for. Contact arrangements are clearly outlined in each child’s care plan and are fully supported by staff. Staff understand how to manage the complexities of family dynamics. The staff have developed excellent relationships with people who are important to the children. The strength of these relationships contributes to making family contact a positive experience for all those involved. A parent said, ‘I cannot praise them [the staff] enough. The progress that my child has made is amazing. All of the care plans and even

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

the decoration of her bedroom have been drawn up in conjunction with me.’ Staff practice is influenced and guided by the therapeutic input provided from the organisation’s therapy team. Therapists work closely with staff to develop individually tailored strategies and positive behaviour support plans. Promoting a culture of respect and openness is a clear strength at this home. During the inspection, the children were observed to be happy and settled.

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

Children’s safety is at the centre of all practice. Staff know each child’s vulnerabilities and plan in detail how they can protect children while helping them to develop their skills. Detailed behaviour management plans guide staff to help the children to behave positively and cope with anxiety and stress. The approaches used help the children to manage their behaviours successfully. Children are nurtured and helped to develop life skills and coping mechanisms. For example, a child who was restrained numerous times each day and required medication to manage aggression no longer requires medication and is rarely restrained. A range of therapeutic support, coupled with a creative approach to helping the child understand the impact of their behaviour, has resulted in this significant improvement. The outcome is that the child can socialise, interact, play and enjoy their childhood. Staff worked tenaciously with a child who displayed aggressive behaviour. The approach

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

that the staff took, coupled with input from therapists and the positive behaviour support team, improved the child’s well-being and significantly reduced unwanted behaviour. Work is ongoing to plan for family reunification, which is excellent progress for this child. Relationships are a significant strength. Children have forged strong attachments with Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 5 the registered manager and the staff team. Exceptionally clear boundaries and routines, coupled with a consistent staff group, enable children to feel settled. Effective safeguarding practice contributes to children’s strong sense of safety and well-being. Risk management elements of care planning are very carefully considered for each child. There is clear identification of the risks, potential triggers for risk-taking behaviours and strategies to minimise and manage those risks. Children’s behaviour has continued to settle. The frequency and severity of behavioural

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

incidents have reduced significantly. Physical intervention is used only when necessary to ensure children’s safety and welfare. These incidents are carefully monitored and the records are reviewed by the registered manager and deputy manager. Debriefing sessions with staff provide opportunities to explore each incident and look at whether any lessons can be learned, which informs future practice and safeguards children. All staff know what to do if they have any concerns about a child’s safety. All necessary agencies are informed promptly if there is a need to share concerns. Records show very clear timelines and the actions taken. Children have not gone missing since living at this children’s home. However, there are clear protocols in place that are well known and understood by the staff should an incident arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager provides exceptional leadership and support to the staff team. She is an excellent role model and is ambitious for children and staff. The manager evolves progress and development of the service because she understands the impact of the care on children and uses current research to underpin approaches to care that drive progress for children. She has an in-depth understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager has been registered at this home since 2015, which has provided stability for staff and children. She is well supported by an effective deputy manager and highly motivated, competent and experienced staff who share her aspirations for the children in their care. Children receive highly effective support. Their progress is closely monitored. As a result, changes to plans can be made quickly and effectively if a child is not progressing. Parents, carers and placing authorities are kept involved and informed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision is highly valued by the team and enables individual review of practice, team dynamics and the impact of children’s needs and behaviour. All members of staff, regardless of their position, can honestly share their opinions and feelings about children’s care and how the staff team is functioning. This culture encourages reflection and welcomes criticism so that outcomes for children can be improved. Staff said that they are very happy working at the home and that they enjoy working with the children. Training is based on the needs of the children and approaches identified in current research. The manager recently facilitated training on healthy eating, which is an ongoing 12-week programme. An external professional visits the home and works with the staff to develop their understanding of the relationship between food and behaviour, energy levels and health. The staff implement their knowledge when cooking with the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 6 children. Positive behaviour support and family-effect play therapy underpin models of practice at the home. As a result, staff are knowledgeable and more able to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. The registered manager makes good use of a range of quality-assurance processes to ensure that all aspects of the home’s performance, as well as children’s progress, iare routinely monitored. External monitoring is used effectively. This ensures that the high standards of care practice are maintained. The manager has met the one requirement and one recommendation raised at the last inspection to good effect.

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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: SC386258 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Consensus Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bradbury House, 830 The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 9YQ

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Inspector

Cathy Russell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC386258 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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