Children's home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Stratford-on-Avon

Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 1 SC461275 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) 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

The home is registered to provide care for two young people who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. The home is privately owned and forms part of a large social care organisation. Since the last inspection, there have been three young people who have lived at the home. There is one young person still in placement.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 December 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2017 Full Good 24/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/10/2016 Full Good 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(x)(b)) 31/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to— achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding; take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 31/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 4 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)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 31/01/2019

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Recommendations

 If children complain or give a view on how the staffing structure could be improved to promote the best care for them, appropriate action should be taken. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with nutritious meals suitable for each child’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.8)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff at the home support some young people to attend school and to achieve their potential. However, Staff are not sufficiently ambitious for the young person currently in their care. For example, staff do not support her to do well in school. Staff do not communicate well with the young person’s teachers. As a result, the staff often do not know if she has homework.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff do not help the young person to make good choices and to lead a healthy lifestyle. For example, the staff do not always encourage the young person to choose nutritious food to eat or to take regular exercise. Staff have failed to deal with the cause of the young person’s refusal to attend some medical appointments. Specifically, her routine ‘looked after child’ health assessments. They have also failed to work with health professionals in the way a good parent would.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

More positively, staff do support young people to attend therapy. The young person currently in placement has benefited from the relationship she has built with her therapist. The therapist has worked with the young person to complete life-story work Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 5 which will help to build her sense of identity and emotional well-being. Staff also support the young person in developing friendships. Recently, the young person was able to have a friend over to stay for the night to celebrate her birthday.

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

Staff develop individual risk assessments that help protect young people online. Staff helped the young person to educate herself about the risk associated with online grooming and about online safety. The young person’s therapist has helped her to complete an online course which looks at relationships in general. This has helped her to become increasingly safe and to reduce risk.

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

Staff review the level of risk for young people who may go missing from care. They liaise with the police and share their risk assessments to ensure that there is a quick response. Staff work in partnership with the police to educate young people. For example, a police liaison officer helped one young person to understand and reduce the risks of going missing from care by watching a YouTube download together and talking about potential harm. This is excellent multi-agency work helps to keep young people safe.

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

After a physical intervention, staff talk to the young people and give them reassurance. In key-work sessions, staff support young people to talk about how they feel. Staff organise additional therapy sessions for young people to try to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, young people have experienced changes to the staff caring for them. Staff have left the home and, in some cases, at short notice. As a result, the registered manager does not have a full staff team and is reliant on the help of agency staff. These changes have affected the young person, who has lost important relationships with staff she had grown to trust and respect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is missing an opportunity to develop staff to make sure that young people get good-quality care. For example, the registered manager has been slow to take action to repair relationships when a young person has complained about a member of staff. The young person told the inspector and her social worker that she felt scared when a member of staff was caring for her alone. Although the registered manager was aware of these concerns, he has not been proactive in his response. Consequently, the young person does not feel listened to about important aspects of her care.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 6 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: SC461275 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: Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 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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