Children's home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

Inspection report children‟s home: 1280371 1 Registered provider: Time-Out Children‟s Homes Ltd

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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 is one of several children‟s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. If required, children and young people can access the organisation‟s school and therapy department. The registered manager has been in post since June 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: This is the home‟s first inspection since registration.

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 1280371 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

First inspection Inspection report children‟s home: 1280371 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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)) Specifically, ensure that a copy of the child‟s care order and a copy of the order pertaining to the agreed deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) are included in the child‟s case records. 02/04/2019

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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. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Specifically, ensure that all outstanding damage to the home is repaired.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first inspection of the home since being registered with Ofsted in July 2018. Only one child has been accommodated since opening. The child is making notable progress relative to their starting point. This is because the staff are providing intense support and a quality of care that has enhanced many aspects of the child‟s life, not least the sense of stability and belonging that she has found. Meaningful relationships are developing between the staff and the child. These relationships are providing a foundation for an ethos of care that reinforces self-worth. This is an essential component for children who have experienced childhood trauma. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in how safe and secure the child now feels. The child said, „I like it here. It is a good place to live and I am happy.‟ The staff demonstrate a good understanding of the child‟s complex and unique needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

These are captured in records that are comprehensively detailed and provide a good Inspection report children‟s home: 1280371 4 insight into the child‟s behaviours, risks and vulnerabilities. However, the manager has failed to obtain key documents including a copy of the child‟s full care order and the order pertaining to the agreed deprivation of DoLS. There is strong evidence that education is valued and encouraged by the staff. The child, who has a history of poor educational outcomes, is now attending school and making good progress, relative to her ability and starting point. The child‟s health needs are met well. The staff are persistent in their efforts to ensure that the child can attend health appointments, including helping the child to overcome her fear of going to the dentist. Staff work closely with the in-house therapy team, which offers one-to-one sessions to the child as well as advice, support, guidance and training

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

for staff. This ensures that the child receives effective care which is responsive to her needs. The staff are ambitious for the child and provide her with lots of opportunities to engage in meaningful activities. Staff recognise and nurture the child‟s talents and ensure that her day-to-day experiences enhance her opportunities to build skills and confidence. During the inspection, the child confidently showed her dancing skills by having a dance competition with a member of staff. The home is furnished and decorated to a good standard and feels welcoming and homely, especially the child‟s bedroom which is highly personalised. However, damage caused by the child is not always repaired quickly. Consequently, several repairs are outstanding which detract from the overall good quality of the environment.

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

Effective safeguarding practice contributes to the child‟s sense of safety and well-being. The risk management elements of care planning are very carefully considered for the child. Past behaviours that have placed the child at significant risk are considered. An educational approach, high levels of supervision and continuous emotional support are having a positive impact in reducing unsafe behaviours such as self-harm. The manager has a good knowledge of safeguarding and takes her responsibilities seriously in this respect. She can identify key safeguarding agencies and has used these effectively when managing the one allegation that was made against a member of staff. The child benefits from living in a structured environment that is based on clear expectations, boundaries and planned daily routines. The staff act as any reasonable parent would do and they are good role models. They look for opportunities to

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

acknowledge, praise and reward positive behaviour and take a proportionate and supportive approach when managing challenging behaviour. The use of physical restraint has been necessary on several occasions. Records show that interventions are often low level holds to prevent the child from harming herself or the staff. The staff encourage discussion after incidents to help the child to reflect and learn, and the manager supports staff to debrief about the use of restraint. This reflective approach, combined with the expertise provided by the organisation‟s therapy team, means that behaviour management practice is constantly adapted to meet the Inspection report children‟s home: 1280371 5 needs of the child. This reflective and responsive approach is contributing to a steady reduction in incidents of physical restraint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run effectively by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. The manager is also registered for a second home run by the organisation and splits her management time between the two. She prioritises the needs of each child and has been effective in modelling a child-centred approach that is fully embraced by the staff team. The manager has a good understanding of the home‟s strengths and has a clear vision of the type of service that she wants to develop. She has taken a planned approach to developing a new service and has established a good foundation on which to build through strong leadership and management. The manager is working hard to establish a credible and competent staff team that can work across her two homes. Children are benefiting from the care and support from staff, who demonstrate a genuine commitment to supporting the children to make positive changes in their lives. Staff talk with enthusiasm about their work and are highly

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

complimentary about the support that they receive from the registered manager. Staff have been inducted well into the home and receive purposeful supervision that supports professional development. A good range of mandatory and needs-led training is available to the staff team and appropriate arrangements are in place to ensure that unqualified staff can attain a relevant qualification. The manager maintains good oversight of staff practice, care planning and children‟s progress. She implements a range of effective internal quality assurance processes that are used to promote an improvement agenda. This monitoring activity is further enhanced by the monthly scrutiny of an independent visitor, who provides a sufficiently detailed report that can be used to address any identified shortfalls.

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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: 1280371 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children‟s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Ripponden Mill, Mill Fold, Ripponden Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire HX6 4DH

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Inspector

Paul Scott, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1280371 7 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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