Children's home run by SES Avocet Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 1 SC063259 Registered provider: SES Avocet 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 privately owned home is registered for up to eight boys aged eight to 14 on admission. It provides specialised integrated therapeutic care and education. The onsite education provision is registered with the Department for Education. The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2017 Full Outstanding 13/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/04/2016 Full Outstanding 29/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 3

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3) In particular, ensure that the records are sufficiently detailed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children who live at this home have stable, fulfilling placements that provide them with a secure base from which they make exceptional progress. Placing social workers said that the children are definitely in the best place. They said that the home provides more stability than a number of the children’s previous placements. A child who has recently left the home said that the staff did a really good job of helping him. He said that if he had not gone to the home, he did not know where he would be now, emotionally or physically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children have exceptionally good relationships with the staff. The managers and staff know the children very well. They understand the children and care about them. A social worker said, ‘The staff use positive touch and hugs, which are massively important for the child.’ These positive interactions help to support the children emotionally and teach them about safe and appropriate relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children make very significant progress in their education. For some children, this is exceptional. One child who was unable to read when he moved to the home is now at his correct reading age. The home and associated school have a 24-hour learning approach. The staff use activities that provide the children with additional learning opportunities. The staff plan these activities with the children, who are fully involved in setting their own objectives and plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff work with the children to help them find and develop interests. In some cases, the staff have fought to enable the children to follow particular interests, even when, initially, it did not seem possible. The children get exceptional opportunities to take part in challenging and rewarding activities. These include:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

 attendance at clubs based on the children’s wishes  school exchange visits to other countries  climbing a number of mountains across the United Kingdom Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 4  work experience based on the children’s future career choices  representing organisations such as police cadets at major events  an opportunity for a child to cook at a prestigious London restaurant  being able to keep and look after chickens  attending specific lessons at mainstream schools.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

As a result of these opportunities, children have enjoyable experiences. They form positive memories of their childhood. Children develop their self-esteem and confidence. They learn how to form social relationships outside the home and develop skills that will be highly valuable in their future careers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff provide a very high level of support for the children to see their families. The staff take the children’s views on seeing their families very seriously and work to achieve their wishes. Because of this, the children can influence the contact that they have with their families and develop strong relationships that will be there for them throughout their lives. In one case, a child was able to go on a foreign holiday with his family, which gave him a great shared experience to remember.

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

The managers and staff have a thorough knowledge of the children. This helps them to identify areas of risk and find effective ways of managing and reducing the risks and keeping the children safe.

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

The managers commission specific pieces of work from specialists to help them to assess areas of risk for individual children and identify effective ways of reducing risk-taking behaviours. A social worker said that the staff manage areas of risk but are not risk averse. This helps to make sure that children’s opportunities and experiences are not limited unnecessarily.

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

The managers monitor closely the use of physical intervention. They review, with the staff and the children, the records of incidents. Overall, the use of physical intervention has decreased for all of the children over time. However, within this overall decline there have been periods when, for some children, the incidents increase. The managers use the monitoring and their significant knowledge of the children to find the reasons for increases and ways to reduce them again.

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

Care and education staff use a thorough approach to managing internet safety. They use their excellent knowledge of each child to identify the potential risk posed by the internet to individual children. This approach helps to keep each child safe and helps them to develop and learn safe and appropriate internet use. When children make mistakes, the staff work with them to help them to understand what went wrong.

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

The managers and staff have access to regular clinical advice from a consultant child psychologist. This enables the staff to develop highly effective ways of helping the children to manage their behaviour. Social workers and parents were very positive about Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 5 the way that the staff work with the children. Parents and professionals said that the staff use positive restorative work to manage behaviour. They said that the staff apply clear consequences, which the children accept. Parents and professionals spoke of being impressed with the ways in which the staff motivate the children. A social worker described this motivation as excellent.

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

The organisation has clear processes to identify and respond to bullying behaviour among the children. The staff have a thorough knowledge of these processes. There are no concerns about exploitation or radicalisation of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The highly child-centred ethos of the organisation is understood, shared and valued by the staff. This helps the staff to ensure that they meet the organisation’s stated aims and objectives. The managers and staff use several areas of research, which they incorporate into their ethos, aims and objectives. They work with significant people in these areas of research to develop practice and deliver better outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers and staff want the children to do as well as they can. This is reflected in the ‘no limits’ approach to working with the children. The staff and managers care deeply about the children. Social workers described the managers and staff as highly insightful. A social worker said, ‘The staff really care about [the child]. They show that they love him, genuinely love him.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The experienced and qualified management team thoroughly scrutinises what goes on at the home. Consequently, managers have an excellent understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of development and of the progress that each child is making. In turn, this helps managers to plan effectively and maintain a very high standard of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers and staff have highly effective relationships with the children’s social workers and families. These relationships help to make sure that all of the people involved in the children’s lives work together to provide consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children understand about people’s differences and needs. Children benefit from preparation to live in a multicultural society. Children learn to be tolerant of difference and to develop empathy. The managers and staff work with the education staff to help the children understand differences of race and culture. The staff encourage and support the children to become involved in raising money for charity and choosing which charities to support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff have clear and effective induction to help prepare them for their roles. They benefit from a wide range of training and development opportunities and a high level of support. The managers provide the staff with very regular supervision, which the staff described as effective and challenging. However, the records of the supervisions do not reflect the discussions that are held. Some records are very brief. The induction, training and supervision of the staff create a very supportive environment in which the staff can Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 6 develop their practice and provide high-quality care for the children. The lack of clear records of supervision has the potential to limit this in some cases, as trends or concerns may be more difficult to identify and address.

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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: SC063259 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Inspector

Clive Lucas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC063259 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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