Children's Home run by White Orchid Care Limited in Milton Keynes

Inspection report children’s home: SC465588 1 SC465588 Registered provider: White Orchid Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children. It aims to provide a safe and nurturing home for children in which they can receive specialist care and therapy, allowing them the opportunity to reach their potential and thrive. The home is owned and operated by a small, private organisation which has one other home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2017.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC465588 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2018 Full Outstanding 20/11/2017 Full Outstanding 18/01/2017 Full Outstanding 20/04/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC465588 3

p.2

Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulation 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) In particular, ensure that Regulation 44 reports are unique pieces of work that effectively support learning and the development of the service.  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the principles as set out in paragraph 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) There should be a full and thorough debrief following incidents of restraint. This will enable staff to reflect and learn. The discussions should be clearly recorded.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff at the home have a strong and innovative vision for the children in their care. Children are enabled to make excellent progress. Children, staff, parents and professionals were able to reflect on specific examples, including:

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

 dramatic improvements in behaviour  strengthened emotional resilience  improvements to health and well-being  ability to trust adults  forming positive relationships with carers and friends.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Educational progress is superb. Each child has a range of reports and reviews from schools that demonstrate that children are engaging and learning well. Staff actively support children’s learning. They foster strong links with the children’s education placements. The ‘education vision group’ works hard to find interesting ways to include learning opportunities in the children’s lives. Staff use games and fun activities to link in with learning targets at school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff also have high aspirations for the future lives of children. This is reflected in the work they are doing to create successful transition pathways. The home offers support to prepare families when children have planned moves. This support continues after a child has made a transition to a new placement. Children are strongly encouraged to remain in contact with the home for as long as they want to after departure. Inspection report children’s home: SC465588 4 Staff demonstrate a willingness to truly understand the effect that early years experiences have on a child’s development. They share this understanding of trauma with schools and social work professionals. In some cases, they have been able to help everyone in a child’s support network to develop a greater understanding of that child. Staff recognise the different developmental needs of children of differing ages in the home. They adapt their care well, always respecting the child’s desire for independence

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home has a clear ethos which is well developed in the home’s statement of purpose. Staff are strongly committed to this shared philosophy. This common purpose helps to drive forward the practice at the home and contributes to the excellent outcomes for children in their care.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The most striking thing about the home is the quality of relationships. Staff develop strong bonds with children and this is reflected in the trust that children place in them. Children feel valued and listened to and were able to identify many times when they have been able to give their views and effect change at the service.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are strongly encouraged to become part of the community. They regularly engage in charitable activities such as bag packs, sponsored walks and a charity ball. Last year, the children raised almost £2000 for a charity, Buddy Bag Foundation, which supports children who need to move into emergency accommodation. This year, they are planning another sponsored walk up Scafell Pike.

p.4

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

Staff show a highly developed understanding of the specific risks faced by the children in their care. Risk management practice at the home is of exceptional quality. Children are enabled to understand how to keep themselves safe. Interactive materials help and support children to make safe choices. Staff have been able to support children to reduce risk-taking behaviours. Children say that they feel safe and well cared for. Feedback from parents echoes this trust in the ability of the home to safeguard their children.

p.4

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

Staff build strong key-working relationships. This enables staff to talk openly with children about issues relating to personal safety and well-being. Older children in the home were working on issues such as sexual health and drugs awareness. Younger children were being given great support around issues such as online safety and risks in the local community. The home has fostered strong links with local police and safeguarding networks to provide an additional layer of support for children.

p.4

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

Incidents of children going missing from the home are negligible and the home goes above and beyond in the reporting and recording of these incidents despite the short time frames involved.

p.4

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

All the children have displayed highly volatile emotional behaviour in the past, leading to Inspection report children’s home: SC465588 5 acts of aggression and violence. Children said during the inspection that they ‘could hardly remember when the last physical intervention was’. They have all learned to minimise outbursts and regulate difficult and challenging emotions. Staff should be given the opportunities for more thorough debriefing and reflection following incidents of restraint.

p.4

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

Staff have responded very proactively to risks faced by children online. Key workers engage in positive work on e-safety and support children to understand the dangers posed in the cyberworld.

p.5

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

Children are encouraged into positive behaviours using incentives. The children are currently saving for their summer holidays. Staff are using the excitement around this to create effective plans with children to help them achieve their current goals.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

From the directors and responsible individual to the home manager, there is a strong sense of a shared vision for the service. This inspires staff to be the very best they can be for the children in the home. Leaders communicate this vision effectively to professionals outside the organisation. Professional relationships are excellent. The compliments book was full of praise from people who have encountered staff and children. There is a strong emphasis on the sharing of relevant information across settings. This ensures that children experience consistency at home and in school. All professionals in the children’s lives are working towards common goals.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Development plans are clear and aim high. The registered manager readily identifies areas of strength and weakness at the service. Internal monitoring systems are robust. The use of independent monitoring could be enhanced by including more critical analysis of practice in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Great care is taken to recruit the right staff for the home. Staffing ratios are high, allowing the capacity to engage children in a wide range of activities throughout the day. The staff team describes being excellently supported by both the registered manager and the attached therapy service. Staff are given opportunities to lead in areas of service development. This enhances the sense of shared goals and joint ownership of the home. Staff pride in the work that they do is very evident.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager encourages staff to develop target-driven care plans. Her regular monitoring and oversight make these living documents that positively impact on the progress for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager will confidently challenge placing authorities when she feels that plans are not in the best interest of children. This has recently led to the local authority rethinking transition plans for a child and creating space to ensure the best possible outcome for him when he leaves the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children, staff and parents use the word ‘family’ to describe the home. From the physical Inspection report children’s home: SC465588 6 environment to the social relationships, this describes perfectly how the children feel about living here.

p.5

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.

p.6

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: SC465588 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: White Orchid Care Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 77 Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP1 1LF

p.7

Inspector

Peter Jackson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC465588 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8