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

Inspection report children’s home: SC062263 1 SC062263 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The organisation has a therapy department as well as primary and secondary education provisions, which young people can access if appropriate.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager commenced her role at the home on 2 October 2017. She is experienced and is currently working towards her level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 10 October 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC062263 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2018 Full Good 22/01/2018 Full Good 27/09/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/01/2017 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC062263 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

With the staff’s unwavering support, one child, since the last inspection, has successfully moved on to permanent foster care. The young person living at the home is making progress in all areas of his life. Good routines and the staff’s continuous encouragement and support are helping him to invest in his future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have created a warm and caring environment for the young person, like a family home. Because the staff team is consistent and stable, the young person has made trusted and secure relationships with the staff who care for him. The quality of these relationships is noteworthy and a strength of the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is attending a combination of school and college full time and he is achieving well. Close communication between the staff and the young person’s education provisions has significantly helped him. He has overcome his previous difficulties engaging with education and is enjoying his learning experiences. This is considerable progress from the time he came to live in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff encourage good health and well-being for the young person. He has attended routine health appointments, such as doctor and dentist, to ensure that his health needs are met. The registered manager and staff help and encourage the young person to eat healthily and to continue with his active lifestyle.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person enjoys a wide range of activities and he clearly benefits from these experiences. The young person told the inspector: ‘I have done loads of activities, including snowboarding, mixed martial arts (MMA) and boxing.’ Because of this, his peer relationships have grown, and he is very much respected at the local gym. The young person helped the gym owners to set up an MMA event and they were very proud of the young person.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff consult the organisation’s professional therapists to seek guidance about the most appropriate way to support the young person. This means that the staff’s practice is informed by qualified advice which contributes to the young person’s plans and behaviour management strategy. The foundations for a new attachment model have been laid, and all staff have recently completed training. It is too early to judge the impact of this model or its effectiveness in supporting the young person.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high aspirations and value the young person for who he is. Staff are extremely proud of all his achievements. They have a thorough understanding of the young person, understand his needs well and consistently reward his positive behaviour with effective rewards. The young person told the inspector that he is happy living in the home, and his social worker and independent reviewing officer confirmed this. Inspection report children’s home: SC062263 4 The home has a secure electronic recording system. Care and support plans are well organised, detailed and helpful. The young person’s records contain good information and provide clear objectives and how these are to be met.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are extremely effective in their work with the young person’s parents and siblings to improve and develop family relationships. Agreed contact arrangements are planned so that the young person’s family can visit the home and he can travel and visit them. This reduces the burden for all, as the distance between the home and the young person’s family is considerable.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Preparing the young person for independence and a move back to his placing authority is a priority. This is agreed by his placing authority and outlined in his daily plans. Staff have supported the young person, who now travels independently to and from the local gym. He is being encouraged to budget his allowances, shop and cook, and this prepares him with the life skills essential to successful independent living.

p.4

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

The registered manager has built strong and effective working relationships with local safeguarding agencies. When it comes to the young person’s safety and well-being, the staff do not hesitate to act. They understand their roles and responsibilities and ensure that safeguarding issues are responded to in accordance with local and national guidance.

p.4

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

The staff are trained in areas of safeguarding, including the risk of child sexual exploitation, online abuse and bullying, risks from gangs and child criminal exploitation. The registered manager is booked to attend a conference on county lines in May 2019. It is her intention to cascade the information gained at conference back to all the staff in this organisation.

p.4

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

Staff have a clear understanding of the young person’s previous risks. Placement plans, including a child-friendly placement plan, identify the support required from staff to assist the young person’s development. Detailed and current risk assessments are used by staff to keep the young person safe.

p.4

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

Since arriving at the home, the young person has not been absent or missing from the home. Should this occur, staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities, and they would implement the missing-from-home procedures immediately.

p.4

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

The young person’s behaviour is managed extremely well. Sanctions or consequences are not used in this home, as staff continually provide an environment of high praise, warmth and acceptance. This emphasis on positive re-enforcement, together with well- developed behaviour management plans, encourages the young person’s positive behaviour. Since the young person’s placement, restraint has not been used.

p.4

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

The organisation’s safe recruitment practice means that all staff are thoroughly vetted before they start working in the home. This further enhances any young person’s welfare Inspection report children’s home: SC062263 5 and safety during the time they live in the home.

p.4

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

Health and safety arrangements in the home are managed effectively. The home provides a physically safe, appropriately secure, comfortable and homely environment for the young person, staff and visitors.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since October 2017. She is experienced and is working towards her level 5 qualification in leadership and management. She demonstrates a commitment to improving the lives of the children and young people in her care. The practice and development lead in the organisation confirmed this and feels the registered manager has significantly improved the skills of her caring staff team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is sufficiently staffed and resourced. A new senior worker has recently been recruited. This will lessen the burden of the registered manager, as she also has the responsibility for another home locally. The delegation of tasks and responsibilities will now be shared equally, benefiting this home, the staff and the young person.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are skilled because they are provided with regular training to continue their professional development. All staff have regular supervision and annual appraisals, with developmental meetings taking place quarterly. These arrangements, along with regular team meetings, enable staff to reflect on their practice and to consider the care that they provide to the young person.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the strengths and areas of improvement for the home. An effective development plan is in place. She has fully met the requirements and recommendation made at the last inspection. The home is meeting the aims and objectives as detailed within the statement of purpose.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working with professionals is good. The registered manager ensures that the home is working effectively with external partners to provide wide-ranging support systems for the young person.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager monitors effectively the quality of care provided to the young person. Constant reflection, analysis and monitoring completed by her are insightful and are used to improve the young person’s experiences and staff performance.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s written records are good and provide a picture of the young person’s daily living arrangements. Furthermore, his memory books clearly capture the young person’s journey during his time in the home. These are filled with photographs, comments and captions of the young person enjoying life and are all meaningful memories for him to look back on.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations are made at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC062263 6

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: SC062263 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dominic Macauley

p.7

Inspector

Mark Kersh, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC062263 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