Children's Home run by Able Health Care Ltd in Suffolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC408714 1 SC408714 Registered provider: Able Health Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to look after up to six children who cannot currently live in a family environment. The experienced registered manager has been leading the team since 2015.

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

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2018

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC408714 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2018 Full Good 12/09/2017 Full Good 23/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC408714 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children develop their self-confidence and make excellent progress. They feel valued and play an integral role in making decisions about their care and their future. They thrive and experience a strong sense of belonging and immense pride. Children’s self-esteem grows. Positive relationships with staff help them to become more confident and develop their social skills. For example, a child attended the Houses of Parliament with the Vegan Society and took part in an animal rights march through London.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have better physical and emotional health because of living at the home. For example, staff help children to learn about safe relationships, sexual health and the dangers associated with gang culture. Staff continually encourage children to improve their personal hygiene, to understand the need for good healthcare and to participate in varied activities that educate them about the world around them. For example, regular culture and diversity days are held, such as Burns’ night, during which staff and children ate haggis, neeps and tatties. Promoting a culture of respect and openness is a clear strength at this home. As a result, the children feel secure, happy and settled.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children develop emotional resilience and improve their mental health by accessing therapeutic support. Staff use research on therapeutic care and a secure-base model to inform their practice. Staff work closely with in-house consultants and specialist services, including art therapists and Arnold the therapy dog so that children receive the right help at the point of need. Staff use the invaluable learning from these resources in their everyday care practice. As a result, children make significant improvements in their communication and social skills. For example, a child who was not in education prior to living at this home has made a significant improvement, resulting in recognition of this achievement.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage children, as they get older, to take on more responsibility for their plans and futures. As a result, children receive excellent support to help them prepare for leaving care and living independently. Bespoke independence plans set practical, gradual targets to enable children to practise budgeting, shopping, cooking and managing their free time.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are supported well by the staff to maintain positive relationships with their family members. Staff are very aware of the fluid family dynamics that some children have with those who are important to them. Staff offer children help and guidance in developing and maintaining these relationships and offer a good level of emotional support and assistance when these relationships become strained. Consequently, children’s sense of identity is strengthened, and they maintain a good level of contact with those who are important to them, and this has resulted in family reunification.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home looks and feels like a family home. The children are happy and share a positive relationship with each other. Their day-to-day lives are filled with fulfilling experiences, laughter and warmth. Inspection report children’s home: SC408714 4

p.3

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

Children said that they feel safe and well cared for. Staff establish children’s needs with them. Comprehensive and regularly reviewed care-, risk- and behaviour-planning frameworks enable staff to meet children’s needs well.

p.4

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

Staff have excellent insight into each child’s history. Some children’s history includes risks such as going missing, exploitation, gang affiliation, criminality or self-injurious behaviours. These risks reduce as a result of the positive relationships that children have with staff, the level of supervision and support provided by staff and staff working in partnership with the youth offending team. Staff educate children about risks and reinforce these in one-to-one sessions and informal discussions. There are now no concerns about children being subject to any form of exploitation and there has also been a significant decrease in children’s self-injurious behaviours.

p.4

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

The home provides sufficient staffing to ensure appropriate supervision. As children make progress, opportunities to have time away from the home unaccompanied are introduced and monitored to support their developing independence. The staff use incentives to promote positive behaviour, which are planned with the child to promote their active engagement. These incentives are reviewed so that, if a child has difficulty in achieving the desired outcomes, they can be modified to support the child’s attainment. Records show that positive consequences are used regularly to reinforce achievements and to recognise when children are helpful or show kindness. When negative consequences are used, these are proportionate and creative to teach children values.

p.4

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

Good managerial oversight ensures that physical intervention is proportionate and necessary. Physical intervention is used as a last resort to manage behaviour that may cause harm to children or others. Records are comprehensive and detail how staff try to de-escalate situations prior to the use of restraint. Children and staff are debriefed following any intervention or incident.

p.4

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

Managers make swift referrals and consult promptly with the designated officer in response to safeguarding allegations. Managers inform Ofsted of all allegations and keep Ofsted updated on any actions taken. Risk assessments that determine if staff can safely work at the home during investigations are thorough and detailed, with safety measures in place to protect children and staff.

p.4

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

Relationships are a significant strength. Children have forged strong attachments with the registered manager and the staff team. Exceptionally clear boundaries and routines, coupled with a consistent staff group, enable children to feel settled and gain ownership of their home. This good practice underpins children’s safety.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership and management arrangements are exceptional. The registered manager and deputy manager are highly effective. Their combined skills, knowledge and commitment ensure the smooth operation of the home. The registered manager is tenacious. He has Inspection report children’s home: SC408714 5 high expectations of himself and of his staff team. He expects all children to have the best experience, outcomes and futures.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership work is extensive. Multidisciplinary work means that care plans are progressed and in the best interests of children. Research informs all areas of practice. There is a commitment by the manager to ensure that he and his staff receive high- quality development opportunities. Learning is used to inform the care and support provided to children, and there is clear evidence of how this improves their quality of life. For example, the manager has become a child exploitation and online protection ambassador, and staff receive training in all aspects of children’s care, safeguarding and meeting children’s complex needs. The development of the home is guided by clear plans. These plans show a systematic and measurable approach to continually driving improvement. The manager’s and staff’s therapeutic and compassionate approach is a strength of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has developed an exceptionally positive culture at the home. Staff morale is high. Feedback from staff is overwhelmingly positive. Staff reported total confidence in the manager’s leadership style. One staff member said, ‘The way that he [the manager] has turned this home around and how he matched these kids is fantastic. [The manager] has a fantastic personality and works so well with the children and staff.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel extremely well supported by each other and the manager. All staff fully contribute to the successful running of the home and feel valued and respected. Together, they are a tremendously proactive staff group. They are knowledgeable and experienced.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular and highly effective supervision and clinical supervision which enable them to reflect on and develop their practice. The staff attend regular team meetings and have good peer support.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent monitoring and review systems in place. These systems ensure exceptional oversight of the progress that children are making. The manager is committed to making continued improvements and is forward-thinking regarding the development of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has met the one requirement and one recommendation raised at the last inspection to good effect. Inspection report children’s home: SC408714 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 difference 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: SC408714 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Able Health Care Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Able Health Care, 3rd floor, Argyle House, Joel Street, Middlesex, London, HA6 1NW

p.7

Inspector

Cathy Russell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC408714 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.

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 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: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8