Children's Home run by Headway Adolescent Resources Limited in Somerset

Inspection report children’s home: 1249196 1 Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

 This privately operated children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to four children.  The children may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.  The manager was registered by Ofsted on 18 August 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: 4 February 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1249196 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/10/2018 Full Good 22/08/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 30/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1249196 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-trained, dedicated staff provide a high standard of care for the children in this home. Their approach is nurturing and warm but with clear behavioural boundaries. This helps children to feel secure and to develop appropriate social skills for future relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A parent commented, ‘(My child) is making a lot of progress and is very well behaved at the moment. The manager and the staff are doing a really fantastic job. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank them enough.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children in the home have complex additional needs. They face significant educational challenges because both children have had extremely disrupted schooling in the past, before they came to the home. As a result, both children are still in the process of building up to a full-time educational programme. The home has worked hard to obtain a local college place for one child, from September. The other child is enjoying his alternative education programme.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a clean, comfortable and relaxing rural environment for children. They can request changes to their bedrooms and these requests are usually actioned. The children also requested to have pets. Both children now have their own fish, which they must care for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a wide range of fun activities, ranging from walks on the beach to horse riding. One child explained that he recently went to a farm park and enjoyed handling baby animals. The home is about to purchase a new, larger trampoline for the children to enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged to participate in the local community as much as possible. One child, who has never previously been able to cope in large groups of children, has started to attend a youth club. He also raises money for a local riding school for disabled people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop life skills which will stand them in good stead when they move on from the home. For example, one child enjoys baking and selling cakes. The other child makes items of furniture for the home. The registered manager is keen to help children to learn about contributing to their community.

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

Inspection report children’s home: 1249196 4 In mid-March, a new admission to the home triggered some serious incidents. Although the existing residents were assessed for compatibility before the third child moved in, some children struggled to manage the changed dynamics in the home.

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

The registered manager responded appropriately to this situation and took effective action to stabilise the situation. A social worker commented on the manager’s and staff’s tenacity, ‘Despite numerous serious incidents when the child first arrived at the home, some resulting in significant damage occurring, the home has… stuck by the child and developed relationships with him, so that he learns strategies…’

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

The two children remaining in the home have experienced some tensions in their relationships. This has resulted in some allegations about children and staff. These have been reported to the designated officer and investigated appropriately.

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

Detailed, regularly updated risk assessments have provided the staff with clear strategies for managing children’s behaviour. The staff always supervise them and do not leave them alone together. Although the children usually have separate activities outside the home, they do now play together in the house and are developing empathy towards each other.

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

There have been some proportionate restraints. They are used as a last resort and have been well recorded and monitored to ensure safe practice.

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

Children do not usually go missing. There has been just one brief incident when a child went to a nearby supermarket without the staff’s permission. After a few minutes, he contacted the police himself to ask to be returned to the home. The child is now much more settled and has not felt the need to go missing again.

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

Health and safety is well managed and the home recruits staff safely. There have been no new staff appointed since the last full inspection in 2018. Staff recruitment files continue to meet regulatory requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well led and managed by a qualified, experienced registered manager. She is ambitious for the children and has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors all aspects of the home very effectively. She consults children, parents and professionals to seek their views. The children were able to give examples of changes that have been made to the home as a result of their requests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff who are new to the home are consulted after their first shift to request feedback. Their responses show that they feel welcomed, valued and fully included in the team. This helps to ensure that staff work together effectively to meet the children’s needs. Inspection report children’s home: 1249196 5 Stability in the staff team provides children with consistent, nurturing care. Agency staff are rarely used but if this is necessary, they are drawn from a small pool of staff who already know the children. A social worker commented, ‘The staff base has been very consistent. Staff do not come and go, meaning that the child can get to know them and feel safe.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The well-motivated, qualified staff receive regular supervision and good-quality, up-to- date training. Staff and the registered manager also receive clinical psychological supervision. This helps the staff to respond to the children in a therapeutic way, to help them recover from previous traumatic experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s empathic and knowledgeable approach and good collaborative work with other professionals helps to ensure that children make progress despite their complex needs. Social workers appreciate the manager’s excellent communication skills and detailed reports on their children’s progress.

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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: 1249196 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Masonic Hall Offices, School Hill, Chepstow, Gwent NP16 5BZ

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Inspector(s)

Heather Chaplin: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1249196 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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

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