Children's home run by Utopia Children’s Services Ltd

Inspection report children‟s home: 1256639 1 Registered provider: Utopia Children‟s Services 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 children‟s home is owned by a private company that also owns two other children‟s homes in an adjoining region. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since 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: 18 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 1256639 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: 1256639 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children‟s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

10: The health and well-being standard The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. Regulation 10(1)(a)(b) In particular, ensure that children‟s placement plans clearly provide staff with specific protocols to provide consistency in managing children‟s specific healthcare needs. In addition, the plans should detail the actions taken to encourage children to stop smoking. 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; (Regulation 13(1)(2)(a)) In particular, ensure that all areas of the home are kept hygienic and well maintained and that children receive effective support to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

36: Children‟s case records The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) In particular, ensure that staff complete in full details of any accidents involving the child while accommodated in the home. 31/07/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1256639 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care and support at this home. They are unanimous in saying that they are very happy living here. Some have been living at the home for many years and consider this to be their home. Staff develop positive relationships with children and show them genuine warmth and care. Inspectors observed staff engaging with children in a supportive, caring and sensitive manner. Children speak fondly of the staff and say that staff have helped them to make positive changes to their lives. This includes helping to manage their behaviour and going to school. Staff are provided with comprehensive children‟s placement plans that are regularly reviewed and updated. Staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of how to meet the children‟s needs. However, not all children‟s placement plans clearly provide staff with specific protocols that ensure consistency in managing a child‟s healthcare needs and the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

actions to take to support children to stop smoking. Staff ensure that children are provided with meals that meet their cultural needs. A child said that staff buy him specific foods that relate to his culture and personal identity and that he regularly eats and enjoys. Children enjoy the activities both in the home and in the local and wider community. Each child has a memory book with photos of their time in the home and of notable events. These are colourful and fun and make great memorabilia for children to take with them when they leave. Staff support and encourage children to attend school full time. From their starting points, children are achieving well. For some children, this is an extremely positive outcome, as they were not accessing education before they came to live at the home. Children say that they like going to school and have a good understanding of the importance of a good education.

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

The arrangements to safeguard children are good. Leaders and managers respond to safeguarding concerns effectively and raise their concerns with the appropriate safeguarding agencies. This ensures that children are protected. Leaders and managers have taken effective action to ensure that children receive support in relation to the misuse of illegal substances. Since the last inspection, an external agency has regularly visited the children. In addition, staff continue to hold discussions with children in relation to this, and comprehensive records are kept of these discussions. Positive behaviour is encouraged well. Comprehensive behaviour support plans guide staff effectively in how to support the children to manage their emotions and feelings. Inspection report children‟s home: 1256639 5 Detailed risk assessments identify risks and describe how these risks are to be managed and reduced. Restraint is used as a last resort to keep children and others safe. The registered

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

manager ensures that there is good oversight and evaluation of its use. Staff seek children‟s views of the intervention used and these views are clearly recorded. Children who have experienced physical intervention say that they believe that it was used to keep them safe, and that staff kept them safe. In addition, the manager holds discussions with staff following the use of an intervention so that they can reflect on their practice. It is rare that children go missing from this home. This is a significant positive outcome for some children. If children do go missing, staff take effective action to keep in touch with them and to ensure their safe return. Leaders and managers ensure that independent return home interviews take place. Generally, the registered manager ensures that there is good management oversight of incidents in the home. However, the registered manager has not always ensured that staff fully complete accident records when children have been hurt.

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

Children live in a safe environment. The most recently reviewed locality assessment is comprehensive and identifies the known risks and social and leisure opportunities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well managed. The registered manager has the qualifications to manage the home. Since the last inspection, he has undertaken a comprehensive review of the care and support provided and has identified realistic targets for improvement. He responds effectively to recommendations made by the independent visitor. Staff ensure that records reflect the child‟s time spent living at the home, their progress and achievements. Staff regularly hold discussions with children about issues that affect their lives. These records are clear and detail the discussions. The registered manager ensures that there is effective partnership working. External professionals speak well of the staff and compliment them on the effective care and support that they provide. In addition, they say that there is good communication between them and the staff and they are regularly kept informed and updated. Leaders and managers ensure that there is an effective recruitment and selection

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

process that safeguards children. Children live in a large, well-appointed detached home. However, at the time of this inspection not all areas of the home were hygienic and well maintained. This included all but one of the children‟s bedrooms and some toilet and bathing facilities. The registered manager is not ensuring that children are receiving effective support to keep their bedrooms and communal areas clean and tidy. This does not help them to develop their independence skills. Inspection report children‟s home: 1256639 6

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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: 1256639 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Utopia Children‟s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hazlewoods, Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham GL50 3AT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Louis Stuart-Kelso

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Inspectors

David Kidner, social care inspector Michelle Oxley, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report children‟s home: 1256639 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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