Children's home run by Jubilee House Care Trust Limited in Welwyn Hatfield

Inspection report children’s home: SC019441 1 SC019441 Registered provider: Jubilee House Care Trust 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 short-break centre is run by a registered charity. It offers overnight short-break care places for up to five children who have learning and/or physical disabilities. Day care is also offered on the same site for children who have similar needs. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2014.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC019441 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/10/2018 Full Outstanding 07/08/2017 Full Good 26/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC019441 3

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5) In particular, the independent visitor should have regular contact with parents and social workers to gain their feedback on the quality of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have built secure, positive relationships with a highly skilled and dedicated staff team. All the staff have a natural ability to communicate with children in an inclusive way that puts children at the very centre of discussions and decision-making. Some of the children are non-verbal. Staff demonstrate a sensitive approach to ensuring that all the children are aware of what staff are doing and why. Staff treat children with an exceptionally high level of dignity and respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children consistently receive high-quality individualised care from the dedicated staff. The staff want the children to have the best possible experiences during their stay. They work with energy and enthusiasm to make the children’s shorts breaks successful and positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff tailor activities to children’s individual needs, taking account of their developmental levels and likes. Staff are attuned to children’s abilities and preferences. For some children, activities are based at the home and support their sensory needs, such as using the black-out tent. Other children enjoy community-based activities, such as golf. Each child’s experiences are well thought out and planned to ensure that the child benefits from their short break.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff have an excellent understanding of the children’s anxieties that are triggered by transitions between school and the short-break home. The staff implement exceptionally carefully considered strategies that parents actively contribute to. Consequently, children’s anxieties reduce significantly, and transitions become manageable and seamless. Parents truly value the staff team’s support. When children have a problem at home, the staff provide responsive guidance to enable the parent to manage their child’s behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children develop independence skills according to their understanding and ability. Inspection report children’s home: SC019441 4 Staff incorporate independence skills targets into the children’s support plans and regularly monitor and update these. A parent said that their child has learned to make their bed because of their time at the home. This is significant progress for that child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Innovative monthly children’s meetings help to prepare children for upcoming events, such as going back to school, and increase their awareness of keeping safe. The staff are adept at communicating the same information to all the children in a way that the children can understand and can respond to.

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

The absolute strength of this service is the staff’s knowledge of children and their non- verbal cues. Staff identify the tiniest of changes in children’s behaviour and presentation, which means that potential concerns and children’s discomfort can be appropriately shared. Staff explore the reasons for any changes in children’s presentation and act accordingly.

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

Staff work cohesively with children’s parents and external professionals to identify and mitigate risks to the children. Staff have worked exceptionally well to reduce some children’s risk-taking behaviour. The staff have enabled the children to experience activities and time in the community and worked with them to increase their understanding of risks. This has resulted, in one example, in a child no longer running away. The child can now enjoy activities in the community safely.

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

Detailed individual support plans enable the staff to work effectively with the children. The plans identify children’s behaviours and triggers, which help the staff to keep children safe. Parents are involved in writing and updating the plans, which means that valuable knowledge of the children is captured and considered.

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

Staff have an excellent understanding of the difficulties that children experience as they move from one activity to another. The staff are extremely skilful in managing transitions using children’s individual preferred methods of communication, such as music or a favourite toy. This has reduced the stress of transitions for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The experienced and qualified manager holds a relevant level 7 qualification. She strives for continuous improvement and actively researches effective approaches to support this. The manager enthuses the staff, who share her passion for achieving the best outcomes and experiences for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The organisation uses a psychometric testing research model to understand the make-up and skill set of its workforce. The focus is on identifying the strengths of the workforce and areas that need bolstering. The service has invested in reviewing its middle management to drive improvement, to ensure that there is equity of responsibility, rather than being solely reliant on the registered manager. Development plans are in progress, using the knowledge gathered from the psychometric testing. Inspection report children’s home: SC019441 5 The manager shares her experience and knowledge with other professionals in the local authority. This sharing of good practice benefits others who work with children and gives the manager opportunities to look at her own service development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular effective supervision. Monthly meetings ensure that staff are kept fully updated about the children and enable staff to share and develop good practice. This ensures that children receive excellent care and support. Staff feel supported, valued and listened to. As a result, they remain motivated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are at the centre of the service. A parent said that the staff are like extended family, and she does not know how she would cope without their continuous support. An education provider said that the manager goes above and beyond for the children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides carefully selected training to support the staff to work effectively with children who have complex needs. All staff have achieved or are working towards a relevant level 3 qualification within the required timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent oversight of practice and care at the home. The organisation uses a program to record incidents and present data in an effective and informative way. The manager can identify patterns and trends in behaviour, which she uses to develop the service. However, although external independent monitoring generates actions for improvement, the independent person does not consistently contact parents or social workers to ensure that their views are recorded and considered. These views are important, particularly given children’s vulnerabilities.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Inspection report children’s home: SC019441 6 Unique reference number: SC019441

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Jubilee House Care Trust Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: St. David’s House, 11 Blenheim Court, Brownfields, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL7 1AD

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC019441 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 children looked, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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