Children's home run by HeadStart Residential Care Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 1 Registered provider: Headstart Residential Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children, including children who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in February 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 30/09/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.28) In particular, ensure that the missing from home policy provides clear guidance on when to report a child is missing to the police.

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.30). In particular, ensure that the procedure for return home interviews is agreed with Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 4 the placing authority for each child.

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.1). In particular, ensure that individual staff supervision includes safeguarding as a specific area for discussion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive, and supportive, relationships with the committed, enthusiastic and motivated staff team. There has been thoughtful planning by the management team for children moving into and out of the home. This has ensured that staff supported children’s transitions effectively, and this helps them to settle into the home. A particularly strong example of this is staff moving with children from another home in the organisation when children come to live in this home. This continuity of care, and investment in children, creates positive attachments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s placement plans are focused on individual needs and clearly demonstrate that staff know these needs well. Children feel supported by staff in developing their independence skills, interests and self-identity. The support provided by staff is effective in meeting each child’s needs. This is further strengthened by the introduction of a new therapeutic model of care. The new approach is beginning to be embedded into practice through training and consultation delivered to staff by the new therapeutic practitioner. Direct work undertaken with children is beginning to show a positive impact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work very well with specialist agencies to ensure that each child’s needs are met. Health professionals support staff to help children to develop their self-care skills. This helps children’s sense of agency. Staff work successfully with education colleagues in ensuring that individual plans meet each child’s learning needs. This has included working effectively with alternative provisions to ensure that bespoke plans are put in place. Children who have previously struggled to engage in education are now participating and making progress. Staff advocate well for children and ensure that each child’s views inform their individual plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Redecoration in several areas has improved the environment. There are a number of areas which were due to be redecorated and which remain outstanding. However, there is a rolling programme in place, to ensure that this is addressed. During the inspection, there were a number of maintenance issues identified, with some remedied at the time. A number of these related to children’s bedrooms, which would have had an impact on their sense of well-being. Where there are outstanding maintenance issues, a clear plan is in place to remedy each of the issues identified. Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 5

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

Children’s individual risks are well understood by the vigilant staff team. Staff implement effective strategies that reduce the level of risk. This helps to keep children safe. Through the effective work undertaken with the police and statutory agencies, staff have a good understanding of contextualised safeguarding. Emerging risks are addressed at an early stage as a result.

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

Children’s relationships with each other in the home have been strengthened. This has been in response to a concern raised by a child to staff. This was appropriately addressed by the manager. Through the restorative work undertaken with the children, staff have helped them to develop a positive peer relationship, with children reporting feeling safe in the home. Staff were also provided with training to help in recognising signs of bullying.

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

Staff respond proactively when children go missing from the home. Children are supported by staff to address the reasons behind these missing episodes. However, the home’s policy does not provide staff with clear guidance, in terms of when to report a child missing. The guidance in relation to return home interviews, following a child being missing from the home, is not clear for staff to follow. Although the policy does not provide clarity, the response from staff is effective when a child goes missing.

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

The employment checks for staff follow safer recruitment practice, and induction for new staff is effective. Staff feel well supported by the management team. Supervision is provided on a regular basis to staff. However, safeguarding is not a particular focus for discussion in all staff supervisions. Where there have been any possible concerns in relation to staff, the management team has sought guidance from the designated officer, with no further action taken. These are few in number and practice has been reviewed following each concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate and focused. Together with the strong deputy managers in post, the management team focuses on providing good-quality care. They have worked very well together to manage the transitions for the children where they have moved between this home and another home in the organisation. This has included a deputy manager moving from the sister home to this home in order to support the changing staff team. Decisions have been based on each child’s best interests, with an effective transition plan put in place by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team understands the needs of each child well. This has informed the registered manager’s decision to introduce a new therapeutic model of care. The new approach is currently being developed to meet the needs of each child in the home. Staff are being appropriately supported to develop their understanding of the model. They are Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 6 provided with training to help them learn about the theory and how to put this into practice. Training offered to staff is very good and reflects the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the management team and the responsible individual. They are passionate about supporting and enabling children in their care to grow and develop. This reflects the vision that the registered manager conveys for the quality of care provided. The registered manager is fully supported by the responsible individual in this vision. Plans to further develop the home have been measured and well thought through.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recording and monitoring systems have been reviewed and developed to better support the needs of the home. This has helped the registered manager to monitor the impact of the quality of care provided. Systems to help the home better seek feedback from professionals have been put in place. This is a newly implemented system, which, alongside children’s feedback, is continuing to be developed. With the planned development of the home, feedback will be important, to ensure that children’s views help inform the planned changes. Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 7

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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: 1270744 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headstart Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Aequitas, Unit 1, Swanwood Park, Gun Hill, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 0LL

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Inspectors

Maria Lonergan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 9 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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