Children's home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Stratford-on-Avon

Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 1 SC461275 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) 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

This privately run home offers support, education and therapeutic care for up to two children who may have experienced neglect, abuse or trauma which has left them vulnerable. The home is currently providing care for one child. The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in February 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 10 December 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/07/2017 Full Good 24/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 3

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improvement to be good

The experiences of children living at the home since the last inspection are mixed. One child left the home in an unplanned way after an assault against a member of staff. Another child, who experienced difficulties after first moving into the home, is now settled and making progress. The staff have addressed shortfalls raised at the previous inspection. However, new regulatory breaches have been identified. This has resulted in a judgement of requires improvement in all areas. The home has recently been redecorated. The child currently living at the home chose the colours for their bedroom. They have furnished the room with their own belongings and have helped staff to paint it. The grounds of the home have sports and play equipment for the child to use. However, enjoyment of the grounds is hampered by rubbish and unused and damaged items, such as a bicycle and deflated paddling pool. This detracts from what is otherwise a welcoming and nurturing home.

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improvement to be good

The staff use positive reinforcement to encourage good behaviour. The child responds well to rewards and there were no recorded sanctions. However, several examples of negative consequences being used by staff were found. These were not recorded as sanctions. Failure of staff to apply and record consequences correctly does not help the child to understand what the outcomes of their negative actions are. The child accesses a range of activities in the community and at the home. These develop the child’s interests and hobbies. The relationships between the staff and the child are positive. The staff enable contact between the child and his family at the home or in the local area. The child benefits from this, as it helps maintain positive relationships even though they are living away from their family. The child’s mother spoke positively about the care her child receives.

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improvement to be good

The home sits on a busy main road. Risks in the immediate area are assessed and mitigated. For example, there is an electric gate to slow children who may wish to leave the property without permission. However, the location area risk assessment does not assess other local risks in enough detail. For example, risks posed by waterways, local shops, public houses and child criminal exploitation are not considered enough. Failure to adequately assess and mitigate such risks compromises children’s safety. Staff de-escalate unwanted behaviours to good effect, although sometimes physical interventions are used to keep people safe. The recording of physical interventions lacks detail. The appropriateness of their use is unclear without other records such as detailed incident reports. Such incident reports are not always available. This results in ambiguous recording. There are also shortfalls in the recording of physical interventions.

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improvement to be good

Essential information, such as the duration of a restraint, location of the incident and children and staff debriefs, is missed at times. Inaccurate recording and monitoring of Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 4 physical interventions places both staff and children at potential risk of harm. The manager did not notify Ofsted following a serious incident during which a member of staff was assaulted, and police were called to the home. This shortfall compromises Ofsted’s ability to monitor the safety and well-being of children effectively. Three internal fire doors at the home were found not to close properly. Other fire doors were propped open with doorstops. When fire doors do not work as they are meant to, the safety of children and staff is compromised. The home has a well-embedded missing from home policy. Staff are proactive when a child goes missing and look for them. However, missing from home paperwork does not

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improvement to be good

routinely indicate whether a return from missing interview was offered to the child, or whether it happened. This leaves managers in a position where they cannot give full analysis to missing episodes and how these can be reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2017. He is supported by a deputy manager. The home is fully staffed. The staff receive a comprehensive training package. They benefit from regular supervisions with managers, which enables them to reflect on their practice in a formal setting. There are systems in place for monitoring and reviewing the care provided in the home. However, essential documents and records, such as physical interventions, incident reports and missing from home paperwork, have errors and mistakes. In one physical intervention log, the registered manager reviewed the restraint despite being involved in the restraint. Failure to provide objective management oversight to records does not promote children’s welfare. The home’s statement of purpose gives an accurate account of the services the home offers. However, although it was last updated in April 2019, the updated statement was

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

not received by Ofsted until June 2019. Not providing up-to-date records leaves Ofsted without the information it should have. The home has monitoring systems in place in the form of door alarms. The risk assessment for this is out of date and inconsistently applied by staff. This fails to give a consistent response to the needs of the child living at the home. Monthly reports from an independent visitor lack important detail. Feedback from families and professionals is not routinely obtained, and the reasons for not gaining such feedback are not explained. Such reports compromise Ofsted’s ability to monitor the home effectively.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 5

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the location risk assessment considers and mitigates risks in the local area from shops, public houses, waterways and child criminal exploitation. 27/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(h)) 27/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the statement of purpose is clear about any form of monitoring devices used within the home. 27/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(d)) 13/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to 30/08/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 6 the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, make immediate arrangements to ensure that all of the fire doors close fully, and fire doors are not propped open. The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2)(3)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 20/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 27/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 7 an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person, if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, and relatives, as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(7)(a)) 27/09/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should provide a nurturing and supportive environment that is homely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  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 45, paragraph 9.30)  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by

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Recommendations

their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 8

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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: SC461275 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Ltd, Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

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Inspector

Ricky D’Arcy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC461275 10 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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