Children's home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Dacorum

Inspection report children’s home: SC422231 1 SC422231 Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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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 service provides a six-week programme for three children. Children are cared for by a multi-disciplinary team. The service helps families to stay together by providing support for children and their parents and carers.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 2017.

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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: SC422231 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2018 Full Outstanding 13/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/06/2017 Full Good 17/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC422231 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A multi-professional approach is wholly embedded at this home. The staff work exceptionally well with a team of therapists, physiotherapists and health professionals. The aim is to reunify children with their families. The highly effective work that the staff undertake with the children and their families means that many of the children are now able to live safely with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Highly skilled staff build safe and trusting relationships with the children and their families. The staff are extremely effective in helping the children and their families to manage their past traumas. The children learn to listen, to take responsibility for their behaviours and to develop empathy. Consequently, children make exceptional progress in managing their behaviours and understanding the triggers for these behaviours. This work enables most of the children to return home, preventing the need for longer-term care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A therapeutic model reinforces the staff team’s work on children’s attachment, self- regulation and competency. The home facilitates weekly meetings between the children’s families, staff, social workers and therapists. The therapeutic programme sets an expectation that families will participate in individual and family therapy. This regular commitment enables the children and their parents to identify triggers and understand the causes of their behaviours. A social worker said, ‘The staff are well trained in their therapeutic approach. I have observed their patience and wonderful communication abilities.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff and managers have a thorough understanding of the importance of relationships between the children and their families. The staff enable the children to spend time with their parents from the start of the programme. This ensures that families work on improving their relationships from the outset and feel part of the process themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children engage in highly effective key-working sessions with the staff. A child said, ‘I haven’t been here long, but I love having sessions with the staff. They really listen to me and help me look at ways that I can repair things at home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The majority of children have been out of education for some time before they join the programme. Staff work closely with schools, colleges and the staff of the virtual school to enable and support children to reintegrate into education. As a result, children have begun to attend education. The staff continue to provide this support, through outreach sessions, after the children leave the home.

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

The staff consistently challenge children’s unwanted behaviours, both at the home and at the children’s family homes. The staff identify the risks that the children face and help Inspection report children’s home: SC422231 4 the children to make positive changes that reduce their risk levels. The staff have an excellent awareness of the contextual risks within the children’s local community. As a result, the associated risks and dangers reduce, and children become safer.

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

The staff implement highly effective and individualised risk assessments. The children’s risks and behaviours are identified prior to admission and are reviewed regularly. This means that the staff and the children and their families can see and monitor progress and ensure that the programme is working to meet the children’s individual needs.

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

The staff work closely with a wide range of professionals to protect and safeguard the children. Staff work in the children’s family homes and incorporate work with family members. This provides optimum support for positive reunification.

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

When the manager feels that external professionals have not dealt with safeguarding concerns appropriately, she actively chases responses from them. This assertive advocacy ensures that children’s best interests are at the centre of practice.

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

Some children are regular cannabis users at the point of their admission to the home. The staff work effectively to help these children to reduce and cease substance misuse.

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

The location risk assessment considers the risks to children in their local home area. A member of staff said, ‘Because the children spend a lot of time with their families, it is really important that we know and understand the risks in the children’s local areas to support them in making the right choices.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A highly experienced manager and head of care manage the home. The staff said that they have an extensive variety of good training opportunities to enable them to meet the children’s complex needs. The staff said that they feel highly valued and listened to. This has led to high staff retention and an extremely skilled and knowledgeable team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager consistently uses research findings to underpin new strategies to develop the model of cared used at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager holds regular staff meetings and training sessions that support the staff team’s work. These forums keep the staff fully updated about each child and ensure that they adopt a shared and consistent approach. The staff said that they feel motivated and inspired by the manager’s leadership and commitment to achieving positive outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff act as exceptional role models. They maintain honest, open communication with the children and their parents and associated professionals. This helps the children and their families to understand the plans and timescales that are in place for the children to successfully return home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent oversight of practice and care. This supports her to identify Inspection report children’s home: SC422231 5 trends and patterns within family settings. The head of care uses the independent person’s monthly report to identify areas for development, and thus drive improvement.

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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: SC422231 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Apsley One, Brindley Way, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP3 9BF

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Inspector

Trish Palmer: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC422231 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 after safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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