Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC398393 1 SC398393 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) 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 provides care for up to three children who have experienced early childhood trauma. A large private organisation operates this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2019. He holds a level 4 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: 4 December 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC398393 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2018 Full Good 09/05/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC398393 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d) 01/04/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(v)) 01/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC398393 4 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d)) 01/04/2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, there are three children living in this home. Two of these children have lived here for over two years. This stable experience has enabled both children to make good progress from their respective starting points. The third child had a well-planned move into the home, which enabled him to settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to prioritise children’s education. For example, staff will remain at school with children until they are calm and ready to learn. This ensures that children are well supported to achieve their potential. Inspection report children’s home: SC398393 5 Children enjoy a range of activities. Children join local clubs and are part of local events. This helps children to develop self-esteem and a sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to stay in touch with people who are important to them. This can mean, at times, the staff travelling considerable distances to enable children to maintain these family links.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has not ensured that all children’s records include copies of the plans needed to inform their day-to-day care. In addition, staff do not ensure that children understand the records that are held about them. For example, the organisation has introduced an app to allow children to have access to their records. However, this has not been sufficiently explained to the children and, as a result, the children are not benefiting from this new development.

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

Staff know the children well and are quick to identify changes in their behaviour. This means that concerns are reported quickly, and action is taken to protect children.

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

The number of incidents of children going missing from the home is low. Staff are quick to respond and follow agreed procedures, including searching for children in the community. This helps to ensure that children return home quickly.

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

Staff complete risk assessments to help them understand and respond to children’s presenting risks. However, updates to these assessments are not always consistent. This means that it is not always clear what information staff should follow to help them to keep children safe.

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

Children benefit from consistent boundaries and expectations. This good practice promotes positive behaviour. As a result, the number of incidents when staff are required to physically intervene is low. Staff use a range of methods to reward children’s behaviour. These are individual to the child’s interests and needs and help children to understand their progress.

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

The manager does not always demonstrate professional curiosity in the recruitment of new staff. For example, additional information arising from references is not always followed up. As a result, the manager does not always have up-to-date information when making his decision about someone’s suitability to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is new to the role, although he has worked for the organisation previously. He joined the home in May 2019.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been significant changes in staffing since the last inspection. These changes were, in part, anticipated and have been spread across a number of months. Staff have Inspection report children’s home: SC398393 6 worked hard to ensure that children have not been negatively impacted by these staff changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through supervision and team meetings. This provides staff with regular opportunities, both as individuals and as a team, to reflect on and develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a range of training that reflects the complex needs of the children they care for. However, the manager does not always respond quickly to new training needs. Consequently, staff are not always well equipped to manage children’s changing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed strong working relationships with social workers, teachers and parents. This ensures a collaborative approach to progressing children’s care plans.

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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: SC398393 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5JG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Millward

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Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC398393 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 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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