Children's home run by White Orchid Marston Moretaine Limited in Dacorum

Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 1 SC483714 Registered provider: White Orchid Marston Moretaine 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 privately owned home provides specialist care, combined with therapy, for up to six children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in October 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: SC483714 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2018 Full Outstanding 18/05/2017 Full Outstanding 14/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from extremely good relationships with the staff. The staff fully understand the impact of early childhood experiences on the children’s development. The highly skilled staff nurture the children and provide emotional warmth. The staff are excellent role models. Their interactions with each other and the children create a calm atmosphere. The children are happy and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff use a therapeutic approach with the children. Excellent communication between the staff and the therapist enhances this approach. A qualified social worker has created therapeutic care plans to support each child’s therapeutic journey. The plans are reviewed by the staff and the children’s external professionals, who jointly agree the strategies. These plans are comprehensive and detailed. They fully support the staff to understand the children’s behaviours. Consequently, the children benefit from highly individualised care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children have a wealth of exciting experiences. These include holidays abroad, weekends away and an annual ball with the staff. These events are planned with the children, giving them time to anticipate and prepare. These opportunities mean that the children experience equality of opportunity. They do not miss out because they are in care. The children have many beneficial experiences in the community. They are involved in clubs and local community activities. The children raise money for a charity called the Buddy Bag Foundation. This provides bags for children who are taken into emergency care. The children have successfully raised over £2000 and put a lot of time into deciding the content of the bags. The children benefit from considering others, developing their awareness of the world around them and making a positive contribution to the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff place a strong value and emphasis on the children’s education. They work with education providers effectively, and have established excellent links with the virtual school headteacher. When the children have experienced disrupted schooling, there has been a collaborative approach to reducing any barriers to their learning. The manager has proactively challenged schools when children have been excluded, and has supported them to reintegrate into school.

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

The staff provide a stable environment in which the children feel safe, loved and secure. The staff have excellent knowledge and understanding of the importance of recording and reporting concerns. This safeguards the children.

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

The staff have created a safe space in each child’s bedroom. These safe spaces contain cushions, pillows and blankets. This strategy has been developed by a specialist therapist. Each child has a ‘tool box’ that contains items which help them to manage Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 4 their emotions and feel calm. During the inspection, the children were happy to show the safe spaces in their bedrooms and explain how the items in the tool boxes help them.

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

The staff use high-quality risk assessments that detail risk-reduction measures. The children regularly review their own risk assessments with the staff during key-work sessions. The children understand why these risks may change, and what they need to do to manage or reduce them. This helps the children to take responsibility and learn about personal safety.

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

The staff continually use positive reinforcement during their interactions with the children. They rarely use sanctions; instead, they talk to children about their improved behaviours and focus on these. This approach has helped the children to manage and reflect on their negative behaviour.

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

The manager and the staff know the children well and are highly attuned to their individual needs. Team meetings are used to analyse the children’s behaviours. The staff agree approaches that will help to protect the children. The staff maintain consistent boundaries and expectations. These help the children to know what to expect and to develop their sense of emotional security and stability.

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

The staff understand that the children need to have purposeful and meaningful experiences while learning how to manage risks. The children work towards having short periods of free time in the community. During the inspection, one child proudly said that he has ten minutes of free time to ride his bike in the area independently. Another child has been able to go out with friends for short periods of time. This shows that the children are building trust over time and making progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The highly competent and experienced manager is a qualified social worker and holds a relevant level 5 qualification. The manager is resourceful and enthusiastic. She takes enormous pride in the children and the staff team. The manager leads by example, spending quality time with the children and working closely with the staff. She is incredibly insightful in her understanding of the children’s needs, and uses this understanding to guide and inform practice. Her aspirational attitude and commitment help the children to achieve the best possible outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff benefit from an abundance of training that is bespoke and focused on the specifics needs of each child. The manager sources training and works with training providers to tailor sessions so that they enhance the quality of care. The manager shares her expertise and works with training providers to develop packages of training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff said that they feel truly valued and listened to by the manager. One member of staff said, ‘We could not expect more from the management. They place the children’s best interests at the heart of the home.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 5 The manager sees the staff as a great asset and actively supports their well-being. The supervision formats encourage the staff to recognise their own mental health needs. Specific support is tailored for staff members who experience stress. The staff have a well-being hour allocated each week. A men’s group has been started to support the male staff to speak with the therapist about the impact of their work. This investment in and support of the home’s staff contributes to retaining a skilled and motivated staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has undertaken a detailed location risk assessment that considers risks and potential concerns. The assessment includes an interactive children’s version that explains the risks in the local area in a child-friendly way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager strives for improvement and continuously develops the home. She constantly evaluates what has gone well and how she can further develop the home. Active research and resources from a wide variety of agencies and professionals support her to do this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The professionals and parents who were spoken with during the inspection hold the manager and her staff team in extremely high regard. A social worker said, ‘This home goes above and beyond any other home I have worked with. The outcomes for children are phenomenal.’

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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: SC483714 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: White Orchid Marston Moretaine Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 77 Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP1 1LF

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Inspectors

Trish Palmer: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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