Children's Home run by Hopedale Children and Family Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC444869 1 SC444869

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Hopedale Children and Family Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to 15 children who have suffered adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. There is also a school on the same site.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has an appropriate qualification at level 5.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place in response to an escalating pattern of concerns as noted in safeguarding notifications and reports from the independent visitor. This included incidents of children bullying their peers, accessing the roofs of buildings within the grounds of the property and an incident of children displaying sexually inappropriate behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, a small group of children had to isolate together, meaning that they attended school and lived together for a period. Children found the intensity of this time together difficult to manage. Unfortunately, this led to an escalation of challenging behaviours and incidents of bullying.

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This monitoring visit

Some bullying incidents included children physically attacking and injuring each other. Records show that one child was, for a period, too afraid to leave his bedroom due to a fear of reprisals from a peer. The registered manager did not provide a robust response to manage this risk. For example, she failed to fully inform key safeguarding agencies about these incidents. This was a missed opportunity for safeguarding agencies to assess risk and review the arrangements for keeping children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are not always effective in providing children with appropriate support to understand their challenging behaviour or its impact on others. For example, there is Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC444869 2 limited evidence of targeted discussions or key-work sessions with those children who have instigated bullying incidents.

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This monitoring visit

However, there are early indicators of a more proactive response from staff and managers to deal with bullying behaviours. Furthermore, the need for those children isolating together has been lifted. This has reduced tensions and anxieties between children. Incidents of bullying have ceased.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the home experiencing an unsettled period, the children spoken to by the inspector said that they are happy and feel safe in the home. They told the inspector that staff care for them. One child told the inspector, ‘During lockdown, the staff have tried hard to keep us active and occupied. It’s been great, it felt normal.’

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not keep social workers fully informed about the day-to-day experiences of children. For example, weekly reports sent to social workers lack enough detail and are not always an accurate reflection of children’s experiences. Furthermore, some social workers told the inspectors that they were unaware of recent bullying incidents. This lack of transparency means that placing authorities are unable to accurately assess the risks that may affect children.

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This monitoring visit

Furthermore, the registered manager does not ensure that local authorities are provided with copies of the independent person’s monthly reports. This does not demonstrate effective partnership working.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments are of mixed quality and in some instances are out of date and fail to capture key information. This means that there are missed opportunities to consider how to manage known risk. As a result, staff do not always have the necessary information to make an informed judgement about a child’s level of risk. The registered manager acknowledges this shortfall and has plans to embed a new risk assessment format.

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This monitoring visit

Notwithstanding the shortfalls in some risk assessments, staff have demonstrated an understanding and ability to manage the risks associated with some children’s sexually inappropriate behaviours. Appropriate plans are in place to manage the risks associated with such behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

Recently, some children have accessed the roofs of buildings within the grounds of the property. The registered manager has worked effectively with the police and specialist agencies to manage this risk. For example, she commissioned a specialist environmental assessment and subsequently blocked off all access to roofs. This has reduced the potential risk of harm for children.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has worked hard to address the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection. For example, children now enjoy access to their own telephones and have increased independence opportunities. In addition, restraint records are clear and include appropriate management oversight Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC444869 3 and review. Children’s sanctions are now restorative in nature and help them to recognise the impact their behaviour can have on others.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager appointed a new independent visitor following the last inspection. This has improved the level of independent scrutiny of the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/11/2019 Full Good 14/01/2019 Full Outstanding 19/09/2017 Full Outstanding 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC444869 4

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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; (Regulation 5 (a)) 4 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 4 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC444869 5 help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 4 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

the placing authorities of children. (Regulation 44 (7)(c)) 4 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC444869 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hopedale Children and Family Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hopedale House, Wall Lane Terrace, Cheddleton, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 7ED

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Inspectors

Gareth Leckey, Social Care Inspector Joanna Warburton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC444869 7 to 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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