Children's Home run by Clervaux Garden School in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report children’s home: 2592891 1 Registered provider: Clervaux Garden School Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a charitable trust and is part of a specialist school. It is registered as a children’s home and can provide care for up to four children for between 38 and 52 weeks of the year. The children are placed by various local authorities from across the United Kingdom. The children may have a range of complex needs and they all have an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in September 2020, and the manager also registered with Ofsted at that time.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2592891 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2592891 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children freely express their views and participate in decisions that affect them. The staff listen to children, and their ideas and views are taken seriously. Positive engagement has a meaningful and significant impact on children’s lived experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s commitment to school is encouraged through the creation of individualised education plans. This helps to address any barriers to education that children may face. Consequently, children’s motivation to learn continues to grow. They are making good progress and exceeding expectations. Children are proud of their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the pandemic, the children’s ability to engage in community activities has been restricted. However, staff encouraged children to explore the development of home-based activities. This has seen the creation of a well-being room, games room and pamper nights. With the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, children are re- engaging in community activities and spending time with friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are well trained to respond to the children’s medical needs. Practice is informed by children’s plans. For example, bespoke plans are used to care for children with epilepsy. The consistent implementation of these plans maintains safe care and support for children. Children’s medical and developmental diagnoses are routinely assessed. This ensures that they continue to receive suitable care and relevant health treatments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s families and other professionals spoke highly of the home, praising staff commitment to helping children to build positive relationships with people who are important to them. One parent said, ‘Our relationship with [child’s name] has totally transformed. We have gone from not speaking to overnight stays.’ The staff recognise the importance of strong family relationships for the children and facilitate family time and visits. All family time is in line with each child’s placing authority care plan. However, this is not always clearly recorded in these plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been thoughtfully refurbished. The children’s influence and choices provide a homely and inviting environment. There are purposeful spaces that meet children’s needs well. One child said, ‘This is a fun and calm place to live.’

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

The staff understand and communicate well with children. One parent said, ‘Our child trusts the staff and feels loved.’ These trusting relationships help the children to talk about their problems and accept help. This promotes their safety and protection. Inspection report children’s home: 2592891 4 Children’s risks and offending behaviours are reducing. Staff provide the children with a constant sense of security, and this develops the children’s confidence to talk about their difficulties. Children are confident that they can make mistakes, and that they will have the opportunity to learn from these, because the staff continue to support and protect them.

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

There are evident learning and reflection following incidents. Staff take the right action to engage children and prevent their behaviours from escalating and becoming dangerous. Occasionally, to prevent significant harm to others, children have been restrained by the staff. Following incidents, children benefit from chatting with the staff about how they felt and are feeling. Debriefs also take place with staff, although the detail of these discussions is not routinely being recorded.

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

Children experience a planned move into the home. Staff spend good-quality time with the children before they move in, building the foundations of their relationship. The registered manager considers the children’s views, risks and needs when looking at the matching of other children. She routinely assesses risks and implements safeguarding arrangements to maintain the stability and protection of children. A recently amended impact assessment does, however, not capture all pertinent risks, including exploitation. This is a recording shortfall.

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

The children’s medication is safely administered. Medication procedures and weekly and monthly audits assure continued practice oversight. Medication errors are not apparent, but the current medication administration record does not enable information to be deciphered quickly if an emergency was to occur.

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

Safer recruitment processes provide an overview of staff’s suitability to work with children. The registered manager involves the children in discussions about what they feel makes a good staff member. This is incorporated into the recruitment procedure. Although reference checks are routinely completed and verified for paid employment, this is not implemented for voluntary positions.

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good

The home is led by a manager who role models good child-focused practice. However, there are some shortfalls and gaps in the home’s records. This is heightened further by disjointed recording systems, ineffective challenge to placing authorities and a need of management peer support.

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good

Professional relationships between the registered manager and other agencies improves access to information and resources for the children and staff. The quality of the staff input in all elements of the children’s plans is valued by external professionals, particularly when the COVID-19 pandemic has affected service delivery. Children have been able to fulfil youth offending orders in the home, as community reparation was restricted during lockdown. Inspection report children’s home: 2592891 5 The registered manager recognises the qualities of the staff and provides them with opportunities for professional development. The staff are valued and support each other as a team. Supervisions take place regularly, and, alongside weekly briefings, the staff have the opportunity to talk about practice and outcomes for children.

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good

The registered manager’s oversight of the children’s records is reflective and evaluative. Her oversight enables changes to be made, which improves the children’s care experience.

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good

Internal and external monitoring is routinely undertaken. The independent visitor has returned to face-to-face visits in the home, and they are rebuilding their relationships with the children. The manager has revised the home’s statement of purpose, and this provides current information for families and professionals. However, the registered manager has not provided Ofsted with the revised version of the statement of purpose. Inspection report children’s home: 2592891 6

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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

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, there are shortfalls in a number of the children’s records, and this includes, but is not limited to, the group impact risk assessments, medication administration records, staff physical intervention debriefs, family time arrangements and logbook. 30 July 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure, as set out in regulations 31–33, that they maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report children’s home: 2592891 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2592891 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clervaux Garden School

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Millbottom, Nailsworth, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 0LA

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2592891 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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