Children's Home run by Higher Hopes Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report children's home: 2531620 1 Registered provider: Higher Hopes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for four children aged between eight and 18. The home cares for children who may have experienced childhood trauma, have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and who may be at risk of child exploitation.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in February 2021.

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this home on 8 January 2021 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2531620 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2531620 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are four children living at the home. Two children have moved into the home and one child has moved out since the last inspection. The manager undertakes detailed impact assessments prior to admission, enabling thoughtful transitions to take place. One child initially came to the home requiring high levels of support in a solo placement. However, with the support of the staff, she has settled well and no longer needs this level of support. Consequently, she has been able to live positively with the other children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff specialise in addressing childhood trauma and child exploitation. The in- house psychologist works with each child to address their trauma and develop positive coping strategies. The psychologist undertakes assessments and guides the staff to help the children with their emotions and feelings. This combined support enables the children to make good progress with their behavioural, emotional and social needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff recognise the significance of education for the children’s futures. All the children are engaged in education or have secured college courses in their chosen interests. The staff also explore voluntary and apprenticeship opportunities for the children. One child has successfully obtained a job working in a local charity shop over the summer. These activities enable the children to practise their social and interpersonal skills and understand how to contribute positively to society.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage visits from the children’s families and facilitate family meetings. They work closely with social work teams to support the children’s long-term care plans. One child plans to return to live with their family. To support this aim, staff have developed a plan that includes key-work sessions on family roles and relationships. Such proactive planning increases the child’s chance of a positive family reunion.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff develop the children’s independence in finance and budgeting. However, the staff have failed to focus on other independence and life skills. The children do not benefit from learning and practising other social and emotional skills to live independently.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported to access health appointments and are provided with specialist medical support. However, the staff are not recording the outcomes of these appointments or reviewing the children’s individual health needs. It is therefore unclear whether follow-up appointments are required or whether children’s health needs have been addressed effectively. Inspection report children's home: 2531620 4

p.3

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

A number of incidents and missing-from-home episodes have meant that the staff have used physical interventions in order to keep the children safe. Managers actively ensure that the staff follow the missing-from-home protocols. The children and the staff are supported to have a debrief after each incident. These are combined with return home interviews. This offers the children and the staff the opportunity to reflect on their actions.

p.4

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

The staff take a thoughtful approach to managing negative behaviours. The staff use various sanctions that include the children’s views and input. These actions encourage the children to understand the consequences of their behaviour in a personal and meaningful way.

p.4

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

Managers have updated the children’s risk management and support plans. These now include detailed overviews of the children’s behaviours. Descriptions of behavioural triggers, signs of risk-taking behaviours and harm reduction strategies guide the staff in how to respond to each child.

p.4

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

The staff are confident in using risk management plans and taking action to keep the children safe. They know the children well and show them compassion and sensitivity. The staff seek to understand the underlying causes of the children’s behaviours. However, they do not always record information accurately or sign the records. For one child, their level of risk was not recorded accurately. This inaccuracy meant that the risk assessment and support plan did not match. These errors could lead to inconsistent levels of response to the child’s needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left in February 2021. A manager has been recently appointed and is in the process of registering with Ofsted. Since the last inspection, there has been high staff turnover and a period without a registered manager. This has led to a lack of staff organisation. Senior managers have recognised the need for improvement. They have commissioned an independent consultant to build teamwork and develop clear management systems at the home. However, the managers have not considered the effect of the staff changes on the children. The children say that they are not always informed of changes in staffing.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has started to make effective changes. She has recognised the need for better participation and has begun to use children’s meetings more effectively. She has prioritised the development of children’s memory books and positive achievement records to celebrate the children’s progress. She has established clear expectations and positive routines for the children. These changes have been welcomed by some staff, however, not all staff are implementing them consistently. This could therefore lead at times to a perceived lack of equality and confuse children. Inspection report children's home: 2531620 5 All the staff undertake a period of induction and mandatory training. They receive specialist training from the psychologist that enables them to meet the children’s individual needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers make effective use of internal monitoring systems. They regularly seek staff feedback to explore how they can support them to fulfil their roles better. A recent example has been the recognition of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on staff well-being. Managers have used staff feedback to inform bespoke workshops and training to support staff in this area.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are sensitive in their response to complaints and ensuring that the children are supported with advocacy and offered independent advice. However, the recording of complaint responses lacks organisation and clarity. Managers have failed to provide a full summary of details of the complaints, their actions and outcomes. This limits the opportunity to understand how these outcomes can inform future practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social care professionals have reported positive working relationships and good communication with the staff. They can see the progress the children are making and the commitment of the current staff and new manager to making further improvements. Inspection report children's home: 2531620 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a) 2(a)(i)(iv))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that children have individualised up-to-date health plans that address their needs and are recorded in their placement plans. 1 October 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39 (1) (3) (5)) 1 October 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2531620 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement, to adult care or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, when the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework and self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure staff understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. Staff should understand that they have a responsibility to observe, notice and respond to children who are expressing their views, acknowledging that it is not the sole responsibility of the child to ‘tell’. This particularly refers to ensuring that children are informed of staff

p.7

Recommendations

changes and provided with the opportunity to discuss these changes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10)  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. Specifically, ensure that the staff maintain consistent boundaries with the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Specifically, ensure that all staff record risk categories

p.7

Recommendations

correctly and that the staff sign and date all records. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.7

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: 2531620 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Higher Hopes Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3 Red House Farm Business Centre, Woodwalton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 5YL

p.8

Inspector

Leemya McKeown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2531620 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9