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 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children. It aims to provide a safe and nurturing home for children in which they receive specialist therapeutic care.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in October 2014.

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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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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

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2020

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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

05/02/2020 Full Outstanding 08/10/2018 Full Outstanding 18/05/2017 Full Outstanding 14/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 3

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outstanding

Children absolutely thrive at the home. They make significant progress from their unique starting points. The manager and the staff have high aspirations for the children. They show determination and commitment in helping the children to achieve.

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outstanding

There are four children living at the home. The manager considers new children with extreme care. She plans their moves to the home in detail to ensure that existing children are not unsettled by new children. The manager visits children who have been referred to the home and provides them with information. This reduces children’s anxiety and gives them clear expectations prior to the move. Children leave the home in a natural way. Endings are positive and are planned gradually. The manager and the staff keep in touch with children who have left to support the start of the new placement.

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outstanding

The relationships between the children and the staff are very strong. The staff consistently use a nurturing and reassuring approach. These positive relationships provide the children with strong adult attachments. The staff always treat the children with dignity and respect. They spend quality time with the children and provide positive and fun experiences. One child said, ‘This is the best home I have ever lived in.’

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outstanding

The children are supported to maintain and to build their family relationships. The staff work in partnership with the children’s families to ensure that they are fully involved in decision-making. One parent said, ‘The staff are amazing. She [child’s name] needed them and they helped her.’ Another parent said, ‘The manager will do whatever it takes to get him what he needs.’

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outstanding

The children’s views are highly valued and respected. The staff use engaging discussions that encourage the children to voice their views confidently. The manager advocates on behalf of the children. She makes appropriate challenges to local authorities to ensure that the children’s needs are fully met.

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outstanding

The children choose their own resources and are able to fully express themselves. They participate in a wide array of activities. During the holidays, some children enjoyed a camping trip with the staff, and others went on family holidays. During COVID-19, the manager and the staff creatively occupied the children. The staff provided stimulating activities that included baking, fishing, pond-dipping, tie dying, furniture restoration and special lunch hampers. These activities gave the children opportunities to explore nature, develop their own creativity and benefit from being outdoors. Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 4 The children make considerable progress in their physical and emotional health. The staff ensure that children attend all of their health appointments and assessments. The consultant psychologist provides weekly sessions for some children. These help the children to understand their complex backgrounds. The staff understand the

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outstanding

children’s trauma. The combination of staff support and clinical support helps the children to build their emotional well-being, self-confidence and resilience. The recent employment of an occupational therapist has supported the children to increase their emotional literacy and to self-regulate their feelings.

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outstanding

The children’s therapeutic care plans are comprehensive and are kept updated. Regular meetings include children’s professionals who discuss all aspects of the child’s progress and barriers. The children benefit from a collaborative and well- planned approach.

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outstanding

The house is extremely welcoming and homely. A sensory room and a computer room provide the children with ample communal space to enjoy their interests. The children’s bedrooms are highly individualised. The garden is maintained well and enables the children to have a choice of pleasant outdoor play areas.

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outstanding

The children’s safety is paramount. The staff are fully aware of the children’s vulnerabilities. Combined with high levels of staff supervision, this keeps the children safe. Cohesive multidisciplinary work ensures that each child’s individual strategies are fully considered and implemented effectively. Each child’s well-being is central to any care planning.

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outstanding

The children learn to trust the staff caring for them and develop insight into alternative coping strategies. Children’s individual risk assessment plans are clear and provide guidance that the staff use to keep the children safe.

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outstanding

Physical intervention is carefully considered and used appropriately. During physical interventions, the staff’s response is nurturing and reassuring. The staff are diligent and are patient in their management of behavioural difficulties. Staff talk to the children following interventions to gain their views and to help them to understand the reason for the intervention. This approach supports the child to understand their feelings and to manage these in a more appropriate manner.

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outstanding

The staff focus on positive reinforcement and restorative practice. The staff offer the children incentives. This approach encourages the children to make positive choices.

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outstanding

The staff fully understand the safeguarding procedures and who to inform if they have concerns about a child’s well-being or safety. The manager provides clear guidelines for the staff to follow. The manager liaises with the appropriate agencies to share concerns and to implement plans to safeguard children. Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has the relevant qualifications and experience to undertake her role to an excellent standard. There is an established culture of high expectations of staff conduct and performance. This positive culture filters down to the children, who enjoy the support of the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a strong drive from the manager and the staff to improve the lives of the children. Together, they provide a holistic approach in which the children’s well-being and development are at the centre. Great consideration is given to each child’s therapeutic care plan, and this greatly benefits children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, the staff have maintained their knowledge and skills. Regular training and ongoing support from the manager and the consultant psychotherapist have continued. Monthly team meetings with the consultant psychotherapist ensure that the staff’s practice remains focused and supports the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has undertaken research in family reunions and embedded this in practice. This research fully supports children’s transitions home or to their new identified placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff feel highly valued. The manager recognises their unquestionable commitment to the children through little gestures of appreciation. This works very well. The manager has gained exceptional support from an enthusiastic and self- motivated staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Social workers and parents speak extremely highly of the staff. They recognise the occasions that the staff have gone above and beyond to make positive changes to children’s lives. One social worker said that the staff’s practice provides a benchmark of expectations for other children’s homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff keep memorabilia for the children. These include individual memory books with photographs of events that the children enjoyed. The children also have a COVID-19 memory box that includes a timeline of the past year, important dates and a knitted rainbow. These provide the children with positive memories of their time at the home that they can take with them when they move on. Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 6

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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: SC483714 7

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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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Inspector

Natalie Burton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC483714 8 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 looked after 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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