Children's home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Dacorum

Inspection report children's home: SC422231 1 SC422231 Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides a six-week programme for children that helps families to stay together by providing support for children and their parents and carers. The provider also facilitates planned short stays and emergency admissions. Children are cared for by a multi-disciplinary team.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2021.

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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 outstanding

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 23 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC422231 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/10/2019 Full Outstanding 20/08/2018 Full Outstanding 13/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC422231 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home offers a six-week programme which aims to keep families together. A therapeutic model underpins the work with each child and their parents or carers. The home also offers outreach work and short stays and provides overnight emergency stays. The multi-disciplinary team provides individual packages of care, with the goal being to prevent family breakdown.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A main feature of the programme is the multi-agency support provided. Regular meetings are attended by educators, social workers, therapists and health professionals. The meetings are inclusive, with families attending and children’s views being heard. This approach has resulted in children returning to education and having previously unidentified health needs recognised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are experienced, knowledgeable and very skilful at quickly building positive relationships with children and families. Throughout the programme, the children spend time at the home and at their family home. Work is completed with the children and their families to help improve relationships. A parent said, ‘It was an amazing, life-saving experience. It was intense and hard work but worth every single moment. My child progressed so much.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Following a child’s return to their family, the home continues to offer outreach support when needed. This continuation of valuable support can help to prevent further stays being required. Alternatively, it can also offer a gateway to a further short stay to keep families together in times of crisis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is very well equipped, enabling children to enjoy a range of in-house activities. It has a well-stocked art room, a music room and a large garden which contains a trampoline, gym equipment, and a football and basketball court. Families are invited to attend outside activities such as picnics in the park. These moments are captured and, when the children leave, they have a record of these memories to take with them.

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

The theoretical model incorporated into the staff’s practice helps children to form positive, healthy relationships. These trusting relationships have resulted in the children acquiring the skills to reflect on their behaviours and make safer choices.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and provide staff with the necessary strategies to minimise potential dangers and protect children. Children take an active part in helping staff understand what works best for them when they are feeling distressed.

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

Physical intervention is used rarely and only as a last resort. When incidents do arise, the staff use their detailed knowledge of the child to help defuse and de- Inspection report children's home: SC422231 4 escalate the situation effectively. Incidents are followed up with a key-work session to help the child reflect and find better ways of managing their thoughts and feelings.

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

When a child goes missing from the home, staff follow procedures well. They are proactive in locating the child and work in partnership with the police to ensure the child’s safe return. Staff speak with the child to help them recognise the dangers associated with this risky behaviour. Most of the children do not require an independent return home interview. However, return home interviews were not requested for a child who did require them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2021 and prior to this was the deputy manager of the home. She is suitably qualified, extremely dedicated, very child focused and well respected by the staff team. Staff said that the manager is very supportive and has high aspirations for the children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has established excellent communication with social workers and other professionals. A social worker said, ‘The manager is amazing; the level of communication is always great.’ Another social worker said, ‘The manager is incredible, so professional; I cannot praise her enough.’ This high level of partnership working enables the best interests of the children to be recognised and met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is well organised, giving staff the time to focus on the needs of the children and carry out valuable work with the children’s parents and carers. Staff continually seek the children’s views informally, in key-work sessions and during house meetings. The staff are committed to the home’s objectives and take pride in reuniting children with their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Weekly staff meetings and regular clinical meetings that include training sessions support the staff in their work. Research findings are used to underpin the practice at the home. Staff embrace this knowledge, and the strategies implemented help the children to successfully return to their family homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The arrangements for monitoring are meticulous. The manager oversees practice daily, undertakes audits and holds weekly family and professionals’ meetings. The reports from these meetings enable patterns of behaviour to be explored and evidence the positive influence that the home has on each child’s outcomes and their family’s lives. Inspection report children's home: SC422231 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: SC422231 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford SG13 8DQ

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Inspector

Lynne Drage, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC422231 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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