Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Hampshire

Inspection report children's home: SC012001 1 SC012001 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home offers care and accommodation for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 1 June 2020.

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

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

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2020

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC012001 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2020 Full Outstanding 20/02/2019 Full Outstanding 31/01/2018 Full Outstanding 28/03/2017 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC012001 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving on to independent living and adulthood are carefully guided. Children have successfully moved on to independent living and continued in further education to pursue their ambitions. Staff ensure that children leave with meaningful life skills and qualifications. Children maintain relationships with staff after they have left the home. This has allowed children to begin a new chapter in their lives, equipped with the skills needed to navigate the world around them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are fully supported to maintain and develop relationships, both in person and online. During the various lockdowns that have taken place as a result of COVID-19, children have been able to keep in touch using age-appropriate internet services and social media. Similarly, children’s education has been enhanced by using the internet to access research resources for their homework. Children particularly enjoy telling staff about what they have learned, and enjoy making recipes and doing activities they have found online.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met, and all children get the help and support they need to lead healthy lifestyles. Children and staff have access to the provider’s team of clinical professionals who help to advise on the best ways to support children’s well- being. Staff attend monthly meetings with the clinical team to review children’s well- being plans, which helps to inform practice. This has helped to build strong relationships between children and staff. As a result, the number of physical interventions has reduced significantly in the last year. This is attributed to one child feeling cared for.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in, and attend, educational activities. One child is without a full-time school placement, but some efforts are being made to provide educational activities while appropriate education is sourced.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are valued, promoted, appreciated and encouraged by staff. Children are involved in personalising their bedrooms to reflect their personality and interests. Children are active in planning meals, activities and trips. Children’s views are instrumental in the forming of care plans, and staff advocate on behalf of children. This helps children to influence how the home is run and what their future is going to look like.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s positive achievements are recognised and celebrated by the enthusiastic staff team. Rewards such as ‘Big Star Little Star’ are used so children can gain individual trips with staff. These involve visits to theme parks, nail bars and enjoying other leisure activities. These rewards give children positive experiences which help them to feel valued and see the value of their progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from having strong bonds with staff and each other. Two children tested positive for COVID-19. The children were required to isolate at the home and Inspection report children's home: SC012001 4 staff members decided to stay with them for this period of isolation, to minimise to minimise the transmission of the virus and ensure that children’s needs could be met. This made the children feel cared for and valued. This also reinforced that the staff genuinely care about the children.

p.3

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

The children benefit from in-house therapeutic support. Staff have monthly clinical sessions to discuss the needs of children. This has helped to inform and adapt staff practice to meet the children’s needs. As a result, children make progress in developing positive behaviours.

p.4

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

The use of physical intervention has significantly reduced. On the rare occasion that a hold is required, children receive reflective support after the hold and medical support is always offered. The manager also ensures that measures used are reviewed and children are consulted on the measure. This allows children to feel supported and listened to.

p.4

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. Staff respond in a timely manner, and actions are in place to keep children safe. On one occasion, known risks were not added to a child’s missing-from-home plans. However, the staff were aware of what to do, and how to mitigate the known risks, if the child went missing from home. Children benefit from staff knowing processes, but plans are not always reflective of this.

p.4

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

Children are aware of the home’s complaints procedure and use this when they are unhappy with an aspect of their care. Children’s complaints are resolved and agencies are involved when necessary. The manager quickly investigates children’s complaints and seeks to find a resolution. Staff reflect on the use of sanctions and sit with the child to discuss them. This encourages learning and allows relationships to heal effectively.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that children experience positive outcomes. The manager advocates for the children in her care. Professional feedback highlighted the communication from the manager as a strength. Professionals are kept updated on the progress of children. The manager challenges other agencies when children are not getting the best outcomes. The persistence of the manager in challenging agencies has led to one child being able to see their family more often. One independent reviewing officer commented: ‘They go above and beyond to promote family relationships.’ However, the manager has not been able to ensure that a child’s educational needs have been fully addressed or met. Despite some initial challenges to the placing authority, the manager has not escalated her concerns appropriately or ensured that advocacy is in place to support the child during this time. Inspection report children's home: SC012001 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the manager. This has created a reflective culture at the home. Staff are supported with regular supervision, team meetings and reflective practice meetings. This has resulted in staff practice developing and strong relationships being formed between staff and children. Staff have the strength to reflect on practice and talk to children if a mistake has been made. This role modelling has created strong bonds between the children and staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that risks in the home are monitored and reduced. Risks, including those associated with the building and location, are reviewed and monitored regularly, and action is taken to address any risks that arise. This allows the children to benefit from all that the home and local community have to offer, such as youth clubs, football clubs and cadets. Children can meet new friends and enjoy new experiences.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the recruitment and development of staff. This is achieved through a combination of safer recruitment processes, induction, training and appraisals of staff. The manager ensures that all required training is completed, and has started to introduce research-based practice to staff learning in order to develop practice further. The manager uses monthly workshops to reflect on learning. This has helped to ensure that outcomes for children remain positive. Inspection report children's home: SC012001 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this is provided by a person who the child chooses. Children looked after are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should ensure that where children are not participating in education because they have been excluded, or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured

p.6

Recommendations

activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission, and how staff should support the child on their return to the home. In particular, children’s plans should reflect their missing-from-home protocol. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

p.6

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: SC012001 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Sadie Dangerfield

p.7

Inspector

Matt Nicholls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC012001 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8