Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children's Services (2) Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report children's home: SC398386 1 SC398386 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children whose adverse childhood experiences and trauma can lead them to exhibit complex behaviours. A large national provider operates this home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2016. She holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC398386 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/01/2020 Full Outstanding 13/11/2018 Full Outstanding 14/08/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC398386 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved out during the COVID-19 pandemic, and another child moved on from the home more recently. Both children experienced positive endings and following the relaxation of national restrictions, the registered manager arranged for them to visit to celebrate their time living in the home and the progress they made. The children enjoyed spending time in the spacious garden with staff and peers, playing a range of activities including a bouncy castle hired for the day.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are carefully considered by staff. They receive a warm welcome; their bedrooms are personalised for them, and they enjoy their favourite meals cooked for them by staff. Good care planning helps children to settle into the home. The registered manager and staff invest their time to support children to build secure and trusting relationships. This enables children to develop a sense of belonging and promotes stability.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff implement consistent daily routines for children, which helps the children to understand what is expected of them. After school, children change from their school uniform, complete their homework and do a household chore. This routine helps children to invest in their home and themselves, and develops their learning and self-care and independence skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supporting children’s educational needs is a particular strength. All the children attend a school that is run by the organisation that also runs the home. Staff ensure that children are well prepared for school, and they communicate well with children’s teachers. For example, one teacher said, ‘Staff have gone above and beyond to support [name of child], working flexibly and creatively with us and putting his welfare and progression at the centre of plans.’ As a result of good support, children make progress with their learning which will support them to achieve in the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have fun with staff. They enjoy a range of activities such as swimming, horse riding and trampolining. Staff support children to join local groups. For example, one child attends Scouts and another child plays in a local football team. These activities provide children with the opportunity to master new skills, broaden their experiences, make friends and build confidence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff are very child focused and are creative at capturing children’s experiences. For example, they produce fun and exciting newsletters each month, which reflect activities, achievements and events that have happened. In addition, staff create personalised memory books that are given to each child as a gift when they leave. More recently staff have created electronic versions of these memory books that children view on their electronic devices. This practice promotes children’s self-esteem and emotional well-being and shows Inspection report children's home: SC398386 4 children that they are valued.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive specialist support to help improve their emotional well-being. They attend weekly appointments with a suitably qualified clinician from within the organisation. Clinicians work closely with the staff and professionals who support children, and this ensures that children receive consistent approaches to managing complex issues. Staff understand the home’s therapeutic model and are committed to developing their practice in the use of PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, empathy).

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are registered with local health services, and on most occasions, they are supported by staff to access these. In one child’s records, there is conflicting information about the frequency that they require routine eye checks. The registered manager is looking into this to clarify the opinions of different health professionals.

p.4

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

The registered manager and staff understand children’s needs and behaviours, and this enables them to manage risks well. Over time, children’s risks reduce. One social worker told the inspector that there has been a notable reduction of incidents involving physical intervention, and the child’s behaviours are managed effectively through positive relationships and clear, consistent boundaries.

p.4

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

The register manager and staff focus on reinforcing positive behaviours through rewards and incentives. Children are set daily targets that are achievable, and they earn a star for each task completed. After gaining a set number of stars, a child receives a reward of their choice. The amount of time children spend on their electronic devices is also linked to their positive engagement and behaviours. One child spoken to felt that the incentive systems help him to manage his behaviours more appropriately.

p.4

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

Children feel safe and can name staff they feel they can speak to about things that worry them. The registered manager ensures that children understand how to make a complaint. There have been two complaints received from children and both were taken seriously. Their concerns were investigated by an independent person, and they each received a written response with an outcome to the complaint they had raised. Children’s views are valued and support the home to develop.

p.4

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

When children go missing from home, staff respond well. They try to establish telephone contact with the child, undertake searches and contact family members and friends. Staff share concerns with the local police service when children cannot be located and they are concerned for their welfare. Staff welcome children home; they assess their welfare and ensure that they have an opportunity to speak with an independent person. Information gathered is used to inform plans that will assist in locating children if they go missing from home in the future. This helps to keep children safe and demonstrates that managers and staff care about them.

p.4

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

The registered manager has formed effective relationships with local police officers Inspection report children's home: SC398386 5 who visit the home to build positive relationships with children. These officers have undertaken workshops on topics such as knife crime, drugs, racial abuse and risks commonly associated with going missing from home. Children engage positively in these workshops which provide them with opportunities to develop skills to assess and manage risks for themselves. This good work helps children to learn how to keep themselves safe.

p.4

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

Two new members of staff have started working in the home. Robust recruitment processes reduce the risk of children been cared for by unsuitable individuals.

p.5

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

Some children make allegations about staff. The registered manager shares information with the right agencies and allegations are resolved quickly. One child often makes comments that could be interpreted as allegations. The manager has consulted with the child’s social worker and local authority designated officer about agreeing an escalation process for managing these. However, this is not fully detailed in the child’s plans and so does not give sufficient guidance for staff to follow.

p.5

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

Sanctions are rarely used and when they are, managers and staff ensure that these are restorative. For example, one child who had damaged his bedroom walls was asked to help staff to clean the mess up and repair the damage. Records relating to sanctions used do not include the time and location of the measure and so do not include all the information required.

p.5

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

Trained staff use physical intervention as a last resort to keep children and others safe. Staff recognise that this can cause children upset, and they ensure that children have the opportunity to talk about their feelings following each incident. The registered manager reviews all incidents and ensures that children and staff receive debriefs. The techniques used in the restraint are not always recorded clearly by staff, which makes effective review of incidents difficult.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works hard to drive up standards of care and improve children’s experiences. She knows each child well. Good monitoring systems measure the progress children make. When their progress fluctuates, the manager shows good insight into the reasons why.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has created an open culture which allows a safe space for staff to reflect. Staff report that the registered manager always makes herself available and listens to their ideas. Roles and responsibilities assigned to staff take account of individual strengths and interests. This approach helps staff to feel valued and respected.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit hugely from a stable, experienced staff team that provides them with consistent care. Staff love working in the home and speak affectionately about the children. Managers ensure that staff are provided with reflective supervision and yearly appraisals. Regular team meetings are held where staff can express ideas and Inspection report children's home: SC398386 6 share best practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff work in partnership with school staff, social workers, clinicians, police and family members. As a result, children are provided with the best possible opportunities and support. Social workers are extremely positive about the management of the service, the care that children receive and the quality of communication between themselves and staff. Inspection report children's home: SC398386 7

p.6

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.7

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes

p.7

Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff keeping a record of the time and location of sanctions used to manage children’s behaviours. Staff involved in physical interventions to keep children safe are required to record a detailed description of the hold used that enables the registered manager and relevant others to assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of the hold used. 4 November 2021

p.7

Recommendation

 The registered person and staff should ensure that they continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them and others. In particular, ensure that details about the bespoke plan in place for one child are included in the risk assessment so there is clear guidance for staff to follow. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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: SC398386 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Helen Malanaphy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC398386 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