Children's Home run by Hygge Care Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 1 Registered provider: Hygge Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A small private provider owns this home. The home provides care for up to three children aged five to 12 years at the time of admission.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 28 September 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Full Good 04/12/2018 Full Good 09/01/2018 Full Good 23/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 3

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has been in post for several months. He has worked tirelessly to improve staff’s practice and the quality of care children receive. However, despite this progress, shortfalls in children’s care remain. This means that children do not always receive consistent, good-quality care that reflects their individual needs and enhances their day-to-day and overall experiences. For example, some staff provide children with limited one-to-one support and miss opportunities to explore important areas of need. In addition, some staff provide children with inconsistent care. Staff told the inspector that some shifts lack organisation and planning. Furthermore, records show that some staff do not always provide children with therapeutically informed support in line with the home’s statement of purpose. For example, some staff use punitive language and do not support children to explore the context of their behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Despite these shortfalls, children make progress and develop a strong sense of belonging and identity. This is largely due to the efforts of a core group of staff who work tirelessly to provide children with individualised care. For example, staff have supported one child to explore his identity and sexuality. As a result, the child has grown in confidence and feels comfortable to express himself in the home and the local community. The child’s parent told the inspector, ‘Moving to this home is the best thing to happen to him. They allow him to be who he wants to be. He is much more confident. He is so full of life and joy.’

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard to promote children’s education success. All children attend appropriate education provisions, and all sustain good attendance. The registered manager and staff act as strong advocates for children when challenges in their education arise. For example, the registered manager worked closely with teachers and a child’s social worker to identify an alternative school. As a result, the child has settled in his new school and is making good progress.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff support children to reduce their levels of anxiety and to manage difficult emotions. For example, one child has significant difficulty settling at night- time. Staff introduced a range of child-centred approaches to support the child. For example, the child now enjoys listening to audio stories at bedtime. In addition, staff provided the child with items of his mother’s clothing to comfort him at night. Staff remained with the child for a considerable period each evening to help him settle. This committed and child-centred approach has helped the child to significantly improve his sleep pattern.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of children spending time with those who matter most to them. Staff work closely with family members to help them build strong relationships with their children. This is a considerable strength of the home and means that children are not isolated from their families. Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 4 Children engage in a range of positive activities outside of the home, where they can develop sporting talents and individual abilities. For example, a child enjoys visiting the local boxing club, while other children enjoy trips to local parks and the cinema. This provides them with opportunities for fun and enjoyment and builds their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff do not consistently ensure that children’s risk assessments include all the relevant information. For some children, these documents provide staff with clear strategies to help them to manage children’s challenging behaviours. However, in other instances, specific behaviours that potentially place children or others at risk of harm are not assessed. This means that staff are unsure how to manage these risks.

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improvement to be good

Overall, incidents of restraint continue to reduce in the home. On some occasions, staff use restraint to keep children safe when they become distressed and unsettled. This practice is appropriate and proportionate. However, the inspection found some shortfalls in the recording of these incidents. For example, staff do not fully record why children were unsettled prior to the incident and the steps staff take to settle children prior to using restraint. In addition, there is limited evidence of management oversight and any associated learning from these incidents. This means that opportunities to identify alternative strategies may be missed.

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improvement to be good

The provider employs a clinician to support staff and children in the home. They play an integral role in overseeing children’s day-to-day care and the quality of staff practice. For example, the clinician provides staff with regular consultation and takes part in staff meetings to oversee and review children’s progress. However, this support is undermined by the practice of some staff. For example, records show that some staff do not consistently follow the theoretical approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. For example, some staff use punitive and inappropriate language and miss opportunities to support children to explore the context of their behaviours.

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improvement to be good

In other instances, staff provide children with good-quality support so that they can develop strategies to manage difficult emotions. A child told the inspector, ‘Life has got a lot better for me since I lived here. Staff help me to control my anger, they taught me things like how to take deep breaths to calm down.’

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improvement to be good

Children can seek support from trusted members of staff when they feel anxious or troubled. They feel that staff listen to them and take their concerns seriously. This open and supportive ethos helps children to feel safe. A child told the inspector, ‘Everyone is kind here. I can talk to anyone when I need to.’

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improvement to be good

Staff promote the positive behaviour of children by offering praise and rewards. Children are actively involved in setting their own behaviour targets. They respond Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 5 positively to this and feel a sense of pride and achievement when targets are met. However, some children experience unnecessary restrictions in the home. For example, one child has considerably reduced his level of risk over time and is settled in the home. Despite this, the child’s bedroom door is alarmed throughout the evening. The registered manager agreed to urgently review this unnecessary restriction during the inspection.

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good

The registered manager is passionate about the children in his care. His committed and determined approach continues to drive improvements in the home. However, the registered manager acknowledges that areas for development remain. For example, some staff provide children with inconsistent care. Staff told the inspector that some shifts lack organisation and planning. Despite these shortfalls, staff know children well and genuinely care about them. Staff are committed and are keen to improve the care they provide to children. Staff feel that the quality of children’s care continues to improve. They speak positively about the registered manager and the impact he has had in improving staff morale and practice. A member of staff told the inspector, ‘I cannot fault him. He is very supportive. He has changed the mood and morale in this home. Practice is much more nurturing now.’

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good

Overall, staff understand children’s plans and can clearly articulate their role in achieving important milestones. For example, the registered manager worked closely with a social worker to support a child’s transition into foster care. This effective joint working meant that the child settled quickly and has made good progress in his new home. However, this good work is undermined by shortfalls in the quality of children’s files. For example, some files do not contain important local authority plans and other plans are significantly out of date. This means that internal support plans for some children do not consistently reflect the aims and objectives of their placing authorities.

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good

The registered manager ensures that the home has a healthy learning environment that strikes a good balance between staff support and challenge. Staff benefit from a robust training programme and receive regular clinical and management supervision.

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good

The responsible individual and leaders acknowledge that there have been shortfalls in practice and are committed to making changes to improve consistency. New and experienced staff have recently started working at the home and there are plans to recruit further staff. The current development plan is being reviewed and strengthened. The registered manager has completed a review of the quality of care provided to children. However, a copy of this review was not submitted to Ofsted. This was a missed opportunity for external scrutiny of children’s care.

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good

The home requires a significant amount of maintenance work to ensure that children live in a home which is warm and welcoming. For example, aspects of the home appear tired and dated, and some carpets are dirty. A child told the inspector that Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 6 children do not always use the games room as it is too cold. Despite their efforts to make a pleasant home for the children, the staff continue to be frustrated by delays and the quality of some refurbishment work. The responsible individual is working hard to address these issues and plans to replace the carpets imminently. Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 7

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff providing children with care in line with the therapeutic ethos as outlined in the statement of purpose. In addition, this relates to the provider ensuring that the home environment is well presented and maintained. 13 December

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 13 December Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 8 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff providing children with regular, good- quality one-to-one support in line with their needs, to support them to make sense of their challenging behaviours.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 13 December Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 9 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff capturing all known risks and ensuring that risk assessments are up to date.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need for staff to provide children with consistent care and make the necessary improvements to their practice as identified by the manager. 13 December

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 13 December Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 10 This specifically relates to ensuring that children do not experience unnecessary restrictions, particularly with regards to the use of bedroom door alarms.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the need for staff to ensure that children’s records are clear, accurate and up to date. In addition, children’s files should contain up-to-date local authority plans. 13 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)) 13 December

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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—

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the need for staff to complete clear and detailed records of restraint and for the registered manager to provide appropriate review of restraint practice to identify learning. 13 December Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 11

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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 for children's home: 1220887 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Grosvenor House, 11 St Pauls Square, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 1RB

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Inspector

Gareth Leckey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 13 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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