Children's home run by Headway Adolescent Resources Limited in Monmouthshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 1 SC061878 Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home can provide care for up to four children with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider which operates several other homes.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2014.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 11 February 2021, to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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 good

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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: 3 December 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2019 Full Good 20/11/2018 Full Outstanding 12/10/2017 Full Good 20/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress in this home. Children are well supported to develop independence skills that are tailored to their needs and abilities. Staff develop effective plans with children to ensure their safety while they are spending free time with friends and family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop their interests, and social opportunities are facilitated. Two of the children have recently started attending the local Scout and Brownies groups. Previously, staff found a LGBTQ+ group for a child who identified themselves as being part of this community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted in this home. All children attend school or college, and the staff have good communication with the education providers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s social workers told the inspector that staff ‘want the best’ for the children. The manager keeps social workers well informed, and staff have positive working relationships with involved professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enjoy the children’s company. Staff are warm and genuine in their interactions with children. One child told the inspector: ‘The staff are the best thing about the home.’ The inspector observed the humour and rapport between the children and staff, which helps create a positive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are not always maintained to a high standard. The inspector found one child’s bedroom furniture and a door handle to be broken and unsafe flooring. Another child does not have adequate furniture, which means that their bedside lamp is balanced on a bedpost. Bedrooms are untidy and some carpets are stained. The rooms are poorly decorated, with paint chipping off the walls in some areas.

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

A parent of a child who had previously lived in the home told the inspector that they ‘can’t thank [the manager and the team] enough’ for the care that was given to their child. The parent praised the sustained efforts of the staff to promote their relationship with their child and keep them well informed.

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

Physical restraint is not used in this home. Staff have not needed to use restraining methods for over 12 months. Staff have positive relationships with the children and manage children’s behaviours well. Staff show professional curiosity so as to identify and understand the reasons behind the children’s behaviours and support the children more effectively. Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 4 Safeguarding concerns are well responded to and acted upon promptly. Recording of incidents of concern is thorough and the manager communicates with others effectively, to keep children safe.

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

The manager and staff are strong advocates for children. The manager will challenge practice to promote children’s well-being.

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

Caring practices are mostly well considered and child focused. However, the decisions made regarding one child’s bath-time routine needs careful planning and recording to ensure staff practices promote the child’s positive self-image.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the registered manager, who they described as being readily available. Staff told the inspector that no problem is too big or small to take to the manager, who addresses issues without delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads the home in collaboration with the staff team. Staff are invested in the home and work hard to improve the care they provide to children. Staff have undertaken projects to develop their understanding of relevant topics. These projects are in their infancy, but are a good foundation from which to develop practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access training that reflects the needs of the children in this home. For example, one member of staff is completing a course in child counselling and the wider staff team has received training on self-injury and exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, and feel supported through this process. However, reflective discussions are not always well recorded. Agreed actions do not always correlate with the issues raised by the member of staff during supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The layout of the home does not lend itself to being open and homely. While there is an open-door attitude, the home has dedicated office rooms, which remind children that the home is a place of work. The manager and senior leaders are aware of this and have plans to address these areas in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children receive care that meets their needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account the child’s previous experiences, and that this is reflected in the relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should review the dedicated office spaces and ensure that the a homely environment is maintained. This will provide a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children’s bedrooms are appropriately furnished and well maintained. Doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph

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Recommendations

3.19)  The registered person should ensure that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice, and that the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions are accurately recorded. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: SC061878 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

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Inspector

Katie Ratcliffe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC061878 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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