Children's home run by Timeout Children’s Homes Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2612735 1 Registered provider: Timeout Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned and managed children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to two children aged between six and 17 years old. The home provides a nurturing environment and works holistically with education and therapy to help children to integrate into the community. During this period, two children have lived at the home at separate times.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2020. The registered manager is qualified and holds the registration of this home and its sister home, which is in the same area.

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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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2612735 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2612735 3

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outstanding

The manager, deputy manager and staff team provide a highly nurturing environment that enables children to build trust and process any previous trauma. This high-quality care means that children make exceptional progress from their starting points.

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outstanding

Children build positive relationships with staff. This enables children to ask for and receive support. Staff recognise and are attuned to children’s non-verbal cues. This means that staff are able to intervene quickly to reduce children’s anxieties or distress. Staff are very skilled at helping children to keep calm. This helps to prevent escalating behaviour and ensures that children feel supported.

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outstanding

Children receive support from staff to understand the plans in place when moving into and out of the home. The use of highly personalised welcome packs and regular introduction visits ensures that children understand what life will be like at the home. Their bedrooms are personalised with their tastes prior to them moving in. This helps them to settle from the moment they arrive. For one child, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on their ability to visit the home. However, the plans were adapted to ensure that they still had time to meet and spend time with staff. This reduced the anxiety for the child as well as helping to put initial plans in place.

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outstanding

The members of the staff team know the importance of children seeing their families. Staff work hard to include the family in the child’s life. They have helped to rebuild family members’ confidence in the care system and in the work undertaken by professionals. This has led to greater levels of collaboration for the benefit of the child.

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outstanding

Children’s memories are captured in ways that are meaningful to them. Photographs and artwork are proudly displayed around the home. This provides clear evidence of children’s experiences and makes for a child-friendly and homely environment.

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outstanding

The staff team works closely with the in-house therapist to ensure that plans are in place for children from the start. The staff team has responded to feedback from therapists and adapted the approaches used to meet the needs of a younger child. Learning and educational toys are a focus in the home, and staff actively engage with children, using the additional training they have had to enhance the experience of play.

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outstanding

Children’s health needs and developmental milestones are understood. Staff support children to meet these, recognising that their previous trauma and backgrounds may have had an impact on this. The approach used by staff is child-focused and non- judgemental. This enables children to have confidence in their abilities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612735 4 Children’s records are child friendly and capture the voice of the child. The staff recognise and value children’s opinions, regardless of age, and adapt how they work to ensure that children have a say. This allows children to be empowered and to understand what is happening.

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outstanding

Professionals all share a consistent message that the support staff provide to the child, which has led to significant progress. They view her as a different child who is excelling.

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outstanding

Risks are well known and understood. The staff are vigilant and keep potential risks in mind when working with the children, even if these risks have not been present. This enables staff to work proactively with children. As a result, incidents of low- level behaviour are minimal. The current child has responded well to this high nurture approach.

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outstanding

When incidents do occur, they are managed well and with the child at the centre of decisions. Time is taken with the child and staff team to understand the reasons for any incidents occurring, and to identify any ways that this could be avoided. This is quickly shared with the team. This helps to ensure that staff remain consistent in their approach.

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outstanding

When risks to children become too high to safely support them in the home, the management team works closely with other professionals to look at other ways of working. If this is ineffective, then plans are put in place to safeguard the child while longer term plans are identified. The staff work closely with children to help them understand what is happening and why. This is to ensure that children have positive endings to their time at the home

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outstanding

Children understand the rules and boundaries of the home. These are regularly revisited and shared with other professionals, such as school, to give children a clear and consistent message. This helps children to understand socially acceptable behaviour and ways to respond and share their fears.

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outstanding

The manager is very aware of the risks of isolation when children live on their own in the home. Plans are in place to enable children to socialise with others outside of education. This is done in consideration of how the children may have an impact on each other. This approach ensures that children can still have positive relationships with peers, while protecting them and others from potential harm.

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outstanding

Children who have previously self-harmed no longer do this. This is due to the support and positive affirmations given by staff, as well as providing children with the tools to communicate their feelings in a different way. As a result, children have a positive self-image and have developed better coping mechanisms. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612735 5 There was a recent power shortage in the home. This was responded to well by the staff team. The manager had a contingency plan in place, and this helped to reduce any disruption to the children. The children stayed at a nearby hotel with staff. This ensured that children were in a place of safety and had access to the amenities they needed. All health and safety repairs have taken place and the staff know what to do should this happen again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and deputy work together with a clear vision for the home. They have worked hard to build a staff team that is committed to the children and ethos of the home. The staff team works with the larger team around the child to ensure that the therapeutic, high nurturing approach is in line with what the children need. This collaborative approach has helped the children to make significant progress in all areas of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and deputy manager continue to research best practice to increase their knowledge and understanding of attachment and trauma. Research into the developmental stages and emotions of younger children has helped to inform staff practice. For example, staff communicate and help children to understand how they are feeling using colours. This is now embedded in daily practice. As a result, the child can identify how they are feeling and share this with the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

When children are moving into the home the manager and deputy manager take the time to thoroughly assess if they are suitable, working with the therapeutic team and professionals who know the child well. This enables detailed planning to take place to support the child to move into the home positively. The manager recognises the potential in each child and puts everything they can in place to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular supervisions and actively take part in team meetings. This ensures that the members of the staff team work consistently together, and it promotes the sharing of ideas. Staff share that they are well supported and are confident to raise and share their point of view, knowing that they will be listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staffing levels have been difficult to maintain at times due to COVID-19. However, the manager ensures that all staff working at the home have the same high level of training and follow the plans in place for children. Prior to staff working full shifts at the home, they visit and spend time with the children. The manager or deputy also support during the initial first shifts to reassure the children and staff. This helps to ensure that all staff have the same level of knowledge and understanding, and that they provide the children with a consistent approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Recruitment processes for staff are clear and meet requirements. The manager is aware of the importance of verifying reasons for leaving previous employment, and has shared this information within the company. As a result, a new format has been introduced to ensure that this is captured during the recruitment process. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612735 6 The manager is aware of the impact of lone working and encourages staff to spend time together when children are at school, and to speak with each other after children are settled at night. This helps them to share good practice and promotes positive mental well-being. In addition, plans for school holidays, and particularly Christmas, ensured that staff and children were able to spend time together with some of the other children’s homes. This gives children and staff a sense of family.

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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: 2612735 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Timeout Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Timeout Homes Ltd, Unit 2, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge HX6 4DH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dominic Macauley

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Inspector

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2612735 8 regulates and inspects 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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