Children's Home, Residential special school run by Amberleigh Care Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC448209 1 SC448209 Registered provider: Amberleigh Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide long-term specialist therapeutic care and education for up to 12 boys.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced manager who registered with Ofsted in April 2020.

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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 4 March 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC448209 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/09/2018 Full Good 15/05/2018 Full Inadequate 17/01/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: SC448209 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first full inspection since August 2019. The home received an assurance visit in October 2020. Since the assurance visit, five children have left the home and five children have moved in. At the time of inspection, 11 children lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a clean, welcoming and family-orientated environment. Colourful artwork and photos of children are scattered around the home in a well-organised manner. Books and board games are accessible in communal rooms, and children make decisions about personalising areas and their personal spaces. Vast improvements have been made to the development of the home with additional rooms added to allow for further comfort. This helps to create a homely environment and allows children to have a sense of pride in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s life chances are improved through a joined-up approach to their learning, and children generally do well in school. Where there are challenges, care and education staff work well together to try to work things out. This partnership approach also supports children to extend their experiences of learning through the opportunity of further education and Duke of Edinburgh awards. Learning beyond school is a priority and supported through career planning. In addition, staff help children to be more independent and get ready for further education or employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s involvement in their care and in the development of the community are a strength. The therapeutic community spirit is a golden thread through all that they do. Children informed inspectors how the community help each other to build on their strengths and to learn valuable social skills for their adult lives. One child informed inspectors that the therapeutic model has helped him to become a good member of society.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Training in therapeutic approaches and an understanding of attachment theory underpin staff practice. Regular consultations with a clinical psychotherapist are used well and are effective in improving staff practice. This enables staff to better understand the reasons behind some of the children’s behaviours and provide a nurturing environment in which children thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) continues to be used in the communal areas of the home to retrospectively check on the whereabouts of children when concerns are raised. Leaders attended a pre-arranged meeting during the inspection and the use of CCTV was on the agenda. Following the meeting, inspectors were informed that the CCTV is to be disabled following direct work and discussions with children. Managers plan to disable the internal CCTV during March 2022. Inspection report for children's home: SC448209 4

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

Staff keep children safe. Children unanimously say that they feel safe living at the home. Effective planning processes help staff to understand the risks posed to children and help them to develop individualised plans that assist in reducing risk and harm over time. Children take part in reviewing their risk management plans. This ensures that information is current, and children know what their goals are and how they will be supported to achieve them. Because of this approach, children feel supported and protected.

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

Good links with local police help to ensure that risk is well managed. Philomena protocols are completed swiftly and shared. When children are missing from care, staff follow agreed protocols and independent return home interviews are routinely undertaken. Support from the organisation’s clinician helps staff to intervene positively when children display self-injurious behaviours. In addition, the registered manager uses team meetings to refresh staff’s skills and knowledge to reflect on what action they would take in an emergency. This is a proactive approach to reducing risk for children.

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

Staff know children well. Subtle and nurturing responses to behaviours of concern help children to reflect on and improve their responses. Rewards support children’s development and their sense of achievement. When consequences are needed, they helpfully reinforce the home’s approach to children’s reflection and development rather than evoking a shame response. Consistent use of the ‘Good Lives Model’ and a nurture-based approach mean that children feel safe and secure.

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

Staff ensure that the home environment is safe for children to live in. A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose risks to children. Children take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency. However, the manager has missed an opportunity to further strengthen the safety of the environment by including recent incidents in the road adjacent to the home into the location risk assessment.

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

Staff receive training in safeguarding and child protection. Staff are aware of whistle-blowing procedures and reflect on safeguarding practice in team meetings. However, managers have yet to provide staff with specific training to further develop their skills in areas such as child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation, despite these being included in some children’s pre-admission paperwork as current risks. This is a missed opportunity to raise staff awareness about these areas of vulnerability.

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

Managers ensure that staff are safely recruited most of the time. Adults who work in the home on a permanent basis are vetted thoroughly before they work with children. However, managers have not actioned the same oversight with external temporary staff working in the home. For example, while there is confirmation that agency staff have had a Disclosure and Barring Service check, it is not clear that original certificates have been seen and that they are suitable. Inspection report for children's home: SC448209 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified registered manager leads the staff team and is supported by a deputy manager. Management oversight and monitoring processes are largely good and ensure that standards are kept. The registered manager has good insight into the home’s strengths and areas of development. However, improvements can be made. For example, the manager has not observed a recording error on a risk assessment which led inspectors to believe that a child had accessed pornography when he had not and that children have not been provided with details of how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes quality of care reviews that are thorough, thoughtful and reflective. They include a child-centred analysis of the care and support available for children. Managers continually plan to improve the services to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are passionate about children achieving the best that they can across all areas of their development. They take time to understand individual children’s needs and how these can best be met. Managers are child-focused and regularly review children’s progress to make sure children are getting the best from their care. Quarterly meetings bring a joined-up approach to the care of children and review the effectiveness of the model in helping children to reach their desired goals. Managers are insightful about how the service can be developed and back this with the necessary resources.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are extremely positive about the support they receive and speak well about the culture of the home. Staff informed inspectors that they do not see the home as a working environment but as a place to help children grow. Staff receive regular supervision which provides them with opportunity to develop and receive support as needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are unanimously positive about their relationships with managers and staff at the home. Good professional relationships ensure that children’s needs are met effectively. One social worker informed inspectors, ‘Communication is excellent, and they make themselves available for any meetings and discussions.’ This partnership working results in the children receiving good-quality and coordinated care. Supervision helps staff to develop their knowledge and understanding of the children to provide them with high-quality care. Inspection report for children's home: SC448209 6

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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 registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the use of CCTV in communal areas. 08 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff have the opportunity to develop their skills in line with the ongoing needs of children, such as exploitation and anti-bullying. 08 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. The registered person is to ensure that recruitment records are clear and managed effectively, including records of agency staff who work in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with a children’s guide that includes information of how to contact the Office of the Children’s Inspection report for children's home: SC448209 7

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Recommendations

Commissioner for advice and assistance about their rights and entitlements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.19)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC448209 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Amberleigh Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Amberleigh Care Ltd, Golfa Hall, Golfa, Welshpool, Powys SY21 9AF

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Inspectors

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Alison Cooper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC448209 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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