Children's Home run by Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2613829 1 Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides therapeutic care for up to four children who have experienced traumatic events in their lives and may subsequently present with a range of attachment, behavioural and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a suitably qualified and registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspection of this home was interrupted due to confirmed cases of COVID-19, so the on-site element was concluded later than 7 April 2022.

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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 good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2613829 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2613829 3

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outstanding

Children make exceptional progress from their starting points. Children living at this home say that it feels like a family home and that they feel cared for. One child said that although the children have differences, they all get on and ‘do their own thing’.

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outstanding

Children experience sustained, consistent care. They all understand the expectations, routines and boundaries that are in place to support them to reach their potential. Staff are ambitious for them to do well; they celebrate children’s achievements and milestones. Staff also record these achievements as a lasting record for the children.

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outstanding

Children’s views are sought daily. Children influence decisions about what their day- to-day care looks like, and they have choices about who they can talk to about any worries. Contact and visiting with family, friends and professionals are promoted and facilitated when safe to do so. Staff have helped to repair relationships for children with family, including siblings.

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outstanding

Children move into the home in a planned way. Staff ensure that children visit the home first and have the chance to choose their room and the decor. Staff carry out visits and learn about children from significant adults in their lives. This contact may be with the child’s school and/or with their current carers. This helps staff to get to know the child’s needs and personality to help them to carefully plan how they will support the child to settle at the home. As a result, children with complex needs, who have already experienced disrupted relationships and care arrangements, settle and respond well in their new home.

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outstanding

Staff champion the children and advocate for the best education and health arrangements. They work closely with the therapeutic team to ensure that the trauma associated with children’s histories and/or complex needs is known and understood. Staff contribute to multi-agency planning meetings and proactively request relevant meetings to ensure each child’s needs are identified. Consequently, all agencies have worked together to support children to overcome barriers to education and to help children to engage in therapeutic support to promote their progress and good health.

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outstanding

Children develop confidence and self-esteem due to nurturing parenting. One child, who preferred to remain indoors in her previous home, is working as a volunteer with animals. She is doing so well that her time volunteering has increased. This is an excellent experience for her, and it may support her future plans. Children who have previously not engaged in enrichment activities are now going to after-school clubs and community clubs. This is due to staff being tenacious, empowering the children to make positive choices and persevering with promoting a range of activities. Inspection report for children's home: 2613829 4 One social worker said: ‘I hardly recognise the child that first came to the home. She has developed into a mature young person, thinking about her decisions and making positive choices. This is because all of the staff care, and she knows this.’

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

All children report that they feel safe living at this home. For all children, behaviours, influences and experiences that may have presented risks to them have significantly reduced or have ceased.

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

There have been no missing incidents since the previous inspection. For one child, this is particularly significant progress. This is as a result of the child building positive relationships with carers and peers. Staff explain to all of the children about the risks of going missing, how they report concerns and who information is shared with, in order to keep them safe.

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

There is a clear, explicit contract with children regarding expectations about keeping safe online. There are parental settings for all digital technology. Children understand the consequences of misusing technology. From the point that they move into the home, staff use key-work sessions to support children to understand the risks associated with the use of digital technology. Children who come to the home with known risks associated with being online, now proactively share information. As a result, risks and concerns have significantly reduced.

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

Care staff and the therapeutic team work together to ensure that each child has a detailed and helpful risk assessment and risk management plan in place. Plans include advice about recognising the potential triggers for harmful behaviour. Children develop their own plans about what helps them to avoid harm or de- escalate concerns, and what helps them to recover following an incident. For all of the children, concerns have reduced.

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

There have been a number of incidents when physical restraint has been used by staff to prevent children harming themselves or harming a member of staff. Restraint is used proportionally and only when necessary. Senior managers and the independent visitor review records of restraint. Children are supported to reflect on the incident with a care and/or therapeutic member of staff, as they choose.

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

For one child, there was a context to an increase in the number of physical interventions used. This was associated with events outside of the home, and the frequency of incidents requiring this intervention has now reduced. Staff carefully evaluate each intervention in team reflective practice discussions, with therapeutic staff contributing. Consideration is given to a range of approaches to de-escalate situations and keep each child safe.

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

The team also reflects on the potential impact on other children living at the home when a child becomes distressed and/or needs to be physically held, and they respond to children who are impacted on appropriately. Inspection report for children's home: 2613829 5 Staff receive training in de-escalating behaviours and the safe use of restrictive interventions as part of their induction and refresher training annually.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She is committed to ensuring that children feel happy, make progress and are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers work effectively with the therapeutic service to ensure that the approach and ethos, set out in the home’s statement of purpose, are followed. Staff receive training in the relevant methodologies to deliver informed care and continuously assess children’s needs and the impact of the care they are receiving. They also receive training relevant to the specific needs of the children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they have regular supervision and that they have access to advice from the therapeutic team individually, as well as collectively. Supervision records and team meeting records do not always capture the detail of the reflective practice discussions taking place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some changes to the staff team. Managers have worked proactively to limit the impact of this on the children and the staff group. They have also considered any learning from recruitment activity and have had discussions with staff to promote the retention of staff. Children report that they have been advised when staff are leaving in order to prepare them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers know the strengths in the team, and they promote and develop staff skills. They also know where there are areas for development and there is evidence of effective performance management. The manager seeks advice from senior managers, and the designated officer, appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals report that children are receiving excellent care and that living in this home has made a significant difference to their safety and their progress. There is positive partnership working across agencies and the team around the child, driving effective planning for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This inspection found that children are making exceptional progress from their starting points. The manager’s review of the quality of care in the home would be enhanced by improved analysis and evaluation. Inspection report for children's home: 2613829 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that they monitor the care provided in the home at least once every six months. The registered person should consider what information, recorded in the home, will form part of the analysis and conclusions. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weaknesses in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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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: 2613829 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 51 Abbey Green Road, Leek ST13 8SA

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Inspector

Cathey Moriarty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2613829 8 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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