Children's home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 1259508 1 Registered provider: Hillcrest 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 privately owned home provides care for up to eight children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

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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: 1259508 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/03/2019 Full Outstanding 26/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1259508 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and settled in the home. Children benefit from having access to extended grounds that have been adapted to support their interests. For example, children make use of large pools, a football pitch, a home gym and a summer house that has been adapted to give children a board games room.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. The house is full of laughter where children enjoy being in the company of staff and with each other. House rituals, such as after-school snack time, enable the children to talk about their day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and children are supported by staff to care for their space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to understand their journey and give them praise for their accomplishments. Children have clear aspirations, such as becoming a footballer, a plumber or a police officer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a range of activities. For example, children access clubs, football academies and local cadet groups. As a result, children are developing life skills and forming many positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are reviewed, and staff ensure that children work towards targets and make progress. Children’s views are listened to, valued and influence decisions. The manager ensures that this helps to shape areas such as staff practice and activities on offer. This has helped children to feel settled and to be confident that their views matter.

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

Staff understand children’s individual needs, behaviours and risks. Staff work closely with the in-house therapy team to create tailored support plans that help children to thrive emotionally, physically and mentally.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. On the occasions when children have gone missing, staff have taken swift action to involve external agencies to ensure that children can talk to someone independent of the home about the reason why they went missing.

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

Children mainly get on well with one another. There are fun and competitive games that help to keep children entertained. There are occasions when the dynamics between the children can become strained, and likewise, times when children require support to manage their emotions. Staff manage these situations sensitively and, in a child-centred way to ensure that children are kept safe. Inspection report for children's home: 1259508 4 Children feel able to raise complaints and are confident that when concerns about staff practice arise, these are dealt with effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about the care and experiences children receive. Children’s social workers are positive about the skills of the staff and their ability to meet children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by leaders. Staff receive regular and detailed handovers, debriefs, supervisions, and clinical sessions that help them to reflect on their practice and identify gaps in their knowledge, which are then addressed through training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are well trained. Training is comprehensive and staff show a detailed knowledge about external risks and the harm they could present to the children in the home. Staff are eager to develop, and all mandatory training is delivered regularly and monitored effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have good oversight of the home and ensure that any shortfalls are swiftly addressed. All recommendations and requirements from the last inspection are met. Effective monitoring ensures that the home continues to be well maintained, and staff are appropriately vetted before they join the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1259508 5

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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: 1259508 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Sadie Dangerfield

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Inspector

Matt Nicholls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1259508 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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