Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482295 1 SC482295 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 and accommodation for up to seven children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2021.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 10 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC482295 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/11/2021 Full Good 24/09/2019 Full Good 29/08/2018 Full Good 15/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC482295 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, five children were living in this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with individualised care. The manager and staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are met. One parent said, ‘My child is well cared for, and staff share information regarding incidents and concerns promptly.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend a variety of schools. When children are absent from school, staff support them well to complete their schoolwork.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are well managed. Staff work closely with therapists and mental health professionals to ensure that children receive a nurturing and trauma-informed approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to share their views, wishes and feelings. For example, staff use one-to-one discussions, house meetings, wall-decorated bucket lists and after-school greetings to keep children engaged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend a wide range of innovative and fun activities which are planned with their involvement. For example, children enjoy activities such as pamper evenings, reading and listening to music.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to complete a variety of chores in line with their capabilities. Children complete household tasks and have helped to redecorate some parts of the home. This engagement empowers children and helps them to gain transferable life skills.

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improvement to be good

Children are kept safe through careful planning. Staff are aware of children’s individual vulnerabilities and risks. Staff ensure that risk assessments reflect how individual children are to be kept safe. However, there is a lack of management oversight of these assessments.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff work coherently with other agencies and parents to secure children’s safe return. However, on occasions, missing from care records fail to reflect the actions taken by the staff and the police. On one occasion, staff failed to inform the manager and social worker about a concern raised in a return home discussion with a child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482295 4 Staff use verbal prompts to help children to stay calm, and physical restraints are only used as a last resort. High levels of monitoring and nurturing are offered to children with a history of self-harm.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home are well decorated and maintained. However, other areas lack a homely touch. Some children’s bedrooms are littered with empty containers and other belongings. Toilets, the bath and shower rooms are stained, and some have unpleasant smells. These shortfalls have the potential to be hazardous to children.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not provided enough support to help one child to manage their anxieties when people need to enter their bedroom. This has left staff unable to carry out regular safety checks.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager, in consultation with the designated officer for the local authority, deal with any allegations effectively.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager ensures that staff are thoroughly vetted before they start to work with children. As a result, children are safeguarded from unsuitable adults working with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is ambitious and passionate about providing a good quality of care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a positive role model for the children. One child said, ‘I love her [manager], she is the best.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The use of creative and child-involving processes help measure and assess children’s progress. The manager also completes monthly progress reports that are shared with the staff and the children’s social workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monthly monitoring of the home by the independent visitor lacks informed evaluation of some of the children’s files. This shortfall results in a failure to clarify children’s safety and fulfilment of their care needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have failed to notify the regulator of some significant events. This limits Ofsted’s ability to monitor the progress of safeguarding issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the staff receive regular and effective supervisions. Staff also receive mandatory training and are continuously supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have noted a series of staff resignations and have reviewed their recruitment drive to ensure that the home is adequately staffed. Considerations have been made to ensure that the staffing ratios are in line with the children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482295 5

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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 must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 30 December

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— 30 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC482295 6 meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that managers monitor and review children’s individual risk assessments and progress reports. 30 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 30 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC482295 7

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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: SC482295 8

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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

Alphie Khumalo, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC482295 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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