Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC398481 1 SC398481 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in July 2019 and is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A newly appointed manager oversees the day-to-day running of the home. The manager has applied to register 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

Date of last inspection: 17 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC398481 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/11/2021 Interim Declined in effectiveness 14/06/2021 Full Good 13/01/2020 Full Outstanding 13/02/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC398481 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and one child has moved on because the home was unable to meet their needs. At the time of this inspection, there were three children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences when moving into or out of the home. Staff ensure that children have well-planned transitions. For example, prior to moving in, children visit the home to see what it is like and to meet the staff. This supports children to reduce their anxieties and settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to build nurturing and trusting relationships with children. This helps children to feel safe and supports them to develop. One child told the inspector that they like living in the home, the staff and that they feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Generally, children make good progress with their education. Two of the children are in full-time education and have good levels of attendance. One child’s progress is less positive. Staff are working with education departments and other professionals to put a tailored programme in place to support children’s learning and encourage attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and well-being are not consistently promoted. For example, although one child has accessed health services, two children have not had a dental appointment or medical assessment for over 12 months. This is not supporting children’s physical health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff seek children’s views about their wishes and feelings and encourage children to be involved in the decision-making processes around their care. This means that children can positively influence their day-to-day care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children have opportunities to have positive experiences and make happy memories. Staff support children to take part in a wide range of activities. Children and staff enjoyed a summer holiday together. Children are encouraged to have fun and build relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to spend time with their families and friends, when it is safe to do so. Staff assist with transport and, when required, supervision of this time. This helps children with their sense of identity and contributes to maintaining relationships with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and well maintained. Since the last inspection, one of the shower rooms has been refurbished. The communal areas are comfortable and well furnished. Staff encourage children to personalise their bedrooms. One child has recently been shopping to buy some new wallpaper and other decorations to Inspection report children’s home: SC398481 4 personalise their room. This supports children to develop a sense of belonging and feel comfortable in their surroundings.

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

Staff and managers know the children well. They understand their needs, risks and the actions they need to take to keep children safe. There have been times when children have displayed behaviours that have been challenging. Staff have managed these periods well.

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

While there are some examples of well-detailed risk assessments and risk management plans, some fail to provide staff with clear guidance. For example, managers identified a risk around sexualised behaviours but did not clearly identify strategies on how this risk could be managed. This means that staff may not have sufficient information to safeguard children effectively.

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

Managers respond quickly when there are allegations or concerns about staff practice. They ensure that the local authority designated officer is always informed and that all concerns are investigated. This helps children to be confident to raise any concerns as they know staff will take them seriously.

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

There have been no formal complaints. When informal concerns are raised, managers do not record these. This is a weakness, as there is not an accurate record of all complaints raised and actions taken.

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

Staff manage children’s behaviours well. Physical intervention is only used as a last resort. Since the last inspection, incidents requiring intervention have reduced. Records are detailed. Managers have oversight of all incidents, and they provide staff and children with a reflective debrief following the use of the intervention. Managers will challenge any poor practice identified. This ensures that, when used, physical intervention is proportionate and necessary.

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

Children live in a safe environment. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks. Regular fire drills are carried out to ensure that children know how to exit the building safely in the event of an emergency. The manager also carries out an annual review of the location of the home. They consult with local safeguarding partners to ensure that they have up-to-date information on the local area to keep children safe.

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

Recruitment practices are safe. Staff who work in the home are subject to all necessary checks. This ensures that only suitable people work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since July 2022. She has developed a good understanding of the home and its areas for development. She has already made positive changes to the home that have benefited the children and staff. Staff told the inspector that communication and morale in the home have improved. Inspection report children’s home: SC398481 5 Leaders’ and managers’ monitoring systems are effective. The manager has good oversight of the home. She uses the independent visitor assessments and development plans to track the quality of the care children receive. The manager is supported by the responsible individual. He knows the home well and visits regularly to carry out quality assurance audits. These systems help managers to identify and act on shortfalls, develop the service and ensure that children receive a good quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff are enthusiastic about the care they provide to children. They work with a wide range of professionals. Their feedback about the home and the standard of care children receive is positive. The manager will challenge those who are not providing the support children need. One professional informed the inspector that staff are good at forming relationships with children. Children are open with staff as they feel confident and safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training to make sure that they have the skills and competencies necessary to meet the diverse needs of the children in their care. There are systems in place to make sure that important training is regularly updated or refreshed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is regular and of good quality. It supports and challenges staff’s practice to improve the care given to children. Staff receive effective guidance and direction from the manager, and they benefit from regular reflective practice meetings with a clinical psychologist. Staff recognise that this helps them to have a better understanding of children’s behaviour and emotional needs. This is further supported by reflective team meetings. Inspection report children’s home: SC398481 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services, and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment, and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The manager must ensure that: all children’s health needs are met; children are registered with a dentist; and staff support children to attend routine appointments. 20 December

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 20 December Inspection report children’s home: SC398481 7 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that risk assessments are clear and include strategies to reduce risk.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a record made of any concern or complaint, the action taken and the outcome of any investigation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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 children’s home: SC398481 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services (2) Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC398481 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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Inspector

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