Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kedleston (High Peak School) Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children's home: SC484134 1 SC484134 Registered provider: Kedleston (High Peak School) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation. It is registered for up to 24 children. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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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: 3 February 2022

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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: SC484134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/02/2022 Full Good 03/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 04/06/2019 Full Good 05/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC484134 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are happy and relaxed in this home. They form strong bonds and trusting relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend the on-site education provision and make consistent progress. Since living at this home, children’s educational attendance has increased to 100%. A child said, ‘I love school, it is really good.’ The registered manager, staff and education department work closely to maintain a consistent approach to the care and education of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to explore their individual hobbies and interests. Some children participate in clubs and groups within the community. One child regularly attends army cadets and swimming, while another child enjoys extreme cycling, recently undertaking a 37-kilometre ride.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children also have access to a range of outdoor facilities, including a golf course, play park, football pitch and indoor sports hall. These facilities are located within the grounds of the home and school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and are registered with local health services. There are clear health plans in place. These plans incorporate the action plans from looked after children health assessments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff complete regular planned and unplanned key-worker sessions with the children. These sessions enable the children to begin to make sense of their individual circumstances, and help them to develop skills and strategies to manage their own difficulties and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are consistently consulted, and their views, wishes and feelings are highly valued in this home. Children are active participants of the weekly children’s meeting and are supported to raise suggestions and requests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consultation with parents and professionals is further developed. Feedback is now routinely sought and used to enhance the services provided to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain regular contact with their families. Most children return home at the weekend and spend school holidays with their families. A parent said, ‘The staff are very supportive and work very well with my child.’ However, due to a problematic telephone line, some parents have experienced difficulty in contacting the home. This important line of communication is vital to support the child, either at home or within the placement. A recommendation is made to resolve this matter. Inspection report for children's home: SC484134 4

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

The children’s safety and well-being is prioritised in this home.

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

The staff demonstrate a commitment to ensuring that children are safe and remain safe. This is evidenced in the range of individual and group direct-work sessions addressing known areas of risk and potential areas of risk.

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

Behaviour management strategies are effective. The staff work with children using restorative justice. This strategy helps the children to understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others, and helps them to put things right.

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

Risk assessments are routinely updated to capture changes in behaviours that may place a child at risk. Likewise, strategies to manage and reduce risk are developed in partnership with children’s families and the home’s clinical psychologist.

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

Impact risk assessments are completed for all the children living in the home. However, these assessments do not take account of how the children could have an impact each other and how this will be managed. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

The children say they feel safe in this home. Where incidents have occurred, staff have responded quickly and efficiently to ensure the children remain safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management of the home is good. The statement of purpose is amended to reflect the reduction in available placements for children at this home. The statement is well defined to ensure that children, social workers and families are clear about the service and the support that the home provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team is provided with a consistent annual training package. Mandatory training is regularly refreshed, and additional training is frequently sourced to meet the needs of the children in placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team is provided with consistent support. One staff member said, ‘The registered manager is great. She is very supportive and has changed how we work for the better. This is a nice place to work.’ The staff receive regular supervision, including group and key-worker supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering consistent person-centred practice that is tailored to the individual and personal needs of children. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the opportunities and experiences provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs a strong and committed staff team. The majority of staff are qualified at level 3 of the children and children’s workforce diploma. The training at Inspection report for children's home: SC484134 5 this level ensures that the staff team is suitably qualified in the care and management of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring systems are improved. Detailed information highlights areas for development, and the manager’s action plan details the methods used to enhance the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Likewise, external monitoring takes place in accordance with regulation. The independent visitor’s report provides a positive insight into the experiences of children, including feedback from parents, children and external professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment procedures in accordance with the company policy are not consistently adhered to. For example, two references are not verified by the registered manager. Furthermore, delays in receiving one reference were not followed up. As a result, one staff member commenced their role without all available checks being completed. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children’s home is located within a large building that originally housed several other, smaller, children’s homes. As a result of downsizing, the majority of the domestic building is empty. There is evidence of internal damp around the property, as well as concerns regarding the drainage. Consequently, there are some areas of the home that have an unpleasant smell. A recommendation is made to address this matter. Inspection report for children's home: SC484134 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s telephone is fully functioning to support parents who wish to maintain telephone contact with their child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.14)  The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that the recruitment of staff is in accordance with the home’s policies that serve to safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should consider the size and condition of the building in

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Recommendations

which the home is located, in order to promote a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC484134 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kedleston (High Peak School) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8 Brook Business Centre, Cowley Mill Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 2FX

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Inspectors

Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector Pauline Yates, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC484134 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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