Children's Home, Residential special school run by Hopscotch Solutions Limited in Rutland

Inspection report for children's home: SC065071 1 SC065071 Registered provider: Hopscotch Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately owned home provides care for up to 14 children who may have an autism spectrum disorder, learning difficulties, challenging behaviour, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy and/or dyspraxia.

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Information about this children’s home

The home also incorporates a school which the children attend. Inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a manager who is in the process of registering.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted have been made aware that a serious incident since the previous inspection is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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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: 22 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC065071 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2022 Full Outstanding 25/06/2019 Full Good 05/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 08/05/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC065071 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy living at this home and their needs are met. Staff respect and cherish the children and speak very positively about them. Staff are good at recognising and celebrating children’s progress and achievements. This means that children grow in confidence. Professionals speak highly of the staff. One social worker said, ‘It’s the best placement I’ve found.’ Another said, ‘This is the gold standard.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are dedicated to the children. They know children very well and are skilled at interpreting their needs. Staff use their knowledge, skills and experience to meet the needs of the children in a nurturing manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. Some children have made significant progress in their language and communication skills. Staff are confident in using a range of methods to support children’s communication. Visual timetables and ‘now and next’ boards are used to help children understand daily routines and make choices. Social stories are used, for example to help children prepare for changes to their routines, attending health appointments and keeping safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning for children is effective. It is detailed and specific to each child’s needs. Managers and staff regularly review children’s plans. As a result, when children’s needs change, their plans remain relevant and their care consistent. Effective care planning means that children become healthier and develop much- improved self-care skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents are unanimously positive about the care provided to their children. One parent described it as ‘a lifeline’. Another parent said, ‘The care my child gets is superb, they’re safe here, loved and cared for.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff pay careful attention to children’s complex health needs. However, these complex needs do not prevent children enjoying their childhood. Staff have an in- depth knowledge of children’s health needs and how to manage them. Staff undertake regular observations of children which are relayed to medical professionals, ensuring children receive the right medical care and treatment without delay. Managers and staff are strong advocates for children. Children’s emotional and physical health is very well supported and promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Detailed target books capture positive experiences and progress made by each child, including photos and notes to help prompt memories. They are child-centred and show a wide range of activities and experiences that the children have enjoyed. However, children’s daily records require some improvement because they do not capture the same emotional warmth and memories. Inspection report for children's home: SC065071 4

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

There is a strong safeguarding culture. Staff understand their responsibilities and adhere to all safeguarding procedures. Even when staff are very new, they have the confidence to report any concerns they might have.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s safety needs. However, one child’s risk assessment was not comprehensive. It did not identify all environmental risks and did not provide staff with clear guidance on how to manage risks. For example, the risk assessment identifies that the child has been known to go into bins and will place foreign objects in their mouth. However, the home’s kitchen bin had not been identified as a potential risk. Other environmental risks were also found, for example, in the garden, leather footballs where the leather had peeled away.

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

Children are supported and rewarded to be kind and helpful to others. Clear and consistent rules and boundaries are implemented and these help children to feel safe and secure. When the behaviour of children escalates because they feel anxious or upset, staff remain calm and use de-escalation techniques to manage the situation. Staff have a good understanding of children’s behaviours and the underlying causes and triggers. This helps them manage behaviour well.

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

Staff receive training in physical intervention, but restraint is rarely used. On the two occasions it has been necessary, the least restrictive hold is used for the minimum amount of time.

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

Significant events are well managed. Records include detailed chronologies of incidents and the actions taken by staff. For example, one child’s health deteriorated due to a known health condition. Medical attention was sought immediately and in accordance with the child’s health plan. Managers review and reflect on all incidents. The learning and reflection are then used in developmental sessions and team meetings with staff. Consequently, staff continue to learn how to work with each child and keep them safe.

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

Managers have not reviewed the use of restrictive equipment for one child when in the community. The equipment was introduced to reduce the risk of the child running away from staff and placing themselves at risk. This has not been reviewed, despite having been in use for eight months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes in the management team following the promotion of leaders and managers. However, these individuals continue to work in the home. This ensures the home continues to benefit from a consistent, stable management team that knows the children and staff team very well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is very established. Staff are very caring towards children and want to provide the best care for them. They deliver high-quality care to children and Inspection report for children's home: SC065071 5 build warm and trusting relationships with them. Most staff are qualified and experienced. New staff to the home feel welcomed and well supported by the team and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a range of systems to ensure oversight of the quality of care. However, some shortfalls have been identified. These shortfalls include the assessment and use of a restrictive piece of equipment not being reviewed in a timely manner, and the review of a risk assessment considering environmental risks. Additionally, the curtains in one child’s bedroom did not fit the window. The manager quickly replaced the curtains. They are working with professionals to review the use of the restrictive equipment for a child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work with children on at least a one-to-one basis. There is always an extra member of staff to ensure that children have plenty of adults around to help and support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the support that they receive from managers. They have regular supervision, and new staff receive good inductions to working at the home. Staff have daily handover meetings and team meetings to share important information. When children struggle to be cared for by certain staff, staff are reflective. They take advice as to what they could do differently to make each child feel comfortable. One staff member said, ‘Moving to here was one of the best things that I have ever done, I really do love it.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is extensive. Managers are continually looking to develop the workforce. Staff can readily describe how the training has positively influenced their practice. They can adapt their practice to meet the individual needs of children. This supports the individualised care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals are very happy with the care children receive in the home. They say staff work closely with them and that communication is effective. One professional said, ‘The home is like a family.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC065071 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 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—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2) (a)(i)(ii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that risk assessments reflect the children’s needs and identify their risks and include guidance on how staff should respond to the assessed risks. It further relates to staff ensuring that risks in the environment are assessed and made safe. 31 December

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 31 December Inspection report for children's home: SC065071 7 This specifically relates to managers embedding monitoring systems in the home to improve the quality of care.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s daily diaries capture the emotional warmth, memories and journey of the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC065071 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hopscotch Solutions Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Van Niekerk

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Inspectors

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Pradip Panchmatia, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC065071 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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