Children's home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Dacorum

Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 1 SC422231 Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides a short programme for children that helps families to stay together by providing support for children and their parents and carers. The provider offers planned short stays and emergency admissions.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 6 September 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/09/2021 Full Good 23/10/2019 Full Outstanding 20/08/2018 Full Outstanding 13/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 3

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outstanding

The staff continue to offer a highly successful programme, over a period of six to eight weeks, for children and their families. The children and families fully engage with specialised therapeutic support. The programme includes exceptional support for families from a multi-disciplinary team.

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outstanding

The children’s overall experiences are incredibly positive. Children spoke about positive relationships with staff and were able to explain the positive outcomes for themselves and their families.

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outstanding

Children and families benefit from a bespoke package of care that is developed with the support of therapists, psychiatrists, health professionals and education staff. Consequently, following their stay, most children are able to return to their families. A parent said, ‘My child did the eight-week programme. If staff hadn’t worked with our child, we would have stayed a broken family. The staff are phenomenal.’

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outstanding

Highly skilled therapeutically trained staff build excellent relationships with children and their families. They work skilfully to support families to understand children’s traumas, triggers and behaviours that can lead to family breakdown. Due to this intense work and holistic support, children can remain with their families. This prevents the need for long-term care.

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outstanding

The parents attend weekly networking meetings with the manager and a number of professionals. This gives parents the opportunity to understand the programme and the child’s progress. Family therapy sessions further enhance the programme’s success.

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outstanding

Children have highly effective one-to-one sessions with the staff. These are individualised to the child’s needs. One child said, ‘I really enjoyed the programme. It helped with my confidence and helped my relationship with my mum. I had sessions to talk about my identity, which really supported me.’

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outstanding

Children return to the home as a short-break option. This gives children and families support as the programme ends. One child has one overnight stay a month at the home, which means that she can leave the programme gradually using reduced nights.

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outstanding

The wraparound service includes an outreach team and a rapid-response team that parents or children can contact in an emergency. This provides support before and after the programme time frame. This ensures that families are supported in a crisis.

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outstanding

The staff support children’s education. They transport children to their education placements during their stay. Communication between education providers and staff Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 4 is excellent. For children who do not attend school, education is provided at the home. The education adviser, who is attached to the home, works closely with schools. This proactive planning and persistence helps to reunify children with education and improves their levels of attendance.

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outstanding

The staff get to know children’s wishes and feelings during regular house meetings, key-work sessions and conversations. The manager responds to children’s wishes and feelings. This helps children to feel listened to and valued.

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outstanding

Staff work meticulously with the children to build their emotional resilience and self-confidence. This prepares children to withstand difficulties and setbacks in the future.

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outstanding

The home has a well-equipped art room and an extremely well-equipped music room that children use as part of their therapy. A play therapist works alongside children’s brothers and sisters to support them to communicate their thoughts and feelings.

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outstanding

The children have a variety of high-level risks. Staff are knowledgeable about children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are of the highest quality. Staff update these after every incident and review them weekly.

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outstanding

The children say that they feel safe because the staff are always available to talk to. One child said that the house is nice and comfortable, especially her bedroom, which makes her feel safe and wanted. The staff help children to understand and communicate their feelings. This has reduced children’s self-harming behaviour.

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outstanding

The staff have a clear understanding of how to report safeguarding concerns, including any concerns that they have regarding children’s extended family. They work with a wide variety of professionals to keep children safe. The specialist sexualised behaviour team works closely with staff. They have carried out assessments to support the local authority to find an appropriate placement for a child. This safeguards children and ensures that they receive the right support.

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outstanding

The manager has reviewed the therapeutic model and has amended the assessment process. Amending the assessments has reduced delays, which means that staff can begin to work with children more quickly.

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outstanding

Staff are highly skilled at helping children to talk openly and honestly about their thoughts and feelings. They help children and families to focus on tools they can use when feeling unsafe or dealing with difficult situations. A child said that she has been able to use these tools to support her, and they have helped to keep her calm and focused. Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 5 Excellent impact risk assessments are carried out before children come to the home. These are updated after each visit to keep them current and to highlight any potential concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is enthusiastic about her work and strives to continuously improve the home. She actively researches the model of care and adapts this to the children’s and families’ needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a clear vision that is focused on working successfully with children and their families. The staff are excellent at creating positive experiences for children, which supports the programme’s success.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The experienced and dynamic leadership team breathes positivity into the staff team. The manager ensures that the home has a positive ethos and culture. The staff are good role models. Together, the staff provide a safe and nurturing environment, which they understand is crucial for children to feel safe and talk about past traumas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are firmly at the centre of the practice. Excellent multi-agency working means that children benefit from holistic support. Staff understand that children need to have good emotional and mental health in order to develop the resilience that they need to address past traumas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent communication with social workers and other professionals. This means that she has been able to work collaboratively with professionals in the best interests of the child. A social worker said that the manager and her team go ‘above and beyond’ to support children and families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

For children who cannot return home, staff support a move to long-term placements. A social worker said that staff supported the child’s transition both in and out of the home. Consequently, he was able to move on successfully.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Recently, staff went to a child’s school to deliver training to teachers on trauma- based practice. A parent said that the headteacher told her that this was useful in being able to support not only her child but others at the school.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Regular staff meetings support staff’s work with children and keep them updated about children’s progress. The meetings provide time to discuss and share good practice. This ensures that children receive excellent care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The exceptional manager and staff team ensure that children are given the best possible chance to remain at home with their families. Parents and professionals are extremely positive about the manager and the staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 6

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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: SC422231 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford SG13 8DQ

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 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 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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