Children's Home run by Hygge Care Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 1 Registered provider: Hygge Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A small private provider owns this home. The home provides care for up to three children with emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in September 2021 and is suitably qualified.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 9 November 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/08/2022 Full Inadequate 22/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home, and the same three children remain living there. The children currently living in the home are settled and have lived there between one and three years. The children thrive on the nurturing and therapeutic care they receive. As a result, all three children are making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to have a positive relationship with the people who are important to children. A parent told the inspector that communication from staff is good and that staff keep them updated about their child’s progress. Staff have a good understanding of family dynamics, and they support children’s relationships in line with their wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. Staff encourage children to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables, and they cook healthy meals from scratch. Children are active, and children and staff enjoy frequent trips to the nearby park. Staff are supported by a clinician to establish appropriate approaches to promote children’s emotional health and well-being. Additionally, staff seek specialist help when necessary. This multi- team approach means that children’s holistic health needs are promoted effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school, and staff do everything they can to support children’s education. Staff regularly communicate with teachers about children’s behaviours and routines. When children are unsettled, staff work with teachers to settle them. As a result of this strong partnership working, children are progressing at school from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enable children to develop and maintain friendships. One child attends a local youth club and has joined a Scout troop. This is going well, and the child recently attended a two-day Scout camp. This gives this child an opportunity to meet friends and integrate into the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to be independent. They are creative in helping children with their self-care. For example, staff have bought a special toothbrush and a timer for a child who struggles to clean their teeth. They encourage a regular bath-time routine for another child by introducing ‘a plastic brick toy bath time’. Staff use individualised rewards and incentives to further support children. As a result, children learn valuable life skills, and their self-esteem improves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers are generally positive about the care their children receive. They say that staff give them a warm welcome and that staff are kind to children and give children cuddles. They say that staff are supportive of the children’s plans. However, they do not always receive regular updates about the children’s progress. Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 4 The home is generally well furnished and is a warm and welcoming place for children to spend time. Photos of children are on display, and books and games are easily accessible. Staff help children to personalise their bedrooms as well as other living areas. This allows children to have a sense of pride in their home and promotes their well-being. However, a wooden panel on the staircase is in need of repair. An area of decking in the garden is not accessible to children because of damage. Delays in completing essential maintenance detract from the homely feel of

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

Staff ensure that children live safely together. Bullying is not tolerated in the home, and staff talk to children about the effects of bullying in a way that encourages personal responsibility and an understanding of the feelings of others. Children, therefore, understand the importance of tolerance and kindness in social relationships.

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

When children make allegations relating to staff in the home, managers take their concerns seriously. Managers work in partnership with children’s social workers and the local authority designated officer. This ensures that there is independent oversight to keep children safe.

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

Staff know children well. They use resources and individualised strategies to talk with children about emotions and help them to better manage their behaviours over time. Additionally, staff educate children around risk. Children take part in group discussions and individual key-work sessions on subjects such as online safety. This positive work enhances children’s knowledge of risk and allows them to take the lead in their learning.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the importance of safeguarding and the need for vigilance so that children stay safe. Clear rules and boundaries enable children to feel increasingly safe and contained.

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

Regular consultation with clinicians is used well and is effective in improving staff practice. This allows staff to understand the reasons behind some behaviours and provides a nurturing environment for children.

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

Detailed risk assessments and behaviour management plans promote the home’s therapeutic ethos and guide staff to manage children’s complex behaviours. However, on rare occasions, staff do not follow children’s plans and use agreed strategies. This means that on occasion, children have been left without appropriate support to manage their complex behaviours. These were isolated incidents, and quick action by managers ensured that children were protected from further harm.

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

Although children do not go missing from the home, protocols are in place that tell staff what to do should they go missing. On the rare occasion that a child leaves the home in an unplanned way, staff keep the child in sight and use their skills and their strong relationship to calm the situation and bring the child home. Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 5

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good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. He is passionate and child- focused. Children are at the centre of everything he does. The manager makes a point of spending time individually with each child. Children say that they like the manager and would talk to him if they had a worry or a concern.

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good

Managers do not effectively use monitoring systems to improve the quality of care. For example, managers do not regularly review the home’s development plan. This means that managers do not know the home’s strengths and areas for development. Additionally, managers do not conduct a review when serious incidents occur. This is a missed opportunity for managers, staff and the wider organisation to learn lessons to improve the quality of care that children receive.

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good

The manager leads a team of well-motivated staff. Managers support staff through regular supervision. Staff say they like working in the home and that morale is good.

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good

Managers do not ensure that new staff receive a well-planned induction. Systems are not in place to ensure that new staff are supported, developed and trained to work effectively with children. Additionally, managers do not always ensure that supervisory staff have the skills and experience they require.

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good

Since the last inspection, two staff members have left and three have joined the team. There are currently three staff vacancies. Any shortfalls in staffing are covered by existing staff, and agency staff have not been used since December 2022. Despite challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, children are receiving increasingly consistent care.

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good

Managers have worked hard to meet the requirements from the last inspection. Five of the six requirements are met. A requirement under regulation 12 is not met and has been restated. This is the third consecutive time that this requirement has been raised.

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good

Staff access a range of training opportunities, including essential courses such as safeguarding and first aid. In addition, they receive training that is specific to individual children, including training in attachment and trauma. This helps staff to understand the complex needs of the children in their care. Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 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, The 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that staff consistently meet the children’s emotional needs. 2 July 2023

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that staff use strategies in children’s plans to de-escalate children’s complex behaviours. 2 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 7 This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that staff working in a supervisory position have the skills and experience to lead staff and to keep children safe. Additionally, ensure that they conduct a management review following any serious incident or serious concern about staff practice. 2 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that new staff receive a well-planned induction. 2 July 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4) (b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 8  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children and is a homely, domestic environment. The children’s home must comply with relevant health and

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Recommendations

safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 13.9)

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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: 1220887 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Grosvenor House, 11 St Pauls Square, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 1RB

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1220887 10 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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