Children's home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Havant

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 1 SC482301 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were five children living in the home. Four children were seen and spoke to the inspectors; one child was not present during the inspection period.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware before this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. It is not Ofsted’s role to investigate allegations of this kind, but actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered 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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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 2 Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/07/2022 Full Good 03/08/2021 Full Good 03/03/2020 Full Good 05/12/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 4

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inadequate

This home is judged inadequate, primarily due to the serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice in relation to one child who is at risk of harm. In addition, staff vacancies in senior roles and an over-reliance on agency staff mean that staff lack direction. Children do not experience consistent care from staff who are suitably skilled and experienced to keep them safe. As a result, Ofsted has issued two compliance notices for the provider to address these shortfalls as a matter of urgency. Ofsted has also issued a restriction notice which prevents the provider from admitting any more children to the home.

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inadequate

Children do not have stable and secure relationships with staff in the home. While there is a small group of consistent staff, an over-reliance on agency staff means that children do not benefit from stable relationships with familiar staff.

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inadequate

Despite the concerns relating to the care of one child, and wider concerns about the consistency of staffing, all children are accessing education and making progress towards positive educational outcomes. Two children have been supported to overcome significant barriers to education and recently sat their GCSEs. The staff are immensely proud of these achievements.

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inadequate

Children have independence plans and are supported by staff to regularly contribute to them. This work and support develop children’s valuable life skills as they progress into adulthood.

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inadequate

Children benefit from a wide range of activities and these experiences are recorded in photo memory books This helps children to remember and to celebrate the fun that they have had living in the home.

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inadequate

Children have positive aspirations for their future. One child has expressed an interest in working as a residential children’s worker, due to particular staff being positive role models.

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inadequate

There is a hand-painted mural in the hall area of the home which incorporates abstract paintings of all the staff and children. Children convey a real sense of connection with this art and proudly identified themselves in it.

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

Systemic failings in safeguarding practice left a child exposed to harm. Staff failed to identify the risks posed to the child and they did not take account of or share crucial information that could have informed an effective safety plan. Leaders and Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 5 managers did not act on concerns shared by staff and staff did not escalate these concerns to relevant external safeguarding agencies.

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

Staff are not clear about the actions they should take for one child when they are absent from the home. This child was absent for the period of the inspection. Staff were uncertain about when the child should be reported missing to the police or what action they should take. This meant that a child’s whereabouts remained unknown for a prolonged period of time, and they were not reported missing.

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

There are serious shortfalls in the safeguarding practice in the home and serious concerns about the accuracy of record-keeping in relation to significant incidents. The delays in reporting these concerns to the regulator and placing authorities impede important and timely external oversight of children’s welfare.

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

Most children in the home are kept safe from harm and they have a shared sense of belonging. Most of the children do not regularly go missing from care. They demonstrate positive engagement with their day-to-day routines and the expectations in regard to their behaviour and self-care.

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

Children are encouraged to learn from incidents and their views and feelings are well considered as part of this. Children receive positive support from staff in relation to their feelings and emotions and are encouraged to treat each other with respect and kindness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager does not demonstrate appropriate safeguarding responses. A serious incident involving a child was disregarded despite a direct disclosure and physical evidence providing a clear indication that the child was at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not learn from practice and internal investigations regarding staff performance are not underpinned by the provider’s own safeguarding and disciplinary polices. Staff report that a lack a transparency from leaders and managers undermines trust and integrity and results in a lack of confidence in the leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

When concerns arise in relation to staff performance and conduct, leaders and managers fail to take effective action. While staff performance investigations are carried out in a timely manner, they lack rigour and are not grounded in effective safeguarding practice. In one example, following serious concerns about a member of staff’s conduct towards a child, they were allowed to continue to work with children without proper investigation of these concerns. This placed children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are substantial staffing shortages in the home and the reliance on agency staff means that children do not benefit from consistent relationships. Staff vacancies mean that there are no permanent team managers or senior residential staff, which impacts negatively on the oversight of day-to-day care and staff morale. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 6 Staff do not receive regular supervision, and some have struggled to gain access to their supervision records. There is an overwhelming sense of mistrust and lack of faith from the core staff team in leaders and managers. This has led to an unhealthy blame culture in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 7

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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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that staff are clear about children’s missing-from-home protocols and when concerns must be reported to the regulator and external agencies. Furthermore, there must be a transparent and child-centred safeguarding culture embedded in the home where staff feel confident about reporting their concerns, and that these will be appropriately investigated by leaders and managers. 3 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 8 *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

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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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)(b) (2)(a)(b)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider should ensure that there are sufficient permanent staff to ensure stability for children. Staff need regular training in safeguarding children and need to evidence that this theoretical knowledge is consistently applied in their day-to-day care of children. 3 September 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provides for the suspension from work of an employee if necessary in the interests of the safety or welfare of children; and

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Requirement Due date

provides that the failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse, or suspected abuse, whether past or present, in relation to a child to the appropriate person is a ground on which disciplinary proceedings may be instituted. (Regulation 33 (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that investigations into staff performance consider all historical and current information, and that any decision made is underpinned by 3 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 9 the overriding welfare principle that all children must be kept safe from harm.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34 (1)(b)(2)€(f)(4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should follow safeguarding and whistle- blowing policies if they feel that their concerns are not heard by leaders and managers. Staff need to feel confident and secure in raising their concerns about children’s welfare, without fear for their employment. 3 September 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC482301 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Ashley Edwards, Social Care Inspector Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC482301 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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