Children's Home run by Headway Adolescent Resources Limited in Bristol

Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 1 SC066250 Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to three children with social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since July 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/04/2022 Full Good 21/04/2021 Full Good 03/03/2020 Full Good 02/10/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, the registered manager considers their individual needs, alongside the needs of the children already living there. This helps the registered manager to determine the support that the children may require and whether they are likely to develop safe relationships with each other. The child moving in is supported to visit the home and meet the staff and children. However, records do not capture all the steps that staff take to help the child to feel welcomed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they enjoy living in this home. They say that they feel safe and well looked after by the staff. Children are provided with positive experiences, including going to the cinema, trampolining and go-karting. Children said that they are looking forward to their upcoming staycation, and staff are hoping to help the children to develop more positive relationships with each other through shared experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare needs are supported. When children are not able to engage with mental health professionals, staff seek advice and guidance from specialist services about how to support the children effectively. Staff also help children to build their confidence so that they can access the relevant services for themselves in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s educational outcomes are mixed. One child has completed his exams and is waiting to start his chosen college course at the start of the next academic year. However, two other children have stopped attending school while alternative arrangements are being explored. When children are not engaging in full-time education, staff support them to participate in tutoring and mentoring sessions. An educational professional said that the staff are ‘fantastic’ at supporting and encouraging educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

An independent reviewing officer can identify the progress that their child is making. They said that the staff deliver care to a ‘high standard’, including supporting their child’s development of their independent skills and their awareness of their heritage and culture. Family members say that their children are happy in the home and that they have positive relationships with the staff. Interactions between staff and children are warm, friendly and kind.

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

Staff respond in a caring and nurturing way when they are challenged by the behaviour of children. Staff listen to children and support them to express themselves safely. As a result, restraint has not been used in this home since 2017. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 4 Staff provide children with positive advice and guidance. Children often seek out the staff to talk about the topics that are important to them. However, staff also use the significant events in the children’s lives to initiate the conversations that would be helpful for them. As a result, children are supported to explore their feelings and experiences in a safe way.

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

When concerns about children’s friendships outside of the home are raised, leaders and managers respond to ensure that children are kept safe effectively. Temporary safety plans are agreed with external professionals, which consider the impact of the safety plan on the child and provides some mitigation to limit the effect on the child’s well-being. Staff support the child to reflect on their friendships and provide clear messages about how anti-social behaviours can adversely impact other people. This helps children to reconsider their views and provides them with the strategies they need to keep themselves safe in the future.

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

Staff support children to develop their independence skills and spend positive time with their friends and family. This has resulted in some children being helped to return to the care of their family or move to supported lodgings as appropriate.

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

Safe and secure medication storage and administration procedures are in place. Currently, staff manage children’s medication. The registered manager explained that plans to support the children to safely manage their own medication are being explored.

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good

The registered manager is settling into her new role after recently being promoted from the deputy manager position. The registered manager is aware of the strengths of the home and the areas for development. The registered manager says that they know children are happy in the home because of how they interact with others, and from the feedback that they provide to staff.

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good

Actions are being taken to improve the quality of the environment. Some areas of the home are suitably decorated and furnished, while other areas of the home are benefiting from ongoing refurbishment. The home’s environmental action plan does not accurately outline all areas for improvement or provide clear timeframes for when the work will be completed.

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good

Children’s bedrooms are not always maintained to a good standard of cleanliness. During the inspection, some rooms were unclean and cluttered. Staff are not supporting children in ensuring that their bedroom is a nice space for them to spend time in.

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good

Some staff lack a comprehensive understanding of the home’s therapeutic ethos and practices, as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. More work is needed to ensure children are always supported to develop healthy routines, and to join in with Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 5 communal activities, such as mealtimes. Staff are not provided with sufficient opportunities to develop their skills to provide children with therapeutic parenting.

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good

Care plans provide staff with some of the strategies they need to support children. However, these plans do not describe all the information that staff know about children or describe in detail the care that they are giving. This is a missed opportunity and could compromise the consistency of care children receive should staff who do not know the children as well work in the home.

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good

The registered manager has assessed the suitability of the location of the home. However, they have not included in their assessment their own knowledge of the area or consulted with relevant agencies. As a result, the home’s locality assessment does not provide staff with robust guidance about how to respond to the risks that are related to the local area.

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good

Leaders and managers use safer recruitment procedures to help determine that staff are suitable to work with children. However, a lack of professional curiosity by leaders and managers has resulted in some discrepancies in employment histories not being identified.

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good

Team meetings are well attended and include input from psychology services. Feedback from staff is positive. They enjoy working in the home and feel supported by the registered manager. Staff can identify the progress that children are making. However, they acknowledge that they would benefit more training opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the planned refurbishment of the home continues in line with a clear development plan.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that children are supported to tidy their bedrooms so that their rooms are maintained to a high standard of cleanliness. This has been restated from the previous inspection. 16 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 7 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

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver individualised care to children, as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. Specifically, staff should be supported to develop a sound understanding of therapeutic parenting and the importance of nurturing care and healthy routines for children. Staff should receive appropriate training to support them to meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should use monitoring and review systems to ensure that children’s plans and supporting documents accurately reflect the needs of children and the strategies staff need to support them. Specifically, care plans should help staff meet the individual needs of children, and the home’s location assessment should include feedback from relevant people and help staff to consider the risks in the local area and how to help children keep safe. 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that the recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, the registered person should ensure that all permanent and agency-employed staff provide a clear employment history and their reasons for leaving previous care roles. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC066250 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Peaches Kissoon-Doyle

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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC066250 10 regulates and inspects 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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