Children's Home, Residential special school run by Overley Hall Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report for children's home: SC020558 1 SC020558 Registered provider: Overley Hall Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home cares for up to 22 children with severe learning disabilities, sensory impairment and autism. Children may stay beyond the age of 18 to complete their education.

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is situated on the same site as a special school. A separate residential home for young adults, registered with the Care Quality Commission, also operates in the school grounds. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021 and holds the appropriate qualifications.

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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: 1 November 2022

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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: SC020558 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2022 Full Good 24/08/2022 Full Inadequate 13/07/2021 Full Good 10/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC020558 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At this visit, 20 children were living at the home. Since the last inspection, three children have left the home and five children have come to live at the home. The home can care for children beyond their 18th birthdays so that they can complete their education. Currently, the home has five young people living there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are several new staff working at the home, which has improved consistency. Children are now being cared for by a stable staff team. This is supporting children to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders continue to develop the home and grounds. There is a sensory lodge and cinema room which adds to the wide range of opportunities available to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff keep children busy and encourage them to try new things. Staff take children out in the community to experience activities and clubs as any other child would. Events such as birthdays are celebrated with parties. Staff also ensure that religious festivals and seasonal events are marked with activities and parties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are met. Positive working relationships with health professionals mean that children get prompt support when needed. Staff are proactive at looking for solutions in the environment to reduce children’s anxiety. This approach means children are only prescribed medication when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at the home attend the on-site school. For children who have struggled to attend an educational setting, the flexibility and bespoke timetables mean they have good attendance records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is good multi-agency working. Professionals link well together to review children’s care and develop plans that can be used across care and education. However, targets for children could be more aspirational and do not always link with their educational targets. As a result, children may not be progressing as well as they could be.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independent advocacy support is available to children. Advocacy have shown professional curiosity and have raised comments on children’s behalf that have brought about positive change. For example, one child requested a double bed, and this had been purchased for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families and social workers were positive about the care given to children and the progress they make living at the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC020558 4

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

Leaders have considered the environment and the needs of the children there. Leaders have made changes to the mix of children living in the individual family rooms. These changes have been positive for children, and as a result, there has been a reduction in incidents.

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

The home is extensive, with large grounds. Health and safety is taken seriously, with regular checks and maintenance of the home. Fire evacuations take place when new staff or children come to the home.

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

Children are kept safe by high staffing levels. On one occasion, a child briefly left the grounds without the staff’s knowledge. Leaders reviewed the risk assessments and investigated how this occurred. Action was taken to ensure further occurrences did not happen. In addition, leaders reminded staff of their responsibilities to monitor children’s whereabouts.

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

Children have risk management plans. These are regularly reviewed. For one child who has several allergies, there is limited information regarding the risk from each allergy or the action staff need to take to prevent them. This was addressed at the time of the visit. Leaders reviewed the plans to ensure the information was clear.

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

On occasion, staff do need to use physical intervention to keep children safe. Records are completed, and there is oversight by managers. However, records do not show in detail the information from debriefs with staff or children. This limits the opportunities for leaders to fully evaluate incidents.

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

Partnership working with health services is strong. Staff work well with child and adolescent mental health services, seeking appropriate advice when needed. Staff support children’s emotional well-being. For example, work was undertaken by staff that supported a child to visit their mum in hospital when she was recovering.

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

On occasion, there have been medication errors. These are investigated, and action is taken to reduce the risk of them happening again. Staff practice is challenged, training is given, and where needed, further action is taken with staff. As a result, medication errors are infrequent.

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

Recruitment of staff to the home is undertaken following safer recruitment practices. However, managers did not use their professional curiosity as part of the recruitment process for one agency worker. They did not clarify if there were any concerns regarding the agency worker’s practice or behaviour.

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good

Leaders have worked hard since the last inspection and begun to make changes to improve the quality of care. However, there are still shortfalls in oversight and the Inspection report for children's home: SC020558 5 attention to detail that would create a culture of high expectations of staff for children.

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good

Managers oversight of the home requires further action and is not robust. Examples include children’s working files being updated to include the information that staff need to care for children. Managers should review the use of bedroom door alarms to ensure they are not used unnecessarily. Rotas also require improvement and do not consistently include all relevant information.

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good

The manager had informed the regulator under Regulation 40 of an incident at the home. When new information came to light, which meant the information shared was inaccurate, the manager had not informed the regulator. This limits the oversight of the home by the regulator.

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good

The manager has reviewed the location assessment. However, the detail is limited and does not contain new or emerging risks.

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good

Staff were positive about the support that they receive from managers. Staff receive regular supervision, and it is used to reflect on practice and discuss the quality standards and other important topics.

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good

Staff receive a wide range of training opportunities, both online and face to face. Leaders have been able to invite specialists in their fields to undertake face-to-face training with staff. Staff were enthusiastic about the training. This helps staff to have the skills and knowledge they need to care for the children living at the home.

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good

Leaders have reflected on learning from poor practice in other children’s homes. They have looked at their own practice to ensure children are not subject to any similar poor practice. Inspection report for children's home: SC020558 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk plans clearly state the risks associated with a child’s allergy or intolerance, how they may present if having a reaction and the action staff are to take to prevent and respond to a reaction. In addition, the registered person should assess any risks associated with those who are over 18 years and are adults living with children. 29 December

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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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff keep pictorial information, such as ‘now and next’ boards and menus, up to date. They should also ensure that staff link targets to the child’s educational plans and that targets are aspirational. 29 December Inspection report for children's home: SC020558 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children’s plans are accurate and up to date and that staff are aspirational about children’s targets. In addition, ensure that bedroom door alarms are not used unnecessarily and that staff rotas include all relevant information. 29 December

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Recommendation

 The registered person should, as set out in regulations 31–33, maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff, including agency staff, is undertaken in line with the regulations so that risks to children are minimised. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)

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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: SC020558 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: Overley Hall Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Overley Hall School, Overley, Telford, Shropshire TF6 5HE

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Inspectors

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC020558 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 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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