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: 15 February 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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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

15/02/2023 Full Outstanding 06/09/2021 Full Good 23/10/2019 Full Outstanding 20/08/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 3

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outstanding

Children and families who use this service receive exceptional care. The home offers a bespoke service that works with children and their families who require support to keep them together. The work is carried out over a specific time, involving direct work with the families, parents and children who stay at the home. Weekly family therapy is also included.

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outstanding

The excellent service helps families, children and parents to rebuild their relationships. This reduces the need for long-term residential care in the future. Children and families using the service said unanimously that the support from staff has had an incredibly positive impact on their lives.

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outstanding

Staff are highly skilled in working therapeutically with the children. Staff treat parents with warmth and grace and are experts at building trusting relationships with them. This enables staff to help parents to better understand children’s behaviours and how to help them. The staff provide a weekly family network meeting that involves professionals. In these meetings, the staff support parents to recognise their child’s progress as well as their own. This boosts parents’ self-esteem and confidence in managing behaviour at home.

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outstanding

When the children return home, there is a short-stay option available for children. This provides families with the opportunity for further help if it is needed.

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outstanding

Care plans are highly individualised and give clear targets for children and families. These provide clear instructions for all staff and include guidance from the therapist. The records of the work undertaken are extensive and in full alignment with the aims and targets set.

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outstanding

The staff confidently challenge other professionals when required. For instance, they have questioned comments made by school staff to a child. The staff offered therapeutic insight to help the school to understand the child and their behaviours. This strong advocacy further ensures that children receive the best care from the network around them.

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outstanding

Staff provide children with meaningful experiences. Children have been canoeing and visited a local farm. Children have also been given the opportunity to engage in other activities that they may otherwise miss, such as building a blanket fort in the lounge and climbing trees. These moments are captured in photos and form part of the fantastic memorabilia that staff collect for children during their time at the home.

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outstanding

The living environment is beautifully decorated throughout. It is full of colour and warmth. The children’s bedrooms feature calming themes, such as Buddhism and Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 4 Moroccan-inspired rooms. There is also a neutral bedroom for children who may feel overwhelmed and need less sensory stimulation. Other areas at the home include a large rock-inspired music room with musical instruments and recording equipment. There is a fully equipped art room. These rooms provide space for children to express themselves creatively.

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outstanding

Staying at the home has made children safer. The children often have high levels of risk, including self-harm and suicidal ideation. When incidents occur, staff make stringent efforts to keep children safe.

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outstanding

When children go missing from the home, staff follow individualised missing-from- home protocols. The staff are proactive at using effective methods to bring the children home safely.

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outstanding

Risk and vulnerability assessments are updated regularly, and new protocols are implemented to show any changes to care plans. The staff and managers are alert to changes and use effective methods to act quickly to reduce risks. This means that staff are responsive to new and emerging unsafe behaviour.

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outstanding

The children and staff have strong relationships, helping children to feel emotionally safe to talk about past traumas. This has been instrumental in preventing further harm.

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outstanding

The staff excel in expert therapeutic working. An example of this is clearly demonstrated in the model used to empower children and parents. In these scenarios, staff are highly aware of the language they use. This allows children to feel safe, take responsibility for their choices.

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outstanding

At times, staff use restraint to keep the children safe. Following these restraints, children are given the space to be reflective and talk to staff about their feelings. This results in an open and honest culture and builds trust between the children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is confident, experienced and well qualified. She is supported by a highly capable deputy manager. The management team is currently undergoing restructure due to the registered manager’s imminent retirement. The outgoing manager is leaving behind a legacy of which she can be extremely proud.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers clearly understand the needs of the children and excel at guiding the staff to ensure that children’s needs are met. Managers and senior staff are ambitious for children and are influential in changing their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: SC422231 5 Leaders and managers work to ensure that an effective system is in place to support the aims of the whole service. Staff are attuned to the needs of the children and model excellent care and support to the children and families. This is made possible by the strong leadership and the focus on improving staff’s skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have thorough oversight of all incidents that have occurred. Risk assessments and care plans are adjusted to the changing needs of the children. Effective management enables the staff to understand the children’s needs and how to respond to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers share information to keep stakeholders updated on children’s progress. Supervision sessions happen frequently and support staff to reflect on practice and focus on any areas of improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular reflective supervision sessions. Staff practice issues are dealt with effectively and sensitively. This ensures that the best staff practitioners remain in the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel incredibly supported by the management team. The staff said that they are always available for advice. Staff’s individual strengths and interests are recognised through the offer of opportunities to take on extra training. Staff are then encouraged to become leads in the home’s model of care. This investment in staff boosts motivation and contributes to staff retention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is equally effusive about her team. She said, ‘They have been there, face to face with the difficulties, they are receptive to change. They have dug deep and I’m so proud of them all.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals are united in their positive praise for the staff. Social workers said:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

‘They are brilliant, we were so impressed. During the whole experience of [name of child] living there, the staff had unconditional positive regard, regardless of what they [name of child] did.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

‘ They would do everything in their power to try and keep [name of child] safe, going above and beyond.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations were made following this inspection. 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: Farnham House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage SG1 2ST

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Inspectors

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Dan Williams, 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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