Children's Home run by Arnfield Care Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020133 1 SC020133 Registered provider: Arnfield Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to eight children. It provides short- to medium-term placements. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it can provide care for children with social and emotional difficulties, which may be related to early life or more-recent experiences. There were six children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. Education is provided at an on-site school and through residential trips and outdoor education. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2022 and is suitably experienced.

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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 good

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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: 10 October 2022

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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: SC020133 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2022 Full Outstanding 15/06/2021 Full Good 05/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/11/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC020133 3

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outstanding

Children are making excellent progress due to the dedication and commitment of the manager and workers. Staff and children develop very trusting relationships. Many children move in to the home at a point of crisis. Staff combine a structured approach to care alongside high levels of nurture. Children experience routine, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

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outstanding

Children receive highly individualised care that meets their complex needs. An allocated psychotherapist provides consultation and meets with staff. This builds on the training that staff receive on the home’s preferred approach to care. Psychological assessments of children provide a detailed understanding of the impact of children’s experiences on how children relate to those around them. Children experience trauma-informed and empathic care from staff.

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outstanding

Children make excellent educational progress from their starting points. Several children have returned to school after long periods of not attending. Staff find creative ways to motivate children to support their return to school. Outdoor education and home staff took the opportunity of fixing a bike together to build trust and confidence for one child to then attend school activities. Both school and outdoor education staff attend daily handovers with home staff. This excellent collaboration enhances the consistency that children experience.

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outstanding

Children are supported to be healthy. When they arrive, children complete an assessment of their own health, which they can use to reflect on their progress. Staff quickly organise health appointments for children. Staff have a firm position on children using vapes, and smoking cessation is actively encouraged. As a result, children stop smoking or reduce their intake.

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outstanding

Staff have a clear vision of building children’s confidence through a wide range of outdoor and leisure activities. Children regularly have residential trips with staff and outdoor education staff. Children see some staff overcome their fears when trying certain outdoor pursuits. Staff model resilience by overcoming their own challenges. Children enjoy activities such as wild camping, abseiling, go karting and boxing. Children have climbed mountains for the first time. These opportunities are aspirational. They widen children’s ambitions, provide a sense of achievement, and help personal growth.

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outstanding

Staff help children to move on through careful planning. One child’s social worker said that their return home has been supported through the preparatory work completed by staff. They said, ‘I can’t fault the staff, the change in [child’s name] has been unbelievable, [they] take responsibility, is reflective. This is a lot to do with relationships with staff.’ Many children keep in touch with staff after they have moved on. They recall happy memories of their time at the home, share important Inspection report for children’s home: SC020133 4 milestones in their lives, and reflect on the difference that this time has made to their lives.

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outstanding

Children are supported to stay in touch with their family. This is often when children are living far from their family. Staff help children to follow cultural traditions and celebrations. They support children to have food that is connected to their heritage. For one child, staff’s communication with their parent was limited to formal meetings when the local authority had arranged for an interpreter. The manager took steps during the inspection to address this as she understands that partnership working with parents should not be disadvantaged by a language barrier.

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outstanding

Children participate in the decisions around the home. They take part in interviewing new members of staff. Managers have reviewed the arrangements for children’s meetings in order to increase their appeal. Staff complete a child-friendly version of staff meetings to ensure that children feel included.

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

At the time of admission, children are often facing serious levels of risk and actual harm. The manager and staff know the risks posed to children well. Children say that they feel safe living in the home. There have been children placed during the inspection period who have been subject to several physical interventions and who have gone missing from care. For the children currently living in the home, there has been a notable reduction in the risks for children, and significant incidents are rare.

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

Staff put robust risk and behaviour management plans in place. One child said the rules have, ‘Helped [them] to change as a person, to look at things, and I can see through an issue. I used to kick off; go 0 to 100. I’ve managed to start to control it.’ Children have regular opportunities to explore their reactions and responses to situations and find alternative strategies.

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

Children are actively involved in making plans to help them to stay safe. Staff and children complete risk assessments together for a range of situations, such as starting a work experience placement or free time to meet friends. This is an effective approach to help children to consider potential risks and identify strategies themselves. Children gain skills in managing their own personal safety.

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

Children are helped by a robust system of rewards and incentives. Staff use the behaviour plans to show how they can help children to gain privileges through seeking support and making good choices. Staff support children to reflect on their behaviour without shame. They use this system to build children’s self-esteem by recognising their achievements and good choices. Staff implement this highly structured approach with a strong focus on nurture and trusting relationships.

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

The manager and staff ensure that children are well protected online. Their activity is monitored, and children are kept safe from exploitation. Staff help children to Inspection report for children’s home: SC020133 5 understand why there are boundaries in place, as any good parent would. Staff work with children to use phones and online platforms safely. The manager investigates allegations and complaints thoroughly. She communicates the outcome effectively with children. The manager also records minor complaints informally and takes action in response to children’s feedback. The manager shows that she is listening to children’s views when reviewing incidents and completing debriefs. She understands the impact of staff behaviour on how incidents may be avoided, and is proactive in improving staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have an inspiring manager. She is passionate about supporting children who are in crisis. One staff member said that the manager and deputy manager ‘are amazing’. The manager leads a compassionate staff team that shares her aspirations for the children who they look after. Staff express immense pride in the care they provide and the progress that children make. One staff member said, ‘The atmosphere around the home is joyful. Children lead with what we do. We get nice feedback. It is obvious staff and children are happy.’ Staff are fully invested in the ethos of nurture and trust as the basis of their relationships with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a confident leader. She makes effective use of the skills and experience that individual staff possess. She is dedicated to supporting staff to develop their potential. She allocates roles for staff to lead on and delegate tasks accordingly, such as developing certain home’s policies. She has introduced mentoring shifts to allow senior staff members to focus on developing individual’s skills. She is tenacious in providing constructive feedback to enable staff to improve their practice. One staff member said, ‘We have a strong management team who are approachable, fair and consistent in their approach.’ Staff are impressed by the training and support from managers to develop professionally. If training is identified, it is organised without delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager believes that to care for children well her team need to be happy, so she invests in their well-being. This is appreciated by staff. One staff member has been supported during an extended period of ill health. They valued how managers supported children to understand their health status and to stay in touch during their absence. Staff supported children to hold a themed day for a related charity. The manager welcomes change and strives to continually develop the care that the home provides. Managers have developed a comprehensive document that captures children’s progress, needs, and future plans. It provides detailed information to ensure that the depth of understanding gained of children’s needs can be shared with future care providers. Managers have plans to develop staff recording to ensure that it reflects the high level of care and nurture that children experience. Managers have strengthened processes for considering children moving to the home. They

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

have reflected on the issue that children’s needs were not fully presented to them and this impacted children’s experiences while at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020133 6 Managers understand the need to provide reassurance when children move in to the home, often when this is a long distance from their family. The children’s guide is written sensitively and with humour. Another light-hearted guide is written to help children to understand local customs and dialect in recognition that the home’s location may feel very different for children who are used to city living. Managers have developed an induction pack for children, with a guide for staff on how to complete this with children. Children receive a consistent message that staff are interested in them and want to get to know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals have full confidence in the team. One social worker said, ‘Communication is brilliant. In an hour, they come back with what I need, sometimes [they] provide it before I have even requested it.’ Managers are excellent advocates for children. Social workers are reassured that staff will challenge them if they deem this in children’s best interests. One social worker described staff as ‘integral’ in shaping children’s care plans. Children’s family time arrangements and access to phones have been progressed because staff know children well. Children feel valued and listened to. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020133 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should proactively ensure that partnership working always takes place so that others play their role and deliver the high-quality support that is needed before a child arrives, while the child lives in the home, and where the child prepares to return home, move to another setting, or leave care. This may include ensuring that interpretation services are used when needed to promote partnership with parents and family. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, para 2.4)

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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: SC020133 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Arnfield Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Arnfield Tower Activity Centre, Manchester Road, Tintwistle, Glossop SK13 1NE

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Inspector

Helen Gronhaug, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC020133 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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