Children's Home run by Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 1 Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides therapeutic care for up to four children who have experienced trauma and may subsequently present with a range of behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a suitably qualified and experienced manager who has submitted her application for registration with Ofsted.

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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 outstanding

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers 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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2023 Full Outstanding 01/03/2022 Full Good 02/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with children quickly, and children have trusted relationships with staff. This helps children to settle quickly. Since moving to the home, children have been supported with a period of stability. A social worker said, ‘The staff are amazing. [Name of child] has made significant progress since being at the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. Staff have worked hard alongside children to make the home a nurturing and homely environment. There is lots of evidence of toys and activities for children to play with. Staff clearly take pride in the home for children and help children to maintain a lovely environment for them to live in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a team around the child approach to supporting children. Leaders and managers work closely with external agencies, a therapeutic support team, social workers and education staff to ensure that children have the right support around them. The therapy team offers overarching and regular support to the team. Staff and children benefit from this holistic approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children arrive at the home having experienced significant disruption in their education. There is bespoke and individualised planning for children’s education. There has been a highly bespoke plan to maintain and support a child’s engagement in education. This has been driven by excellent advocacy from the team. This level of commitment helps children with a stepping stone for improved educational engagement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have regular and detailed discussions with children to share information and gather their views. Upskilling sessions and key-work sessions are an integral and enjoyable part of day-to-day life for children. Staff’s skills in communicating with children help them to promote several opportunities for children to share their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities in the home and in the local and wider community, for example holidays, regular activities and clubs. Staff are passionate about ensuring that children have fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When it is assessed and appropriate to do so, children are supported to see people who matter to them. When plans impact on children’s stability, there has not always been a timely response from the local authority in reviewing plans. The acting manager recognises this, and learning has been completed around escalating when there are matters of concern or a delay in care planning for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 4

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outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding processes. When necessary, safeguarding matters are referred to relevant safeguarding agencies. The manager has excellent oversight of this process. This helps children to be safe and protected. A social worker said, ‘The management of allegations was excellent. What they have done has ensured that the child is safe.’

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outstanding

The manager ensures that all relevant safeguarding agencies are notified when it is appropriate to do so. Notifications to other agencies reflect excellent safeguarding practice. There is a detailed chronology of action that staff have taken. The manager ensures that this is evidenced and keeps the child at the centre of safeguarding practices in the home.

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outstanding

The staff team recognises the importance of a coordinated response to children’s safety planning. There is a holistic approach to this, with some positive multi- disciplinary working relationships, for example with excellent management around managing allegations. This working together closely with other agencies has helped a child to reduce the number of allegations made.

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outstanding

Key-work sessions are detailed and creative. One key-work session with a child included TV, media and staff role play. Staff are creative and enthusiastic in using playfulness to help children to understand potential risks.

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outstanding

Staff are appropriately trained in physical intervention, and the home has a designated behaviour support instructor. Staff have used their positive relationships with children alongside holistic interventions to reduce the need for physical interventions. Staff know to use all other positive behaviour support techniques and that physical intervention is the absolute last resort for keeping children safe.

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outstanding

The manager has clear processes for performance management issues. There is a robust response to this, and only staff who are suitable and committed to the shared ethos of the home are working there. Safe recruitment processes are well managed, and regulations are followed. There are clear and effective processes in place to ensure that the staff working in the home are safe to do so.

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outstanding

Staff take appropriate action if a child is missing from care. They ensure that every effort is made to locate the child and return them home safely. Children are welcomed home. Follow-up work is completed with children around the risks associated with going missing from care. Agencies are appropriately notified. Missing-from-care episodes have significantly reduced. A recommendation has been made around independent return interviews. Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes in the leadership at the home. The registered manager left several months ago. Despite this, leaders have provided good continuity and management oversight. The acting manager has worked at the home for a few years and has now submitted her registration application to Ofsted. She is undertaking the level 5 qualification in leadership and management. She has maintained stability in the home for staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads an energetic and motivated staff team. Staff are focused on care and support to children. Children are benefiting from nurturing care experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager had to make a difficult decision to end a child’s placement when risks became too great for staff to manage. The child’s move was well supported. The child has been supported to maintain a positive connection with the home. These important connections helped to promote a plan for the child to be returned to another home within the company. Staff truly understand the importance of continuity of relationships for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work well with partner agencies, and there are good lines of communication between the staff team and other professionals. Children are supported to access specialist help when needed. This has included the manager advocating for additional one-to-one support for a child. Partner agencies said the staff are doing a good job in supporting children to keep safe and achieving good outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular professional supervision. This is enhanced through group training opportunities that equip staff to meet the needs of the children. Staff are qualified or working towards the required qualification. In addition, staff complete mandatory training and an array of additional online training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good management monitoring through a variety of quality assurance systems. This helps the manager to ensure that timescales are met for a range of activities that relate to the running of the home. Independent scrutiny is built into the quality assurance systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling well managed and supported. Staff morale at the home is high, and there is a positive and energetic approach from staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to escalating when there is a potential delay or disruption in care planning for children. 30 March 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The registered person should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 2508525 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 51 Abbey Green Road, Leek ST13 8SA

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Inspector

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 8 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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