Children's Home run by Hertfordshire County Council in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 1 SC458141 Registered provider: Hertfordshire County Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to seven children aged between 10 and 18 years who require residential care. There were five children living at the home at the time of the inspection. All five children were spoken to.

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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 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: SC458141 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/08/2023 Full Good 05/09/2022 Full Good 24/08/2021 Full Good 09/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved on from the home and three children have moved into the home. The children who moved out experienced positive endings. Staff ensured that the children were well supported as they moved to independent accommodation. This helped them to adapt to their new homes by having familiar faces while settling in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a warm and nurturing home. Staff are genuinely pleased to see children. Staff provide activities that stimulate children’s learning and help them to enjoy new opportunities. Staff collate memory books for children to take with them when they leave. These books capture the trips that children have enjoyed during their time at the home, and provide children with lasting mementos.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children attend full-time school. Staff have good relationships with the local schools. Staff understand that children who attend school consistently make better academic progress. Staff celebrate children’s achievements. They attend school events to acknowledge the children’s hard work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage good diets, sleep and healthy emotional well-being to support the children’s health. All the children are registered with appropriate health agencies. Staff and family accompany children to their appointments when appropriate. Children have access to a therapeutic team who specialise in children’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are sensitive to the needs of the children. Staff recognise and manage low mood, anxiety and trauma-related behaviour. The staff have additional specialist training. Staff know how to respond to the children with empathy, acceptance and understanding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The feedback from parents and professionals about the home is very positive. They are clear that the level of communication they receive is a strength. Parents said that the staff are supportive and care about them as well as the children. A parent described the staff as ‘amazing and brilliant’. A social worker said, ‘They [the staff] work over and above.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff explore children’s views and opinions throughout the course of the day. Staff use a range of communication methods, including emojis, feelings boards and symbols to achieve this. Staff assist children to make choices that influence the activities and trips they choose.

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

The manager ensures that any safeguarding issues are responded to swiftly and effectively. Staff are confident in their understanding of whistle-blowing processes. They know how to report any child protection concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 4 Staff use detailed risk assessments. These clearly reflect the child’s needs and the risks that they face.

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

Oversight of incidents is good. Insightful monitoring helps the manager to identify patterns and trends in behaviour. Learning from incidents is shared with partner agencies. Concerns are discussed during regular meetings.

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

There are times when staff use physical intervention to avoid harm to themselves or others. Intervention is used reasonably and proportionately. Children are talked to about the methods used, and the staff help them to understand these. A social worker said that interventions are planned and managed well.

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

Allegations against staff are rare. When allegations happen, these are investigated swiftly and reported to the appropriate agencies. Parents said that they had no safeguarding concerns.

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

The home is fully staffed and resourced to ensure that children’s needs are met. All of the children are supported by a member of staff on a one-to-one basis. Children benefit from a high level of supervision both in the home and out in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a registered manager who is suitably qualified. The deputy manager is qualified and supports the manager well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children know the manager well and seek her out. She is enthusiastic when she listens or talks to them, and this shows that she values the time she spends with them. Children go to see her when they are happy or want to show her that they have learned a new skill.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager consistently reviews all aspects of the children’s care. She has good oversight of the whole service. This oversight is recorded in individualised plans, assessments and documents. The manager undertakes weekly and monthly audits, including signing off daily recording logs and monitoring staff supervisions. The responsible individual also undertakes regular audits. This helps leaders know the children and staff and have a thorough understanding of work practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals. They are encouraged by leaders to develop new ideas from training or research that links to their practice. The manager is keen to ensure that staff are supported to contribute their ideas to the development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet with the home’s psychotherapist during monthly reflective team meetings. They explore therapeutic techniques to understand how childhood trauma may impact children’s responses. Being able to share practice as a team and react therapeutically mean that the children receive consistently high-quality care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 5 Children’s progress in the home is measurable. A parent said that their child had recently moved to the home and their sleep has significantly improved. A grandparent described the progress that their grandchild has made. She praised how independent the child is now, including the progress of her communication skills. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 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: SC458141 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Farnham House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage SG1 2ST

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Inspector

Trudy Potter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC458141 8 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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