Children's Home run by Greenfields Adolescent Development Limited in Herefordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 1 Registered provider: Greenfields Adolescent Development Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2023 Full Good 11/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/04/2021 Full Good 12/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. All the children were seen and spoken to as part of the inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home are supported well by staff. Children have stable placements, with one child having lived at the home for over three years. This has helped children to make progress in many areas of their lives. With staff’s help and encouragement, children are in education or work. They are also more independent and preparing for the next stages of their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to understand the importance of education and work. One child has an excellent work ethic and never misses a day of work on a local farm, no matter what the weather. Recently they passed their tractor driving test and they aspire to continue a career in farming. Another child, whose attendance at school was extremely poor, now has a 100% attendance record.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of this home is the multi-agency working. Children have individual sessions with professionals who have the skills to help them explore past traumas and develop skills to manage their emotions.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote healthy living and encourage healthy diets. Previously, staff felt children were not always eating as well as they could. Following a discussion with all the children, it was agreed there would be time during the day when there was a break from screen time. This has resulted in an improvement in children’s eating habits and having time away from technology.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have time away from the home when they can see friends and socialise without staff. For one child who struggles to socialise with others, staff have been creative in finding ways to get them to do things away from technology. For example, they provide activities around the home which staff do. The child is then curious and joins in. This has resulted in the child having lots of fun with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with children and children enjoy spending time with staff. Staff take children out for meals and on activities and have taken children on holiday.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff, together with the children, have created a homely environment. Children have chosen items for the home and their bedrooms. The outside area has not had the same amount of care and attention and is need of tidying up and repairs to the patio area. Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 4

p.3

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

Staff know the children well and have developed plans which identify their risks and the action staff need to take to keep children safe in relation to most of these. There have been two occasions when a child has been able to gain access to the roof. Adaptions to the roof have been requested to prevent further incidents. However, in the interim, plans do not clearly tell staff what action they need to take should the child attempt to climb on the roof again.

p.4

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

At times, there has been conflict between children. The manager has taken action and staff have undertaken work with children to help them understand the impact of their behaviour on others. In addition, the manager has sought further support from the home’s clinical team and children’s therapists. These professionals have helped staff to understand and have the skills to address the behaviour with the children.

p.4

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. When they have, staff have taken the appropriate action so that children return to the home as quickly as possible.

p.4

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

On occasions, staff have needed to use physical intervention to keep children safe. These incidents are well recorded, which has allowed the manager to check the appropriateness of the intervention and challenge staff when she has felt they could have used other strategies before using physical intervention.

p.4

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

Staff understand the risks for children when online and have undertaken work with them to help them understand these. When risks are identified, they are reported and further work is undertaken with children. Progress has been made with one child who is very vulnerable, and age-appropriate monitoring continues. However, on one occasion, a reflection session with a child did not take place after staff identified a possible concern about their online activity.

p.4

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

When children raise concerns about staff, the manager takes these seriously. She has informed those who need to know, investigated and taken action when necessary. Learning from investigations has been used to improve staff practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the home’s management team. The previous registered manager left and a new manager has been recruited. She is registered with Ofsted.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has undertaken a review of the home and implemented several changes. She has a clear vision for the home and is planning how to further improve the care given to the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

These changes have been positive, with staff retention improving. This has provided greater consistency for children. Children have become more settled, and attendance in Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 5 education has dramatically improved. Staff are now given more responsibility, which has helped them develop their confidence and skills.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they are well supported by the manager. They receive a variety of training, including training which is child specific. They receive regular reflective supervision, along with day-to-day support. Staff commented on how the new manager has introduced positive changes and that they feel valued and part of the team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good multi-agency working. External professionals were complimentary about the care and improvements in the leadership of the home. They said that communication and commitment from the manager and staff to children is much better and children are making progress. Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to risks associated with a child climbing on the roof. Plans must clearly identify the risks and action staff should take to keep the child safe. 15 November 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure the home complies with relevant health and safety legislation. Specifically, that the outside area is tidy, toys are put away and damaged areas repaired promptly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety, both inside and outside the home, to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. Specifically, that staff undertake reflection sessions with children when there are concerns relating to their online activity. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

p.7

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: 1271587 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Greenfields Adolescent Development Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caretech Community Service Ltd, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

p.8

Inspectors

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 9 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.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9