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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2612347 1 Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company. The home may provide care for up to two children who have emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection and was spoken to as part of the inspection.

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 outstanding

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: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2612347 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2024 Full Outstanding 15/03/2023 Full Good 06/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2612347 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child currently living at the home has made good progress from they moved to the home. The child and staff enjoy warm and positive interactions. The child knows and understands that they can approach staff at any point and will have their needs met and gain the reassurance they need. The manager and staff ensure that the child can voice their thoughts and feelings, and these have directly led to changes to staff care practice. However, the child does not always feel heard by staff because the child has not always received information about actions that have been taken following the comments they have made.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made progress in education in relation to both their attendance and overall progress. The child is enrolled with an education provider and benefits from tutoring sessions that take place in the community. The child has also started to attend education in a group setting, for a further two days a week, to increase both their exposure to education and increase their social circle.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health is promoted by the manager and staff, and this continues to improve. The child has access to primary healthcare provision, including dental care. Should the child raise any concerns for their health, the staff explore these fully and will arrange the healthcare support that the child requires. Since living at the home, the child has received a healthcare assessment and diagnosis which has enabled staff to support the child. Arrangements for the administration and storage of medication are safe.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is receiving the help and support they need to develop their independent living skills. The child is optimistic about the future and is now more prepared to live independently. At times, however, the speed with which independence skills have been delivered has resulted in the child feeling rushed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child gets to spend time with their family, and this is supported and encouraged by the manager and staff. The home uses a therapeutic model of care, and staff working in a therapeutic manner with the child has helped overcome obstacles to the child spending time with their family. For example, the child’s family wanted to reinstate regular family time contact with the child after pausing the arrangement for some time; this was due to the therapeutic work undertaken by staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to high standard, with the decoration of the home being child focused and the child’s sensory needs considered in all furnishings.

p.3

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

The child can identify adults they trust to confide in and who will support them. Staff understand and follow individualised risk assessments for the child, which has resulted in most risks reducing. Staff undertake planned conversations with the child to educate the child about risk. They give the child risk assessments in a visual format so the child can Inspection report for children’s home: 2612347 4 understand how to keep themselves safe. This is excellent practice and helps the child develop their awareness of risk and identify ways to manage this risk to keep safe.

p.3

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

The staff help the child, through educational work, to help the child to understand and regulate their own emotions to prevent the child becoming overwhelmed by them. This helps the child manage relationships and develop their independence skills. The child benefits from the in-house specialist therapeutic provision and has begun communicating with staff when the child needs help to regulate their emotions. Staff have taken a sensory approach to supporting the child, which has resulted in a reduction in self-harming incidents; this includes giving the child physical comfort when the child feels upset.

p.4

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

Staff always use least restrictive practice to manage behaviour. Physical intervention is only used as a last resort to keep the child safe from harm. Staff practice in relation to physical intervention is reviewed by the manager to ensure it was undertaken safely and was required. The child was subject to a court order that restricted their liberty. The staff have followed plans to reduce the use of this order as the child has become increasingly safe. Staff have displayed the plans to the child in a visual way they can understand and educate the child in how they can keep themselves safe as restrictions reduce. This is excellent progress.

p.4

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

The child has not gone missing from care since coming to live at the home. When the child has walked away from the home, staff knew what to do and responded quickly in line with risk management plans. This approach has supported the child to quickly make the decision to return home.

p.4

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

The manager investigates incidents, including allegations made against staff. The manager investigates these fully to assure herself that all the required actions are taken to keep children safe. When allegations are unfounded, a significant amount of work is undertaken to ensure that relationships between staff concerned and the child are fully repaired. The manager ensures that risk assessments are put in place before staff return to working with the child. Staff who provide more therapeutic input will work with staff to ensure that all professionals communicate consistent messages to the child to ensure a well-coordinated approach.

p.4

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

When room searches are conducted, these are done quickly and effectively to keep the child safe. The child is present when searches are conducted and supported to understand that these are carried out in their best interests. When items are removed from the child’s room for safety, staff work with the child to explore their behaviour and work towards ensuring items are safe to be returned to the child.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the manager and a new deputy manager has been appointed. External professionals and family members speak of a positive working relationship with the staff and manager at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612347 5 The child is at the centre of all care practice at the home. The staff and the manager have provided the child with opportunities to engage in activities with a focus on building positive experiences and memories that are designed to improve the child’s confidence and self- esteem. The staff understand the child’s needs very well and have developed ways to support and enable the child to understand how to attain their goals through using visual aids and weekly plans.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses effective quality assurance processes to review all areas of the home. These have proved effective in identifying areas for improvement, such as learning from incidents and the effectiveness of behaviour management interventions. The manager understands the progress children have made and the direction of their future.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager delegates audit processes to staff, which instils a sense of ownership in the overall running of the home. Staff are confident in their roles and their ability to demonstrate that they provide good care to children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive individual and professional supervision which reflects on their development and the well-being and progress of the child. Staff receive additional supervision when practice in a specific area could be improved. For some staff, the timescales have passed in which to complete an essential qualification, but the manager was aware of the reasons for this and was working with staff to ensure they could complete this in a way that did not compromise their well-being.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are recruited using safer recruitment methods and there are currently no vacancies at the home. Staff said they are happy working at the home and turnover is low. Staff can work across homes within the company if required, meaning there is minimal use of agency staff, which supports the child to have a stable, consistent staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612347 6

p.5

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: 2612347 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3, Mercia Court, Bingham, Nottingham NG13 8QX

p.7

Inspector

Vikki Thwaites, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2612347 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.

p.7

Inspector

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.

p.8

Inspector

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8