Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Devon

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 This is a really well managed children’s home. The Registered Manager is very experienced and suitably qualified. She is committed to providing highly personalised and nurturing care that mimics as closely as possible childhood experiences in a family home. Staff have a deep respect for the manager and feel she provides strong leadership and leads by example.  Young people are effectively supported to behave well and are treated with respect and consideration. For example, sanctions are not used, instead focus is placed on achieving personal targets and talking through where shortfalls arise. Young people become increasingly safe. Anti-social behaviour and offending reduces and young people’s life chances improve significantly. A parent described her son ‘as a changed boy’, with a much brighter future ahead.  The physical environment of the home is furnished and decorated to a high standard. It feels incredibly homely. There is a real sense of pride in the

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The children's home provision is good because:

home and this is reflected in the staff team’s high expectations of and pride in young people. Young people benefit from the high aspirations staff have of them. They develop a better sense of self-worth and a belief in their own potential. Staff are very effective in supporting young people to have positive relationships and attachments with their families and with themselves. Young people’s personal interests are also very well supported with young people and staff enjoying a range of activities together.  During this inspection the only area identified as a shortfall is the company’s timely provision of staff training. This includes staff induction and initial mandatory training courses, such as medication and behaviour management. In addition staff are not consistently commencing and completing the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare within expected timescales.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard. In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to mandatory training being provided in a timely way, the registered person must: (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each young person. 31/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers. The registered person must ensure that staff achieve the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare within 2 years of their start date or by 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4) (a)) 30/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff. The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. In particular, induction must be provided in a timely way. (Regulation 33(1)(a)) 30/01/2016

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private provider of education and social care for children and young people. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is situated on the edge of town near the coast. Young people can attend education within the company school or via external provision.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

13/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Good

The overall experience and progress of young people living in this children’s home is judged good because young people receive highly personalised care and successfully meet the objectives of their placement.

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Good

Relationships between staff and young people are excellent. Young people feel respected, valued and have a real sense of belonging. They are consulted and feel listened to and are able to contribute to many day-to-day decisions. For example young people are encouraged to join in meetings and there are plans for a young person to participate in interviews when new staff appointments are made.

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Good

Young people make really good progress in many areas, such as behaviour and education. The manager and staff team have clear expectations of young people and have faith in their success. Young people benefit from this ethos by developing a belief in themselves and what they would like to achieve in the future. Staff provide young people with high standards of individual care and support. Their approach is positive. For example, a system of rewards and not sanctions is used. School attendance and engagement is very good and staff encourage young people by celebrating their achievements. Certificates and photographs are on display which reflect the pride young people and staff feel.

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Good

Staff are effective in supporting healthy lifestyles. Really homely and nutritious meals are made and staff and young people eat together. Young people are encouraged to develop their own interest in cooking and learn how to cook homemade and healthy food. Outdoor activities, such as fishing are regularly enjoyed and young people have the opportunity to have short breaks to pursue their chosen interests. Medication is well managed and appropriately stored but not all staff have been provided with suitable training since being employed by the company. While there is no evidence of any mistakes being made, it is important that all staff who administer medication receive suitable training and have their competency verified.

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Outstanding

Young people receive very effective help and protection to support them to lead an increasingly safe lifestyle. Young people have not participated in any risk taking behaviour or offending, which represents exceptional progress from their starting point. They benefit from a stable placement, a positive approach to managing their care and effective partnership working with external agencies. Careful, child- centred decision making is in the young person’s best interests. Since opening in May 2013 staff have not used any physical restraints.

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Outstanding

Young people have strong attachments to staff and feel they are able to talk to them about any concerns. They feel secure in the home and have a real sense of belonging. They can invite family members and friends to visit. They enjoy ‘banter’ with staff and enjoy making plans together. As well as Christmas arrangements, early discussions about next year’s summer holiday are already taking place. These discussions help young people who have experienced severe disruption in their lives to feel safe and secure.

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Outstanding

Behaviour is extremely well managed. The home is establishing a track record in supporting young people to dramatically improve their behaviour and consequently their life chances. Since operating, there has only been one incident of a young person not returning home on time. Key to this is the really strong and respectful relationships that staff forge with young people as well as ensuring young people access specialist support. Really good emphasis is placed on showing young people how they can make positive choices and the beneficial consequences of these. This is mirrored in the home’s incentive scheme and young people learn how to achieve, be successful and feel positively about themselves.

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Outstanding

Staff recruitment procedures are thorough. The registered manager is involved in interviewing new staff and regularly visits the company’s head office to verify that all checks and references are in place and are satisfactory. By doing this the registered manager satisfies herself that all staff working in the home have been thoroughly checked and are suitable to work with vulnerable young people.

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Good

The registered manager is very effective and clearly demonstrates the positive impact she has on young people admitted to the home. She carefully and thoroughly assesses young people referred to her and makes an informed decision based on their needs and the collective skills of the staff team. While registered for two young people, the home has operated as a single placement since opening.

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Good

The manager and staff work proactively and positively with a wide range of professionals and young people’s families. When consulted, they made lots of positive comments describing staff as ‘dedicated’ and ‘professional’ and that it is a ‘lovely home’.

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Good

Staff feel well supported. They benefit from regular supervision, staff meetings and annual appraisals. They feel positive about the quality of training provided and confirm that any identified specialist training needs are met appropriately. In respect of the provision of training, a shortfall that exists is in its timeliness. For example not all staff benefit from induction training prior to becoming core members of the team. Similarly, not all staff have mandatory training in key areas such as safe administration of medication or behaviour management, prior to working directly with young people. Furthermore, not all staff commence the Level 3 Diploma soon enough to complete it within the timescales outlined in the Children’s Homes Regulations.

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Good

The manager actively and regularly monitors the quality of care provided. This includes a weekly review and analysis which feeds into the manager’s six monthly review of quality of care. While this report is thorough and identifies targets to improve quality further, it focusses just on in-house matters and does not give due consideration to shortfalls impact on the home, such as the failure of the company to consistently provide staff training in a timely way.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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