Children's home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited in Wiltshire

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:

 The manager and staff deliver a high standard of nurturing care, based on a therapeutic model and tailored to the young person’s individual needs.  The young person in this home has stabilised well and has been supported to reduce incidents of challenging behaviour. Progress is such that the local authority is considering whether he still needs care in a single placement home.  The young person has made good progress in education, despite not being in school at the start of the placement. The home has been assertive in driving forward the need for a varied and stimulating full-time education programme during a period when he was excluded. As a result of their efforts, he has now been accepted back into school.  The home has a strong and effective staff team. Staff provide inspirational role models and engage young people in a wide variety of interesting and educational activities.  The staff at this home are well trained and some have completed, or are

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The children's home provision is good because:

undertaking, degree level courses. The company provides good training in areas relevant to the role.  In addition to monthly supervision with the manager, staff receive regular consultation from a chartered clinical psychologist to support their practice.

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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

8: The education standard. In particular, ensure that young people receive continuity of teaching throughout any period of home tutoring 31/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard. In particular, ensure that an application is made to be registered to manage the children's home in the Registered Manager's absence. 31/07/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. In particular, ensure that incident reports are sent to the placing authority within 24 hours of the event. (14.3)

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered for one child of either gender, aged from 11 to 17 years. Children placed here may have complex emotional and behavioural difficulties which require care in a single-child home. This setting is one of several children’s homes, a small specialist school and a fostering service owned and operated by a private company. It is jointly managed with another home situated approximately 12 miles away.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/12/2014 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

07/01/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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good

Through dedicated, individualised care, young people who live in this home slowly but surely learn to overcome major behavioural problems. This is very good progress considering that they have a history of extreme difficulty in forming attachments, resulting in several foster placement breakdowns. A social worker said that prior to placement in this home, their young person experienced at least 12 incidents each month which were so serious that the police had to be involved. This made admission to secure accommodation highly likely.

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good

The exceptionally positive relationships between some staff and the young person have reduced the level of significant incidents by two thirds, with minimal police involvement. The young person still struggles with volatile behaviour, but there have been a number of positive changes since admission. For example, the Inspector’s unexpected arrival meant that the interim manager could not take the young person out that day as planned. Despite his disappointment, the young person dealt with this well. The manager offered to take him out on an activity of his choice the following day, and he agreed to this compromise in a very mature way. The young person would have been able to respond in this way when he first arrived at the home.

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good

The model of care is highly nurturing and therapeutic in ethos, which promotes positive outcomes for young people. For example, the young person found the courage to attend a routine medical appointment, after months of refusal. This is also directly linked with his developing trust in the staff team, which has increased his confidence and resilience.

p.5

good

The staff and manager at the home care a great deal about their work. Their whole day revolves around meeting the young person’s needs. This helps the young person to feel valued, wanted, safe and secure. Relationships with staff and in particular, with the manager, are very good. The home is also very good at supporting young people’s contact arrangements, particularly when family members live a long way away.

p.5

good

The young person was excluded from the company’s school and has received several months of home tutoring. When the inspection took place, he was about to go back to school full time, after a carefully-designed step programme of reintroduction. This is a great achievement for the young person and the staff, who guided and supported him throughout. The company’s clinical psychologist also played a key role in resolving the problem. He provides regular consultation sessions for the staff team to help promote therapeutic practice.

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good

When the young person received home tuition, there were constant changes of tutor. For example, the inspector counted 15 different tutors over a period of four months. Staff confirmed that 95% of incidents during that period were caused by the young person resisting the appearance of another different tutor, or someone that they were expecting to arrive not turning up. Although the young person made a complaint and the home’s staff and manager challenged the inconsistent provision, the situation for that period of time was unacceptable. A requirement has been made within leadership and management. This is directed towards the wider company and its management of the school rather than the home, which was instrumental in resolving the matter.

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good

This children’s home works with young people in crisis. Risks to young people are identified well, with clear strategies for intervention that help to keep them safe.

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good

Serious incidents since the previous inspection have resulted in injuries to staff and damage to parts of the house. The damage is repaired as quickly as possible and the number of incidents has reduced since the previous inspection. When physical intervention has been necessary, restraints have been appropriate and are of short duration. Incidents and interventions, including consequences, are adequately recorded.

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good

The interim manager has identified emerging patterns. For example, the main trigger for the young person is unexpected changes in care and teaching staff. The manager has taken steps to reduce the frequency of incidents by working on achieving greater consistency of care.

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good

Young people occasionally absent themselves from the home for short periods, but staff know where they go and act correctly to make sure that they are safe. There have been no incidents of going missing, when staff do not know where he is. Like incidents, absences have reduced over time, but with a recent increase due to the young person feeling unsettled by an imminent review of his care plans. Staff have a good understanding of this and work with the young person to help him to assert his views on the situation. He is keen to remain in the home because he has formed good attachments.

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good

The home has recruited new staff since the previous inspection. Recruitment processes continue to be robust to safeguard vulnerable young people. The home’s health and safety provision is well monitored to keep young people safe.

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requires improvement

The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement because the Registered Manager has now been absent from the home for more than 26 weeks. The home’s Registered Manager has been on maternity leave since October 2014. The interim manager has tried to submit applications to Ofsted to register to manage the service, but this has been delayed by the need to obtain additional historical information that was not easy to access. This means that Ofsted still has not received a valid application for him to register as the manager. A requirement has been made to ensure that a valid application is submitted as soon as possible.

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requires improvement

There are also company shortfalls in educational provision that have adversely affected young people in this home. Although this has now been resolved for this young person, a requirement has been made to reduce the risk that this shortfall is repeated with other children. The home is fully aware of these shortfalls. The interim manager showed his ability to challenge another part of his own organisation to prioritise children’s needs when he took assertive action to address inconsistent education arrangements. As a result of his intervention, this situation has been resolved for this young person.

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requires improvement

Local authority staff praised the quality of care, but raised one point for improvement. The statutory guidance states that information about any incidents that take place with their young people should be notified within 24 hours. This is particularly important when the local authority is a significant distance from the home. Staff send this information to the placing authority, but sometimes this does not happen until they next come on shift. A recommendation has been made.

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requires improvement

The interim manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He has a foundation degree in child-centred therapeutic practice, which incorporated a leadership and management module. The provider’s evaluation is that this is equivalent to a national vocational qualification at level 5. The deputy manager is undertaking a degree in psychology. All but one of the staff are qualified to level 3 of above, which helps to maintain the good quality of care provided. In spite of the Registered Manager’s absence, the day-to-day management arrangements for this home are sound and safe. Over the past few months, some staff found working with young people in crisis exceptionally challenging, so some long-standing employees left. In response, the interim manager has worked hard to develop and maintain a new, stable staff team. They are well supervised and prioritise children’s needs at all times. Young people have responded to this good

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requires improvement

quality of care by making steady progress in most areas of their lives. Consequently, the home meets the objectives set out in its statement of purpose.

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requires improvement

The interim manager manages one other home that is only occupied in school holidays at present, so in term time, the shared management arrangements are workable. This is particularly the case since the appointment of very good deputy managers. However, when the homes are both occupied at the same time, the split management arrangements do not always promote the best outcomes for young people. For example, the young person in this home struggles when the manager, with whom he has a really good relationship, has to spend time in the other home. When the manager is at the other home, the young person can become unsettled.

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requires improvement

The interim manager has good ideas for the home’s future development, but the challenges of managing two homes have reduced the amount of time he could spend working on this. However, the manager ensured that improvement work took place in the kitchen and the garden last year. This year, he has plans to refurbish the bathroom, but had not received a budget at the time of the inspection. There is a generic development plan in place, but it is not yet personalised to this home. The manager is working on this with his staff team, so the plan and progress on improvements will be examined again at the interim inspection.

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requires improvement

The home works extremely well with other professionals, including the police and the local authority designated officer. Their involvement is reflected in the home’s location risk assessment. Social workers enjoy visiting the home and are made to feel very welcome. Professionals agree that the young person’s care needs are fully met.

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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

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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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