Children's home run by Plus One South West Ltd

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 home is effectively managed by a well-qualified, experienced and trained registered manager. He and the staff team place young people at the centre of their practice. He has a good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the home.  Staff receive good support, effective supervisions and an annual appraisal.  The young person receives individualised care and support from a staff team that is knowledgeable of his needs, and involves him in the planning of his care. Placement plans and risk assessments clearly guide and support staff in how to meet his needs and to reduce risk.  Independence is promoted, and the young person is learning new skills that will assist him in later life. He feels listened to and consulted.  The registered manager appropriately challenges the school and the placing authority to ensure that the young person receives good-quality education. He promotes good relationships with other agencies and authorities and

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The children's home provision is good because:

with neighbours.  The young person is provided with and supported to access a variety of social and leisure interests. This includes specific activities that are hobbies, such as attending drama lessons, and the local sea cadets.  The home provides a safe environment and is homely, decorated to a high standard and well maintained.  Recommendations made for improvement include, ensuring staff further promote the young person’s education needs, healthcare plans reflect the support in healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle, and staff receive training in e-safety.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the necessary support is given to children to enable them to access their education. In particular, through discussions with school and the placing authority, continue to promote their increased time in education ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.13).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home works towards supporting the health and well-being of each child. In particular, health plans should identify how staff promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 34, paragraph 7.7).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the workforce plan includes any new training to be completed by staff while working in the home. In particular, staff should be provided with training in e-safety ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.8).

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide accommodation for up to three young people, irrespective of gender, who may have emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

1 February 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

The registered manager is proactive in challenging the placing authority and headteacher to ensure that the young person in school receives good educational opportunities. The young person is currently on a ‘transitional programme’ into full- time education. He is currently receiving 20.5 hours a week of education at school, and care staff are providing meaningful activities out of school hours. The registered manager is in close liaison with the headteacher and has requested that homework be sent home so that the staff can undertake additional work with the young person. The headteacher confirmed that the young person’s attendance at school is 100%. The young person receives individualised care and support. His experiences in the home are good and as a result, he is progressing well. There are good relationships between staff and the young person. He feels listened to and consulted. The young person is confident that staff respect his privacy and dignity.

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Good

He has positive views about living in the home and he said, ‘The staff are really nice and friendly. Staff make it a friendly place to live, and they are helpful.’ Staff promote his independence and this work is helping the young person to develop his skills for adult life. The young person said, ‘My new skills in cooking are making scrambled egg and beans on toast.’ In addition, he said, ‘I change my bed and have done chores such as hoovering, and cleaning the bathroom.’ Staff promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. However, the young person’s placement plan does not reflect the efforts that staff are making to promote a healthy lifestyle. Staff provide good emotional support and they ensure that the young person attends his formal therapeutic support meetings. The young person enjoys a wide range of social and recreational opportunities. These include cinema, beach walks, museum, sea cadets, drama groups,

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Good

swimming, quad biking and shopping. He gave 10/10 for how much he enjoys the activities. The referral and admissions process is robust. As a result, young people experience a smooth transition when moving in, and when they leave the home. The young person said. ‘When I came to visit here, I thought it was nice and friendly.’ He added, ‘After I arrived, staff took me shopping and I chose my own duvet and lamps. I have a double bed.’ The young person is settled and happy. Although the young person’s family members and significant others live some distance from the home, staff promote contact. In respect of this, the young person’s social worker said, ‘Staff do this really well.’ The home is decorated, furnished and maintained to a high standard. This provision benefits the young person.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that the young person’s known risks are identified and that staff are provided with comprehensive risk assessments that guide and support them in how to manage and reduce the risk. These plans are regularly reviewed to ensure they are relevant and up to date. Since the previous inspection, there have not been any recorded incidents of restraint, sanctions being imposed, missing from home incidents, accidents, complaints or any investigations into allegations or suspicion of harm. The young person said, ‘I feel safe and I know how to make a complaint.’ He understands the needs for constraints when using the internet. However, he is supported to use this safely with staff support. Staff support the young person to manage his behaviour and feelings in a safe and supportive manner. Positive behaviour is promoted, and staff ensure that there is continuity and consistency of boundaries. The young person is rewarded for

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Good

positive behaviour, in particular, for attending school and for making a positive contribution at an activity club that he attends. The registered manager ensures that the young person lives in a safe environment. There are regular checks on the home’s utility services. Fire safety is promoted and all staff and the young person take part in regular fire drills.

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Good

This home is managed effectively by a registered manager who has the appropriate qualification, experience and training to perform his role. He has recently completed the required level 5 diploma. As a result, he feels he has a better understanding of his role enabling him to lead the team well. He has been in post since September 2014. There is effective monitoring and good evaluation of the service. The registered manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home, and regularly undertakes comprehensive reviews of the quality of care provided. There is regular external scrutiny of the home. Any recommendations are acted on and result in improvements to the provision. The two recommendations that were made at the last inspection have been met. The home’s statement of purpose clearly reflects the services that are provided. Young people are provided with a child-friendly guide to the home which one

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Good

young person who was recently admitted to the home found helpful. The registered manager and staff place the young person at the centre of their practice. He is committed to ensuring that young people ‘have a voice’ and ensures that, through effective consultation, the young person’s views and opinions are sought. He ensures that staff are provided with a comprehensive placement plan that clearly identifies how the needs of the young person are to be met. The plan has been devised in consultation with the young person. The manager provides regular updates about the young person’s progress to his social worker. The social worker said that this information is useful and informative. Overall, staff are well trained and experienced. Five of the six staff who work at the home have a formal qualification at level 3. The remaining member of staff is undertaking this qualification. They undertake all mandatory training, and specific

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Good

training to meet the needs of the young people who are placed at the home. This includes training on safeguarding, positive handling, first aid, fire safety, missing from care, child sexual exploitation, radicalisation, attachment disorders, equality and diversity and post-traumatic disorder. However, staff have not received e- safety training. The registered manager ensures that staff meetings are regularly held. He ensures that staff are able to express their views and opinions, and to contribute to the development of the home. Staff receive regular practice-related supervision and are encouraged to reflect on their work with the young person. All staff receive an annual appraisal. As a result, staff are well supported and their development is promoted. The registered manager promotes good professional relationships with a variety of authorities, agencies and individuals. These include the placing authority, police,

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Good

education and neighbours. Positive feedback has been received from the headteacher and neighbours about the quality of relationships the registered manager has with them. The immediate neighbours said, ‘The staff and young person are good neighbours. They act neighbourly, and if we had any concerns [we] would speak to the manager.’

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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 whom 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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