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

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.2

The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 The children and young people in this home are making exceptional progress in all areas of their lives. External professionals confirm that children and young people have been helped to developed their resilience, self-confidence and self-esteem.  The children and young people, who are from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, are welcomed into this home where they are valued, respected and nurtured. They are encouraged and supported to maintain their cultural traditions and to learn about their countries of origin.  Children and young people are flourishing. One professional said, ‘From my experience of residential placements, I would say that (the home) is outstanding.’  Activities are chosen carefully to ensure that children can succeed and cope with new experiences so that their developing self-confidence is not undermined.  Children and young people do not go missing from home, nor have they

p.3

The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

engaged in any behaviour that places them at risk in the community. Incidents and physical interventions have significantly reduced since they arrived in the home.  The home is well resourced with a notably caring, mutually supportive team of staff from a diverse range of backgrounds, many of whom are educated to degree level. Staff frequently refer to the team as ‘a family’, and this is the atmosphere that pervades the home.  The senior leaders and the home’s interim and deputy managers are exceptionally supportive. They have held the staff team together and have remained positive during recent challenges that the home has faced. This has helped to maintain the children’s and young people’s sense of security and feeling of safety.  This is the second inspection in succession where the home has not had any requirements or recommendations made. Effective oversight by leaders and managers means that any areas that need attention are identified quickly

p.3

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is operated by a national company. The provider also operates other children’s services in the same area. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Admission is restricted to girls only.

p.4

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/10/2015 Full Good 09/12/2014 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/07/2014 Full Good

p.4

Outstanding

The children and young people living in this home receive an outstanding standard of individually tailored care. The home provides a nurturing, supportive environment and has considerable success in helping the children and young people to make progress from their starting points. One external professional said, ‘the most effective care has been in X’s current placement… The last time I saw her, I was quite taken aback by the confidence and resilience that she now has.’

p.5

Outstanding

Since the previous inspection, the children and young people have welcomed a much younger child to their home. The matching process has been thorough and sensitive to each child’s or young person’s needs. This younger age group is ideally suited to the home’s warm, positive atmosphere and therapeutic ethos.

p.5

Outstanding

The children and young people enjoy exceptionally good relationships with the staff team. An external professional commented, ‘X came across as so happy on her last review. Her complete persona had changed. I observed her for a while with the staff. She danced and she sang, she presented as very happy, and she talked and gave good eye contact. She is very confident.’

p.5

Outstanding

The children and young people enjoy a wide range of interesting and entertaining shared activities and pastimes with staff. Some young people are skilled in sports. The staff are extremely proud of the children’s achievements, for example, when one child recently won a race at a school sports event.

p.5

Outstanding

The interim manager has a very positive approach to engaging the children and young people in the community. One young person, who has previously found social interaction difficult, has been attending a local youth club for some time and ‘absolutely loves it’. She is now going to join a trampoline club to develop skills in an area where she has already shown ability. This will help to improve her self- esteem. A recently admitted young person is also being linked into activities in the local community.

p.5

Outstanding

Each child or young person has two key workers to help to ensure continuity of care and a guarantee that there is always someone who knows them whom they can talk to. They also readily approach the deputy managers and interim manager for help and advice, and this is welcomed. The whole household has a ‘family’ atmosphere, and they meet together after their evening meal to review the day and relax. This provides an excellent opportunity for informal discussions with the children and young people. The children and young people are usually extremely polite and respectful towards adults. The staff actively encourage visiting professionals to share meals with the children and young people.

p.5

Outstanding

The children and young people are fully involved in making plans for activities, and have individual schedules to guide them through each week. Although some are very young, they have started to help staff to prepare meals in the evenings, and have drawn up a menu together comprising foods that they can all cook together. Children enjoy a good, healthy diet.

p.6

Outstanding

The staff team works closely with the school to support any young people who may have difficulties with peers or academic work. This approach has been extremely effective in supporting all three young people with their education. This month, one child has made the difficult transition into mainstream secondary school, and the staff have developed very positive relationships with education professionals in order to support this challenging move. Another child moved from home tuition into school, which will be a new experience for her. These situations are managed well by the staff team.

p.6

Outstanding

The children and young people have their own ‘office’, opposite the staff office, where they can do their homework and access the internet to support their learning and development.

p.6

Outstanding

The children and young people enjoy very good health, and are registered with dentists, doctors and opticians in the locality. They receive specialist therapeutic support, as needed. The children and young people are exceptionally well supported by a team of qualified and experienced psychologists. The staff also receive regular clinical consultation to support their practice. Very little medication is used in the home, but it is well managed.

p.6

Outstanding

The home manages the children’s and young people’s behaviour exceptionally well. Staff present clear messages to help the children and young people to understand and maintain behavioural boundaries. Positive behaviour is quickly rewarded and consequences have been replaced by a more coherent strategy of restorative measures so that the children and young people can learn from the experience.

p.6

Outstanding

The children and young people are too young to be on a formal independence programme, but the staff encourage and support them to learn age-appropriate life skills, as any parent would.

p.6

Outstanding

Each child and young person has a clear plan for family contact, in line with the local authority’s wishes. The home is helping placing authorities to reintroduce contact for some children, which is a positive outcome for them. Judgement grade

p.6

Outstanding

The children feel safe and secure in this well-maintained home. There have been two safeguarding concerns since the previous inspection. In both cases, the home acted correctly to safeguard the children and young people. The lead officer for safeguarding ensures that there is always learning from any incident, and staff are fully debriefed. All staff receive regularly updated training to ensure that their child protection and e-safety skills are current.

p.7

Outstanding

The safeguarding lead has recently reviewed safeguarding training and the physical intervention method used because she considered that there was room for improvement.

p.7

Outstanding

The home has exceptionally well-written risk assessments, which are recorded on the electronic database. These are updated with each significant change to reflect the young people’s needs and vulnerabilities.

p.7

Outstanding

The children live in a large house near the city centre, which is two properties joined on each floor level. Although the two houses have separate names, they are effectively one building. There is a well maintained and attractive double-width garden which is well stocked with flowers and shrubs. There is a barbecue and a trampoline, and the children and young people like to use the garden.

p.7

Outstanding

Substantial funds have been made available for a refurbishment programme, and this work is now underway. The home is well decorated and rooms are refreshed when required. The young people have excellent bedrooms which are designed and decorated to their taste. During the inspection, one young person wanted to move her room around, and was encouraged to do so. The staff help the young people to keep their bedrooms tidy.

p.7

Outstanding

There have been no incidents of young people going missing from this home. The children and young people are quite young, and are consequently accompanied by staff during their time outside education.

p.7

Outstanding

The interim manager has reviewed the behavioural management strategies in use in the home. Specifically, she has instructed the staff that no child is to be held, apart from in extreme circumstances and then only in a small-child hold. The staff are all trained in de-escalation techniques and use these to manage the majority of situations. The interim manager says that she wishes to work towards a no- restraint policy.

p.7

Outstanding

Physical intervention has reduced considerably since May 2016. A new young person admitted at that time did need to be held at frequent intervals for a period while she settled in, but incidents have now reduced to the point where restraint is rare. The interim manager has also stopped the use of the term ‘consequence’ and has put in place a system of restorative measures, which are directly linked and relevant to the child’s actions.

p.7

Outstanding

The home has a system of rewards to reinforce positive behaviour. This has been established as an effective way to support staff’s efforts to change how they manage difficult situations. One young person received a reward during the inspection, because they had walked away from a conflict at school. One external professional said, ‘the placement is managing her behaviours very, very effectively and well. Staff are very focused on getting her to reflect on her behaviours. They commend and reward positives.’

p.8

Outstanding

All incidents are recorded in detail. There is always a fully documented debriefing of staff and young people when any incident takes place. The interim manager and the registered manager before her have carefully monitored all physical interventions and incidents.

p.8

Outstanding

The home has an effective programme of safety checks, including fire safety tests and drills. These are up to date and are managed well.

p.8

Outstanding

Staff files examined on this inspection related to the staff appointed since the last inspection. The files seen were well organised and contained all the necessary information to comply with schedule 2 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015. Each reference has been fully verified by phone, and the outcomes of these conversations have been recorded. This helps to ensure that only suitable staff are employed to work with the children and young people.

p.8

Good

The home has recently undergone an unexpected change with the registered manager’s sudden departure after many years in post. Although this was a sad time for the staff, children and young people, senior leaders and the deputy manager have managed the situation sensitively and supportively. The former registered manager came back to say goodbye, which provided a defined ending to what has been a really important relationship for all the adults and children at the home.

p.8

Good

The deputy manager, who had only recently been promoted at that time, took on the role for several weeks, supported by senior leaders. During this period, she and the staff worked diligently to minimise the impact of the registered manager’s departure on the children and young people. A deputy manager from another home in the area was brought in to provide additional support. In the past four weeks, in addition to the two deputies, an extremely experienced interim manager has been appointed who holds a level 5 management qualification. This means that, although the registered manager’s departure was unexpected and could not be planned for, the company has responded to the situation quickly and effectively. There is a strong management team whose members work well together. The interim manager’s effective skills in monitoring and driving improvement have helped the deputy manager to stabilise the staff

p.8

Good

team and provide a secure base for the children and young people.

p.9

Good

Although three staff left the home in quick succession and there was a period of staff shortages, the deputy and interim managers have ensured that there is now a full staff team. Staff worked exceptionally hard to fill shifts and ensure that the use of bank staff was kept to a minimum. Two new staff have recently started in post. They are really pleased with their very full two-week induction, followed by a warm welcome to the home.

p.9

Good

The interim manager leads the staff in an open and transparent way, and has a clear vision for the home and the changes that she wants to make. The staff interviewed during this inspection are highly motivated and, although they were adversely affected by the management changes at the time, they now feel that they can move on positively. They are exceptionally well supported by a strong senior management team. The staff receive regular supervision and clinical consultation. Appraisals are held annually, with a separate review, and are linked closely to the staff development plan.

p.9

Good

The company provides very good quality training, and supports staff exceptionally well to engage in further learning, including higher education. Some new starters will not be ready for some months to enrol on their level 3 qualifications, but one of the senior care staff has now achieved the assessors’ award and will be used to offer support to them when they have enrolled on the training.

p.9

Good

The home’s regulation 44 visitor visits every month and provides detailed and insightful reports that help to drive improvement. The responsible individual has welcomed constructive challenge and has responded positively to any comments made. The home has a clear and effective development plan to guide further improvement. There are also plans for the workforce and how their professional development will be supported.

p.9

Good

The interim manager has recently updated the home’s statement of purpose, which meets the requirements of schedule 1 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015. The revised document has been submitted to Ofsted and reflects the recent management changes.

p.9

Good

The staff and managers have worked hard to foster strong relationships with other organisations, including the police and staff from the company’s school.

p.9

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’. 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

p.11

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.11

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

p.12

Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and ‘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 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.12

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, work- based 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,

p.13

Information about this inspection

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

p.13

Information about this inspection

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

p.13

Information about this inspection

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

p.13