Children's home run by Five Rivers Chid 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 provide very good-quality, child-centred, nurturing care, supported by clear behavioural boundaries. This helps the child to understand that he is secure and highly regarded, but that certain behaviours are unacceptable.  The home is well managed by a registered, qualified manager. The staff receive exceptionally good supervision and support, including clinical consultation. This has enhanced their practice and has helped to improve the outcomes for the child.  Consequently, the child has made very good progress since his arrival in the home. Interventions are carefully planned and monitored, and the therapeutic ethos of the home has enabled the child to develop some attachments.  The manager and staff have challenged shortfalls in service provision in order to establish the child in education. He now attends every day and has made good progress.  The manager and staff have also challenged the practice of other

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The children's home provision is good because:

professionals when necessary. They have gone over and above what might have been expected in order to advocate for their child. This has had a directly positive impact on the child’s outcomes.  The child enjoys exceptionally good activities and has been encouraged to try new sports, hobbies and pastimes. These are carefully managed to increase the child’s self-confidence and not to challenge him in areas where he is less likely to succeed.  Professionals from other agencies are full of praise for the progress that their child has made. They find the manager and staff extremely easy to work with and commented on the very good-quality communication between their service and the home.  The home is well located and within easy reach of excellent beaches and beautiful countryside. It provides a relaxing, attractive environment for children and young people.

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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

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, ensure that the tumble drier is vented correctly to the exterior, to avoid having the back door open. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that each child’s day-to-day health and well-being needs are met. In particular, seek qualified medical advice with regard to any requirement that individual children may, or may not have, for sun protection. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, paragraph 7.3)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, ensure that staff evidence the quality of the direct work undertaken with children in their recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned home is operated by a national organisation, which operates six children’s homes, a small, specialist day school and an independent fostering service in the Southwest region. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

Children living in this home receive intelligent, well-informed and nurturing individual care. The staff focus on the children’s needs at all times and put them firmly at the centre of all activities and plans. The current resident has been living in the home for just over a year and has made very good progress. Professionals from outside of the service commented very positively on their child’s achievements and on how the staff have contributed to these. As a direct result of the home’s intervention, the child is much more stable. He has gained in confidence and, although there are occasional incidents, these are managed very effectively to minimise risk to all parties. One professional remarked on the therapeutic nature of the home’s practice, which has enabled the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) to work with the child primarily through a reliable and professional staff team. One of the team

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Good

said, ‘I have been really impressed with [the company]; I really value the home’s approach.’ Another professional said, ‘The children’s home staff are absolutely brilliant. They really understand [the child]’s needs and manage very well.’ All those consulted said that they find the home’s child-centred practice and communication to be very good. The home asserts very clear behavioural boundaries. For example, children understand the consequences of potentially risky behaviour, and the manager ensures that this is not reinforced by inappropriately timed rewards. For example, a child who showed unsafe behaviour in the car was not permitted to go with staff to collect a toy, because this would involve a car journey. The child’s placing authority has struggled to find an appropriate education placement for him. At the previous inspection, the child had a tailor-made outreach education programme. Since then, it has become apparent that this was too much

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Good

for him to cope with, and an alternative had to be found. The manager tried a number of creative measures and challenged the lack of provision, fighting to achieve the right service for the child. At this point, the company offered a place in their school. Although this is a long drive from the home, which is very tiring for the child, this development has been successful. The child is now attending every day and making progress. The child enjoys a very wide range of activities. He has his own fishing licence and recently went on an overnight camping trip with staff. This included night fishing, and when the registered manager visited him he taught her how to catch a fish, which was a positive experience for him. The child also enjoys the cinema, bowling, high ropes, going to the trampoline park and fossil hunting. The staff have taken him to many local attractions during the summer, including fetes, agricultural shows and steam fayres.

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Good

Contact with members of his family has helped the child to maintain his sense of identity. Relationships between the family and the home are positive, and the manager and staff work closely with them. The child’s healthcare needs are well documented on the home’s electronic recording system. The child has regular appointments with local healthcare professionals, as well as with relevant specialists, including CAMHS. He enjoys a well-balanced, home-cooked diet. During the inspection, staff were preparing a meal of venison sausages, which the child wanted to try. He had chosen these for himself during a shopping trip. The child’s views are sought on a daily basis and taken into account in all the home’s plans and activities. The child receives dedicated time to speak with his key worker, and all the staff in the home work directly with him. There is evidence in the staff logs that some very good-quality direct work is taking place, but this is not

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Good

sufficiently well evidenced in the key worker records to enable managers to monitor this work effectively. A recommendation has been made. There is a clear system in place to help a child who wishes to raise a complaint, and the relevant information is on a notice board in the dining room. The child has not made any complaints since the previous inspection. The child is not yet of an age when formal preparation for independence must begin, but he enjoys preparing food and can earn rewards for helping in the home. The home has a number of books and recipes to help the child to prepare food that reflects his cultural heritage, should he choose to do so.

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Good

The home maintains very good-quality, detailed risk assessments on every aspect of the child’s care and protection. All activities and daily routines are subject to close scrutiny to ensure that there are safe systems of work in place. Discussion took place about some family members’ strongly held view that children of dual heritage African-Caribbean/White ethnicity may potentially be harmed by the use of sunscreen creams. The manager has responded to this correctly, by respecting parental wishes and writing a risk assessment to help to reduce any risk of sunburn and other potential skin problems by other means, such as covering up, good hydration and staying in shady areas. As this is a specialist area of expertise, and everyone involved is worried that some harm may be done by making the wrong decision, a recommendation has been made to seek qualified medical advice about sun protection for this particular child.

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Good

There have been no child safeguarding concerns since the previous full inspection. The staff are trained in child protection, which includes child sexual exploitation. The child is able to access the internet subject to suitable safeguards. Staff have received some e-safety training as part of their foundation safeguarding instruction, and further training is on offer within the next few weeks. There has been only one instance of the child going missing. This followed an incident which took place soon after the interim inspection in February, when the child was being educated by outreach tutors, based at local venues such as youth clubs. The child was out of the staff’s sight for two hours and was found unharmed. The staff acted correctly and were persistent in their efforts to locate him. It was partly in response to this incident that education provision was reviewed and a place was offered at the company’s own school, which is a safer and more

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Good

structured environment. The home’s fire, health and safety checks are up to date. Fire drills have been conducted during the day and at night, to help to ensure that the child and staff are able to evacuate the home under a range of circumstances. The home has a clear system for recording incidents, to help the manager to ensure that risk assessments are updated and that progress is monitored effectively. Between the previous full and interim inspections, there was a substantial reduction in the level of serious incidents and physical intervention. There have been 11 physical interventions since the interim inspection in February 2016, which is very good progress. The manager has spoken with staff about the quality of restraint recording, and there has been a marked improvement since April 2016. There have been two incidents, including one during the week of the inspection, when the child behaved dangerously in the car by attempting to cover the driver’s

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Good

head while the vehicle was in motion. Risk assessments have been updated in response to this. For example, the child now has to sit in the back of the car, not behind the driver, and with a member of staff sitting next to him. The necessity of non-essential journeys that are likely to lead to heightened behaviour is being reviewed on a day-to-day basis. The manager decided that a visit to a very large and exceptionally exciting toy store was not sensible under the circumstances and so she wisely postponed this. These serious incidents were dealt with well at the time, and the staff and manager responded to them fairly. The staff respond to the child’s achievements with rewards based on his earning stars. The child has engaged in this process and is willing to work towards his rewards. Since the previous inspection, there have been two complaints against the home, both from adults in the locality. These have been responded to diplomatically, and

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Good

there have been no lasting consequences. Generally, children and young people living in this home are accepted in the community, and the present resident is starting to make some friends.

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Good

The home has a qualified, experienced registered manager who has been with the company for 13 years. She was registered in November 2013. The manager has effective deputising arrangements in place, through her two senior staff, and is also very well supported by her own line managers. The manager leads her staff team by example, and has a very positive relationship with the child. In addition to supporting her staff through regular supervision and appraisals, the registered manager monitors the home effectively, making use of the electronic recording and management tools available. Her regulation 45 reports are informative and evaluative, providing an accurate insight into the home’s operation. The home continues to receive monthly regulation 44 visits. The reports are comprehensive and helpful in guiding the home’s continuing improvement. The home’s statement of purpose provides an accurate description of the service

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Good

and meets regulatory requirements. This document is well laid out and easy for young people, parents and professionals to read. The home is fully staffed, and the team members work very well together. The present resident has two-to-one staffing, to reflect his young age and specific needs. The home is located in a quiet residential street in a relatively safe coastal area. There is very easy access to lovely beaches and open countryside for children and young people to enjoy. The house is very nicely decorated, and provides a relaxing and comfortable home for children. There is a large enclosed garden, which was due to be developed but these plans are still under discussion with senior managers. The registered manager has shown exceptional ability to advocate for children and young people. This has included a very sensitive piece of work with the placing authority, when communication difficulties began to have an impact on the child.

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Good

This situation has now been resolved. The home also works very effectively with families and the local CAMHS team and has excellent relationships with the company’s school staff. There is good communication with Ofsted, but very few notifications have been needed. At the previous full inspection, the inspector found that reference verification was not recorded effectively. At the interim inspection, the recommendation was repeated because it was not possible to see evidence that the matter had been actioned. The company has not recruited any new staff for this home since that time. The inspector is aware, from inspections of the company’s other homes, that the human resources department now has an effective auditing system in place to ensure that all the appropriate checks have been completed. The previous recommendation is, therefore, regarded as 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 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

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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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