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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has sustained effectiveness because it continues to provide good quality care for the young person and they are thriving. However, there have been major changes in leadership and management. This has affected the home’s staffing and overall level of improvement. One of the two recommendations made at the full inspection has not been met and has been repeated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the previous inspection, the home has continued to offer good quality care for a single young person. There have been no further admissions; nor have any young people moved on from the home. The young person in residence has made very good progress in all areas, including education. She now enjoys regular and increasing contact with family members. The young person also benefits from warm, positive and respectful relationships with the staff team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person lives in a pleasant, attractive and well-presented home where she can follow her chosen activities. During the inspection, she was preparing to visit family members and was pleased that she had been able to spend Christmas and New Year with them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person says that she is happy in the home. School is going well, although there has been a single incident when an adult upset her, and she found it necessary to leave the premises. It is really positive that the young person walked back to the home and did not go missing or take any unnecessary risks.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home’s registered manager and two highly experienced and well-respected staff left in December to join another company. This has had an understandable impact on the home, not least because it created staff shortages. The company has responded swiftly to ensure that there is a full complement of staff, so the situation is under control, but the home now has to go through the process of registering a new manager and stabilising a permanent staff team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The remaining staff have responded very professionally. Team members from other homes have come to help out while new appointments are made. The staff have welcomed the new interim manager, and consequently the atmosphere in the home is positive, warm and optimistic. This has helped to ensure that the young person’s care has not been affected by these changes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person continues to receive good quality day-to-day care, which includes regular consultation about her life in the home. She benefits from regular key worker sessions to help talk through daily life and any challenges that she faces.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person has learned to manage their behaviour very well. There have been no serious incidents since the full inspection, which is very positive. The staff describe the young person as ‘a delight to care for’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The interim manager has only been in post for a few short weeks. He has received a full induction, but is understandably still learning about the company’s electronic recording system. This provides effective monitoring tools to help ensure that the quality of service is maintained and improved, but the manager has had insufficient time to establish himself in the regular monitoring of the home. This will be followed up at the next full inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The interim manager has recently worked in London as a manager for a service for adults with acute mental health needs. He already holds a qualification at level 5 in leadership and management, which he completed quickly and efficiently. He is about to submit an application to Ofsted to be the registered manager of this home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although he has not recently worked in children’s services, the interim manager does have transferable skills. His mental health experience will stand him in good stead in managing a home for young people with complex needs. He also has invaluable experience of working and living in diverse countries and cultures, which will enhance the service for the young people and their families.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has responded to one of the recommendations made at the full inspection, which relates to the need to ensure that each young person’s individual risk assessment includes information from the social worker’s assessment of risk from child sexual exploitation. The risk assessment now includes this information. The home has not yet updated the children’s guide with contact information for the Children’s Commissioner. The recommendation has, therefore, been repeated.

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered for one child irrespective of 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.

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Information about this children's home

This setting is one of several children’s homes, a small specialist school and a fostering service which are owned and operated by a private company. Until recently it has been jointly managed with another home, which is situated approximately 12 miles away, but the company now plans to register individual managers for the two homes. 

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Recommendation(s)

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

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Recommendation(s)

Ensure that the children in their care understand their rights as a child looked after, or child living in a children’s home. Children must be informed of how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for advice and assistance about their rights and entitlements. In particular, ensure that this information is contained within the children’s guide. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, paragraphs 4.19 and 4.22)

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/08/2016 Full Good 12/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/05/2015 Full Good 09/12/2014 Interim Improved effectiveness

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 0300 123 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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

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