Children's home run by Phoenix Child Care Limited in North Devon

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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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness .

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home has been without a registered manager for more than 26 weeks and as such has declined in effectiveness since the previous inspection. Recruitment to this post has proved difficult. One successfully appointed manager failed to turn up on the first day of employment. This was without explanation and has caused further unpredictable delays in the home having a suitable manager in place.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Shortfalls identified at the previous inspection have been either fully or partially addressed. Improvements in record keeping are a work in progress. The developments made so far benefit young people.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Plans which support the development and progress of young people have improved. Several plans have been brought together to increase access to information and support regular review and updates. Paper copies of records are made available until it is clear that a new electronic recording system is fully implemented and used by all staff. Some records are not as useful as they could be. Presenting risks do not always have a date attached so it is not possible to determine if these are current or historic risks. Some planning actions are ongoing, which implies that these are already achieved.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The policy which supports the use of personal electronic devices and storage of information has not been reviewed. Some staff are in breach of a policy which is out of date with current usage of IT equipment and advances in technology.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The frequency of supervision has improved. However, there are still occasional gaps. This denies staff some formal opportunities for raising concerns and/or reflecting on and developing their practice.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Staff have been following a rehabilitation plan which involves a young person returning to live with their family in a familiar area. To this end, a sibling and a parent have visited and stayed overnight at the home. Support and guidance are being offered and there is increased access to specialist support services since the previous inspection. There is some improvement in school attendance and while this remains below expected levels, the staff have supported the young person to look at further education options. A college placement has been secured for the future, initial visits have taken place and the young person has attended taster days. Courses have been sourced to develop the young person’s strengths, skills and interests.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Better planning around staffing considers skills and experiences alongside relationships with the young person. This has led to a reduction in difficult incidents. It has not been necessary to use physical intervention as a means of controlling behaviour. All staff are trained in safe techniques should these be needed. Despite a history of running away, there have not been any recent incidents when the young person has gone missing from this home. Staff have been able to keep him safe.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Aspects of fire safety have improved. Fire detection devices are checked on a weekly basis. The fire safety officer in the home is now able to adjust fire door closures so that these are always effective. Some ‘fire angels’ have been fitted so that doors can be held open but will close automatically in the event of a fire. Records of evacuation drills lack some clarity about who has been involved and the date that they last took part.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Improvements to the home have been made. This includes refurbishment of a downstairs toilet. The isolated location of the home is carefully considered as a part of any pre-placement assessment. Public transport is limited and there are few resources within walking distance.

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private provider of education and social care for children and young people. It provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or a learning disability. (Just one young person has been accommodated at the home at this inspection and at the previous full inspection.) The home is situated in a rural area near to the coast and a car is provided. Young people can attend education in the company school or via an external provision.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/09/2015 Full Requires improvement 13/11/2014 Full Adequate

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

27: Appointment of manager (1) The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children's home if— (a) there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and (b) the registered provider— (i) is an organisation or a partnership; (ii) does not satisfy Regulation 28; or (iii) is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (2) If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— (a) the name of the person so appointed; and (b) the date on which the appointment takes effect.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i–iii) (2)(a)(b)) 31/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person must have a system in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  Some records may be kept electronically (Regulation 38) provided that this information can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view it and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. Electronic records should be held at the individual home in accordance with data protection principles. IT systems should ensure the safe storage of these records and business continuity planning should be in place to prevent loss or damage to them. In particular,

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Recommendations

update and implement the IT safety and use of electronic devices policy. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 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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