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

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 good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness .

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The children and young people in this home are all making very good progress. One young person is planning to move into independent accommodation. He has attended college diligently. He has done extremely well and has obtained very good results in his chosen course.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The two younger children are also making really good progress in their education. They are reasonably settled in their behaviour and there has been no repetition of the very worrying incident that took place before the full inspection, in which a child climbed onto the roof. The staff are helping one child to establish a positive contact plan with members of their close family, in line with the child’s wishes.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

All three children and young people are cared for extremely well and have excellent relationships with the staff. The staff help them to keep memory jars, which are stored in the dining room and contain memorabilia of activities and events which will help them to recall their time at the home positively.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Since the previous inspection, one young person has left the home and there have been no new admissions. The young person who has moved on had their placement terminated due to serious concerns about their safety and that of the other children and young people. This was due to them going missing repeatedly and bringing to the home members of the public who were causing disruption and concern to the other residents.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This young person was also unable to sustain school attendance and their behaviour was sometimes a poor influence on other residents of the home. Relationships between the children and young people were not always harmonious. This made one of the longer-term residents unhappy and withdrawn.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The interim manager worked hard to safeguard the children’s and young people’s welfare and did not want to end the placement. However, a serious incident, which may have involved this young person, took place in the nearby town and brought matters to a head. A decision had to be made to give notice to the placing authority. In spite of this young person’s sudden departure, the staff helped him to retrieve all of his belongings and say goodbye in a positive way.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Some staff are still in contact with former residents who left the home several months ago. It is clear from conversations with the staff that they still have a deep commitment to all the young people for whom they have cared over the years. The staff feel very sad when vulnerable young people go through difficult periods in their lives. They always speak with them and do their best to help, within the limitations of their role.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

A current resident confirmed that since the fourth resident’s departure, the home has been much more settled and calm. The home now cares for two younger children and an older teenager. Despite the large age range, this mix is working well and there have been very few incidents. Only one young person was available to contribute to the inspection, but he said that everything was good. He has been a resident for four years and has made a considerable and valued contribution to the home’s daily plans and longer-term objectives.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

There have been four physical interventions used since the full inspection, all of which involving one younger child. These interventions were appropriate and were of short duration. There have been no child protection or other safeguarding concerns in relation to the present residents.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home’s former registered manager moved to another post within the company last year. The responsible individual has also moved on recently. Ofsted was informed about these changes in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The experienced, qualified interim manager has submitted a registration application to Ofsted. She has recently received her fit person interview and awaits the outcome, subject to satisfactory references. The interim manager is supported by a very competent deputy, who assisted the inspector and was able to discuss the home’s development plans with clarity and confidence.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The manager and her deputy monitor the young people’s care effectively and identify areas of practice that require further improvement. For example, they are committed to improving the fabric of the home and, as it is now two years since the last major refurbishment, there are plans to update the furniture in the lounge.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

New sofas and chairs have been on order since January of this year and their arrival is awaited. The deputy manager explained that there is now a date next month for the redecoration to begin. The lounge carpet is badly stained and will look out of place with nice new furniture, so a recommendation has been made to support the continuing refurbishment programme by either deep cleaning the carpet or replacing it if this proves ineffective.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home has a new independent visitor who has produced very detailed and helpful reports. The manager and her deputy welcome external and internal scrutiny because they understand that this is an important part of driving further improvement in the home.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The interim manager and the staff team have worked very hard with other professionals and services to ensure that the children and young people receive the services that they need. The home has very positive relationships with educational establishments, local clubs and youth services, and the police.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The interim manager has been successful in challenging a difficult situation with a placing authority. The authority had serious resource problems which were having a negative impact on one of the children in the home. After several months, during which the child had no social work contact, the local authority has now allocated a new social worker and she has been to visit the child concerned.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The interim manager has also raised a concern about a physical intervention that was carried out by another organisation on a former resident of this home. Her strength of character and determination show that she is not afraid to advocate for children and young people to ensure that their rights are upheld.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home has made good progress on the three requirements and four recommendations that were made at the previous inspection. All have been met in full.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home has now updated its statement of purpose, in line with Schedule 1 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, and sent this to Ofsted in January. The interim manager has kept in close contact with Ofsted regarding a number of complex and challenging situations. She has worked well with the regulatory body. Ofsted has received notifications as required and has been informed of other serious concerns which have an impact on the children’s and young people’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The home was asked to take urgent steps to prevent children and young people from accessing the very steep roof of the building and to update the premises risk assessment with the measures that had been taken. Action was taken immediately to stop children and young people from climbing onto the roof. The garden fence has been repaired and is now safe, neat and tidy.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Medication is now administered with due regard to safety and confidentiality. None of the present residents are on regular medication. The staff have been reminded that when medicines are needed they must be administered in a private area which cannot be accessed by other children and young people while the medicine is being handled. The home’s action in this matter also meets one of the recommendations.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Food hygiene in the home has much improved. There is a shortage of storage space in the kitchen, but this is being well managed by staff,

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The requirement that was made at the last inspection required the home to update the premises risk assessment. Although this document was seen during the full inspection, it could not be located on this occasion, but it was subsequently emailed to the inspector. This document has been updated and provides a detailed evaluation of potential hazards in the home, so the requirement has been met.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The three remaining recommendations have been met in full. The staff are now more aware of the risks associated with young people modelling inappropriate habits, such as smoking. They took action to reduce this risk and the young person who smoked has moved on from the home.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The manager was asked to ensure that all the relevant information for each incident in the home is recorded in one place, namely on the electronic records system. Incident reports are now all on this electronic system and can be monitored easily. Staff complete and upload an incident report form, which immediately notifies the senior management team that an incident has taken place and that a full report will follow.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The third recommendation concerned the need to conduct return home interviews for young people who go missing. The home worked with a placing authority to try to ensure that return home interviews were offered to a resident who frequently went missing. These were offered by phone and the young person declined, but the staff did their best to facilitate this contact.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is operated by a national company. The provider also operates a number of other children’s services in England, including fostering services. This children’s home is located within easy reach of the company’s own specialist independent day school.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five boys and/or young men who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/10/2016 Full Good 16/11/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/04/2015 Full Outstanding 08/12/2014 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive. In particular, ensure that the work planned to refurbish the home’s lounge is completed, including replacement of the sofas and chairs, and deep cleaning or replacement of the carpet. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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 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

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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