Children's home run by South West Childcare Services in Plymouth

Inspection report children’s home: SC486167 1 SC486167 Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for one child or young person that may have some emotional and/or behaviour difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is situated in a residential area on the outskirts of a city.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 28 to 29 September 2017

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 15 September 2016

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is good because: Inspection report children’s home: SC486167 2  Leaders and managers ensure that children receive a child-focused, therapeutic approach to their care. Children who live at this home are nurtured, supported and feel listened to.  Children make good progress across all aspects of their lives. They feel supported by staff who advocate for them well. Relationships between staff and children are positive and are built upon mutual trust and respect.  Children state that they feel safe and secure living in this home. They understand what steps staff will take to help them to be safer, should they place themselves in situations of risk or harm.

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 When staff are employed from overseas, steps need to be taken to ensure that their police and criminal history is fully understood.  Documentation in respect of medication should be reviewed to prevent errors. The current system is cumbersome and does not fully support the safe administration and keeping of medication.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/09/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/04/2016 Full Good 01/10/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/07/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC486167 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In order to meet this requirement— The registered person must— recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety; ensure that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. In particular full police and criminal checks should be undertaken for all adults working with children. (regulation 32 (3) (d)) 01/12/2017

p.3

Recommendations

 Suitable arrangements should be made to ensure that accurate records are kept in respect of medication. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live in this home are afforded good consistent care that is tailored to meet their current and emerging needs. Care provided to children is supported by a child psychologist. Children understand their care planning well and their wishes and feelings are balanced very well against risk factors. Staff have the skills required to manage complex and concerning behaviour. This approach to care supports children to feel cared for.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who come to live in or move on from this service are prepared and supported very well. One young person was afforded exceptional care when progressing on to another service within this organisation. A decision was made to move the registered Inspection report children’s home: SC486167 4 manager and staff team with them. This resulted in a smooth, positive transition.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live in this home make good progress from their starting points. They are provided with the support and services they need in order for their individual needs to be met. When young people are not receiving appropriate services, there is strong, appropriate challenge and good advocacy for children.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a welcoming and homely environment. They are involved in making choices about their home and purchasing new items to make their environment feel more homely. Children have pets and they are supported to be responsible and care for them well. There is a really nurturing feel to the home, which is reinforced further by the values and ethos of the staff that work in the home.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff know the children well, and relationships have been formed based upon honesty and mutual respect. Children feel valued and listened too. They are able to identify adults that they can turn to should they have any worries or concerns. There is good evidence of sensitive, but required, conversations taking place with children in order for them to be better prepared for the challenges they may face.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to learn skills that they will require as they transition into adulthood. They are clear about what their targets are and work hard to achieve them. Children are proud of their achievements and eager to do well. Appropriate rewards are provided to children and this supports them being engaged and motivated.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive, meaningful and increasing contact with their families. Staff build good relationships with parents and are available to support contact should parents or children require that.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children who live in in this home state that they feel safe and secure living here. They are confident that they can talk to staff if they have any concerns or worries. There are some current risks that are concerning for one child living in this home. Good multi- agency strategies are in place to support risk management and reduction. These strategies are reviewed and updated whenever a significant incident takes place. This has resulted in incidents, including incidents of children going missing, reducing.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When safeguarding concerns are identified for children, policy and procedures are followed. There is good communication with children’s social workers, and other agencies are informed when this is appropriate. This results in concerns being identified and addressed early.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Regular and meaningful discussions take place with children in respect of keeping safe. This supports children to better understand current risks. In an attempt to provide children with the knowledge and information they require, there are no boundaries to these conversations. Children were able to speak to the inspector about concerning Inspection report children’s home: SC486167 5 behaviours and discussions staff have had with them about this.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The arrangements in place for safer recruitment are good for staff who are employed from within the UK. A shortfall was identified in respect of the recruitment of one member of staff who was employed from overseas. Currently there are no structures in place to ensure that police and criminal checks are carried out if staff are employed from other countries. As a result, senior leaders cannot satisfy themselves that there are no criminal offences that may impact on the care of the children.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The arrangements for the safe keeping and recording of the use of medication are cumbersome. This has allowed for recording errors. While this has not directly impacted on the care or well-being of children, there is room for mistakes to be made.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered individual provides managers and staff with a child-focused and caring role model. She is respected and trusted by the children and the adults who work with her. Children come first, and this is demonstrated by this home closing for a period of time to support one young person on to their next placement.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A new manager has been appointed to this home. She demonstrates that she has the skills and experience required to lead this service in a child-focused and consistent way. She is diligent in her approach to work and holds positive work ethics. There is evidence that the manager is committed to continuing self-development and team development. As a result, she has earned the respect of children and staff alike.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that children are involved in decisions made about their home as much as possible. One child was involved in the interviewing process for the new manager for the home. They prepared questions, sat on the panel and took full part in the process. This made the child feel valued, listened to and important.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a real commitment to ensuring that the staff who work in this home are provided with good quality and relevant training. This provides staff with the confidence that they require to care for the children safely and appropriately. Staff feel valued because of this investment in their skills.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that supervision provided to staff is regular and meaningful. There is evidence of appropriate reflection and challenge, with the focus being good experiences and outcomes for children. The manager has demonstrated that she has used recent learning in supervision to improve practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have good communication with other agencies. When decisions are made in respect of managing risk, this is done in agreement and consultation with appropriate professionals. A shared and agreed approach to care supports risks for young people being reduced and better managed. Inspection report children’s home: SC486167 6

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

p.6

Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC486167 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor Flat, 46 Durnford Street, Plymouth PL1 3QN

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post vacant Lauren Young

p.7

Inspector(s)

Tracey Ledder, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC486167 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector(s)

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector(s)

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

p.8

Inspector(s)

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

p.8