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

Inspection report children's home: SC059717 1 SC059717 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 September 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children's home: SC059717 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders’, managers’ and the staff teams’ care of young people means that their experiences while living in the home consistently exceed good standards.  This home has demonstrated a sustained, high level of performance over time. This is the second successive inspection where the home has been judged as outstanding, and the fourth successive inspection where no requirements or recommendations have been made.  There are many examples of excellent nurturing practice that are worthy of wider dissemination.  The managers of this home are excellent leaders. They inspire the staff team and young people to do well. Leaders and managers are ambitious for the young people in their care, and they are influential in helping the young people to make significant progress from their starting points.  Leaders, managers and staff skilfully help young people who have experienced trauma to develop positive relationships.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people’s progress is exceptional. Their experience of living at this home enhances their quality of life because of the excellent care that the staff team provides.  Staff provide a genuinely homely, family-style environment. Young people are at the centre of staffpractice.  Managers and staff provide an individualised and timely response to young people that reduces risk of potential and actual harm to young people in their care.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are no requirements or recommendations made at this inspection.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/09/2016 Full Outstanding 02/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC059717 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff value young people highly and provide them with outstanding care that is delivered simply and effectively. Staff respond to young people with genuine warmth and affection. They show sincere interest and curiosity when asking young people about their day. Young people respond positively to these approaches; they have very good relationships with staff and look forward to spending time with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people’s environment is a very homely and relaxed place. Many photos around the home show the very positive interactions and activities that young people enjoy. Staff are nurturing and supportive. They provide young people with stability, routine and a family-style atmosphere. Examples of their nurturing approach include staff preparing young people’s bedrooms so that they are well kept for when they come home from school; young people and staff bake together, and enjoy shared play and activities. A staff member summed up the nurturing approach, telling the inspector, ‘The children just need people who care about them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people demonstrate a sense of belonging that is evident throughout the home. They have all taken part in helping to design the new layout of the home. They chose the new furniture and the decor, and their bedrooms are decorated to meet their individual tastes. The staff work hard to ensure that the home is very much ‘the children’s home’; no areas of the home are out of bounds to the young people, and they help to decide what happens in it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have made, and continue to make, exceptional progress from their starting points, as a result of living at this home. Self-harming and obsessive behaviours and anxiety have all reduced significantly. One young person’s placing authority told the inspector that, since living here, the young person ‘is a remarkably different person’ and, ‘this is a home that will really have made a difference to her life’. Another young person’s independent reviewing officer said, ‘The young person has flourished in confidence and achieved a considerable amount; this home has been most conducive to helping her.’ A parent for a third young person acknowledged that this home is the ‘best place’ for the young person, ‘providing stability for three years where other previous arrangements could not’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of young people’s needs and tailor their care planning specifically to meet these needs. Staff understand about attachment theories and use this understanding to build positive relationships with the young people. As a result, young people who have previously experienced trauma are beginning to thrive. Young people feel safer, and they are now able to behave in ways more typically seen in a child of a similar age. They have fun, laugh, play games and become anxious far less often. This represents significant achievements for the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

As a result of the staff team’s guidance, young people are developing improved skills to self-regulate and understand their emotions. Young people are getting better at talking Inspection report children's home: SC059717 4 things through, and incidents of anxiety and anger have significantly reduced. Staff are able to use humour to help to de-escalate situations because the young people know and trust the staff so well. This approach is effective and individualised to each young person and each specific situation. Consequently, young people’s relationships with other young people have improved, and they have been able to make friends in their own age group more easily.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s cultural needs are very well understood and promoted. Staff help young people to learn about each other’s individuality and cultures. One young person regularly attends church, and all young people recently joined in Eid celebrations to help another young person feel welcome in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from a suitable education package that is tailored to their individual needs. Personalised timetables reflect their unique circumstances and help them to achieve well at school. The manager advocates effectively for young people and successfully challenges any deficiencies in the care provided to young people at school. The manager recognises the importance of understanding what is happening for young people during their school day and said to the inspector, ‘You would not send your own children off to school all day and not care about what happened to them.’ Consequently, communication between the home and school is effective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s health, presentation and personal appearance have greatly improved due to living at this home. They eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet and now sit at the table without disruption.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s well-being is enhanced because they are encouraged to be physically active and to have fun. They take part in a wide range of interesting clubs and go on holidays together. Some of them attend a tumbling club, a cheer-leading club or a gym. As a result of these opportunities, young people’s self-confidence and self-esteem are growing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person scored the home a 9.5 out of 10 on a scale of excellence, and another commented, ‘It is really nice here and everyone is really helpful.’ Young people always have the opportunity to talk to the independent visitor whom they know well; one recently told him that everything was ‘good’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff help young people to make choices and decisions about their lives. Every day, staff and young people have a ‘community get together’ where they discuss important matters, such as visitors to the home, recruiting new staff and new young people moving in. Young people are encouraged and supported to tell each other what they like about themselves and each other. These sessions help to build young people’s self- esteem and communication skills. As a result, young people are able to play kindly together and help each other, and they are learning to develop empathy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff continually look for creative ways to engage with young people and develop their relationships together. Staff have compiled a ‘memory book’ for each young person. They fill it in every day with a positive comment or achievement made by the young Inspection report children's home: SC059717 5 person. Young people own these books and take them with them when they move on from the home. Staff also put together an ‘All about me’ folder, which is used to help the young people to understand more about their care plan and time living at this home. One-to-one key-worker sessions are held regularly, and the discussions are very thoroughly recorded. At these sessions, staff follow up important issues for each young person and give them time to talk about their feelings.

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

Managers and staff have a strong track record of keeping young people safe and of helping young people to learn how to keep themselves safe. A placing authority told the inspector that staff manage the risks of child sexual exploitation ‘really well’. Another placing authority said that the manager handled a child protection concern, ‘sensitively and proportionately’. Staff follow up significant incidents involving young people effectively to help them to learn from their actions. Staff recently went through a missing from home incident with two young people and broke it down into stages for them to help them to understand where at each point either young person could have stopped and returned home. Staff reassure young people that they will always help them and advocate for them, but they also sensitively and caringly help them to recognise when they have made mistakes and identify ways to stop them from happening again.

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

Almost all young people said that they feel safe at the home. Staff are skilled at caring for young people who have experienced past trauma and work with them in an individual and sensitive way to help them to feel safe.

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

Managers and staff actively promote young people to have healthy and meaningful relationships. They help young people to understand their emotions and feelings, and talk openly about the importance of developing genuine friendships and having respect for oneself and others before developing sexual relationships. Through these open discussions, the managers and staff team are helping young people to understand about safe and unsafe relationships, and are helping to protect them from exploitation.

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

Staff help young people to learn about online safety and the safe use of mobile phones. Staff talk with the young people about the risks and benefits of using these items, and together they do practical activities to put the learning into practice. The manager demonstrates a sensible approach, typical of a good parent and said, ‘These children are on their own in the world and they need an arm around them to help them. Sometimes this means not letting them have a phone until it is safe to do so.’

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

Staff help young people to use their free time constructively. Young people are supported to develop the skills to become more independent and take age-appropriate risks. Some young people are now able to walk to school by themselves and spend time at community clubs without staff. Staff show a good level of professional curiosity about young people’s friends and what they are planning to do with them.

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

Two young people have gone missing from the home on three occasions since the last Inspection report children's home: SC059717 6 inspection. Staff responded appropriately to these incidents, ensuring that the young people returned safely and quickly. Staff welcome young people back to the home and ensure that independent return home interviews take place.

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

The manager uses guidance and support to help young people to understand about their behaviour. Sanctions are not used; instead, rewards, positive reinforcement, and care are given.

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

Restraint is not often used. When it has been, it was in response to likely or actual significant harm. Staff do not use interventions that mean holding a young person on the floor. There are no concerns, injuries or complaints arising from these restraints. Young people will sometimes engage in a reflective conversation with staff following an incident, and staff always have the opportunity to de-brief with colleagues and their supervisor.

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

Staff provide young people with consistent routines and challenge young people appropriately. A staff member commented that she ‘applies the same morals and ethics as you do to your own children’. These boundaries help young people to feel safe and learn that they are valued and respected by those adults who care for them.

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

The recruitment and selection process for new staff is good. The manager is involved in screening and interviewing new applicants to assess whether they are suitable for this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers of this home are excellent leaders. The staff team, young people and external professionals all express a high degree of trust and confidence in the managers of this home. Leaders and managers have high expectations of themselves and staff, and together they are ambitious for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders, managers and staff work hard to ensure that young people receive care that is of a consistently high standard. This home has sustained a high level of performance over time, being judged as improving in effectiveness from both good and outstanding judgements since 2013. This is the fourth successive inspection where no requirements or recommendations have been made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Since the last inspection, the deputy manager has been appointed as the manager of the home, and has applied to register with Ofsted. The succession planning for this manager to take on the role was excellent. The previous registered manager spent six months coaching and mentoring the deputy manager. The change in leadership was exceptionally well planned and executed, resulting in minimal disruption for the young people and the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager strives for excellence, and, together with the staff team, ensures that the home’s stated aims and objectives are met. Young people are provided with an Inspection report children's home: SC059717 7 opportunity for a positive childhood where they can make happy memories. The manager spoke passionately about the purpose of this home, saying that she wants it ‘to be normal and not discriminate against children in care’. The home’s statement of purpose says that young people will be provided with ‘a safe, homely environment which is filled with love, laughter and nurture’. These practices are evident throughout the home and are worthy of wider dissemination.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders, managers and staff have a well-informed and accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They actively benchmark themselves against other organisations and are members of an accredited quality improvement programme specifically for therapeutic services. As part of this programme, managers and staff take part in two-way peer reviews with other settings. These reviews include assessing their own work, reflecting on and sharing their practice, receiving feedback and visiting other settings. Managers and staff spoke positively about this process and recognise that measuring themselves against other services is beneficial for developing their own practice and maintaining the required standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that professional boundaries and high-quality care are maintained by staff at all times. Staff are very well led and managed and receive outstanding support to fulfil their role. This includes an opportunity at the end of each day to talk together and ‘de-brief’. The manager reviews a summary of the daily de-briefings to ensure that she is aware of any emerging patterns, trends and issues. She then acts quickly to resolve things. Weekly team meetings are well attended, and a clinical psychologist joins the meetings every month to provide clinical input. The monthly clinical meetings provide staff with a safe space to talk about any difficulties that they are having with supporting the young people. The clinical psychologist helps the staff to explore these feelings and to understand better the young people’s needs and reasons for their behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are very happy at work, and one said that ‘it is like an extension of my own family’. Leaders and managers recognise that young people benefit from having a happy, settled and skilled staff team in place and have worked hard to achieve this. Staff regularly attend events that young people are involved in at school, including talent shows and sports days. Staff speak with pride about celebrating these events with the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The young people are at the centre of staffpractice and decisions made about the home. The manager’s practice for matching young people is excellent. She ensures that new young people’s needs are compatible with the existing residents’ needs and personalities. Young people are included as part of this process, and their views contribute to the decisions made about who comes to live in the home. Emergency admissions are not accepted. Managers and staff plan the arrival of a new young person carefully. They recently visited a young person twice before she moved into the home. The young person’s social worker was impressed with how well the transition was managed. Relationships with families, placing authorities and partner agencies are very good. Positive feedback has been received from a number of people involved in this home. Inspection report children's home: SC059717 8

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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.

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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: SC059717 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Five Rivers Childcare, 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector(s)

Guy Mammatt, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC059717 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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