Children's Home run by Phoenix Childcare Ltd in Devon

Inspection report children’s home: SC408149 1 SC408149 Registered provider: Phoenix 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

This home provides care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider that operates a number of homes in the area.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC408149 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff succeed in building trusting relationships with the young person. They support the young person to achieve positive outcomes, including improved personal care, gaining independent living skills, engaging with education and increased self-esteem and confidence.  The staff team is skilled, consistent in maintaining boundaries for the young person and nurturing. The team ensures that the young person has clear routines in the home and clear rules and expectations. This gives the young person a sense of security.  The views of the young person are regularly sought by the staff. The young person has developed a sense of belonging. For example, he is encouraged to display his own photographs and personal items, reflecting his hobbies and interests, around the home.  The staff understand how hard it can be for a young person to be placed away from their home area. They understand that this is the reason why the young

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Key findings from this inspection

person withdraws and does not cooperate with the staff at times. To address this, the staff team has been proactive in arranging and supporting regular visits to the young person’s friends in his home town. As a result, the young person is much happier and has something to look forward to.  The young person feels safe living at the home. He can name a member of staff that he could speak to if he felt unsafe. Since arriving at the home, the young person has not been missing, and there have been no incidents of the young person engaging in any risk-taking behaviour.  Another young person left the home recently. They made very good progress and left with much improved behaviour and skills. So much so, that they were able to return to their family, having successfully completed their GCSE examinations.  Leaders and managers challenge when responses from other agencies are not satisfactory. Recently, the manager has challenged a local school that initially

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Key findings from this inspection

refused to accept the young person for a school place.

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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

 The manager displays numerous documents on the walls in the office. This room takes up a disproportionate space in a small house. This detracts from the otherwise very homely environment. Inspection report children’s home: SC408149 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 22/07/2016 Full Inadequate 27/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/11/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC408149 4

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Recommendations

 Ensure that a children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of children. They will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, ensure that attention is given to reducing the institutional impact of the office in the house. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has lived at the home for three months. In this time, he has made progress with personal hygiene, confidence, behaviour and self-esteem. The skilled, experienced and nurturing staff team effectively supports the young person to build trusting relationships and develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are sensitive to the young person’s strong need to remain in contact with friends from his home town in another county. Friendships are very important to the young person and the staff understand that the separation was causing him to withdraw and challenge staff. To address this, the staff have put in place a monthly visit when the young person can spend free time with his friends. As a result, the he is much happier and has something to regularly look forward to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage and support the young person’s interests and hobbies. Work experience for him has been arranged at a local steam railway by the staff. The staff take the young person to nearby railway stations so that he can enjoy his hobby of train spotting. He has been helped by the staff to build a model railway in his bedroom, which is his pride and joy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions in and out of the home are well managed by the staff. One young person recently left the home. They made very good progress during their time at the home. The staff succeeded in re-establishing relationships between the young person and their family when there had not been any contact for some time. This was so successful that the young person eventually left the home to return to live with their family, following the successful completion of their GCSE examinations at school. The headteacher from the school of this young person wrote to the home stating: ‘The transformation in the young person was wonderful to see.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health needs of the young person are met. These are documented in a clearly documented healthcare plan. The staff ensure that the young person attends all medical Inspection report children’s home: SC408149 5 appointments and receives any medical treatment that he needs. Healthy eating and physical exercise are encouraged. For example, the staff have purchased a bike for the young person, who enjoys going on rides with the staff. The young person is fully involved in choosing, shopping for and preparing meals. The staff understand the importance of the young person continuing with therapy and have arranged for this to continue with a new therapist employed by the provider. The previous therapist has liaised closely with the staff and the new therapist to ensure continuity. The staff have all the important information they need to support the young person to make progress with his emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has been receiving education in the home due to a delay in the local mainstream school accepting the application. The manager has challenged the school strongly in order to speed up the application. Alternative education provision has been investigated by the staff, who understand the value of the young person attending a local school so that he can make new friends in the area. In the interim, the staff have succeeded in providing the young person with a varied and interesting educational timetable, supported by the young person’s previous school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person said that he likes their bedroom and living at the home. He said: ‘I like it here. Staff are good. I have settled in well.’

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

The young person feels safe living in the home and could name staff that he would speak to if he felt worried about anything. The staff effectively and consistently implement boundaries and routines that help the young person to feel safe and secure. For example, the young person has to hand his phone and tablet in each evening at ten o’clock. The staff have open discussions with the young person about internet safety and the risks associated with the internet.

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

The staff can explain how they would respond to any safeguarding incident or the young person going missing. The young person has not been missing since arriving at the home and his previous risk-taking behaviour has reduced to no incidents at all since arriving at the home.

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

Comprehensive assessments are in place that clearly identify and document individual risks, risks that may arise when the young person is out of the home and potential risks in the home. Control measures are in place that guide staff and ensure the safety of the young person.

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

The staff succeed in allowing the young person to build trust and his confidence by taking controlled risks. For example, in the time the young person has been living at the home, the amount of free time that he is allowed each day has been incrementally increased. This has now increased to two hours each day. The young person is able to earn rewards through completing identified tasks. The staff focus on rewarding him for positive behaviour and progress and helping him to understand and learn from any Inspection report children’s home: SC408149 6 difficult incidents, rather than on using a punishing and negative approach to behaviour management.

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

Recruitment checks for prospective staff are comprehensive and thorough. This ensures that only suitable people are employed to work with the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The young person benefits from being supported and cared for by an experienced and long-standing registered manager and staff team. The staff commented positively about how much they enjoy their work. One member of staff said: ‘We are a very close team… and are stable and consistent. We communicate really well. I really enjoy coming to work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides strong leadership and regular good-quality supervision to the staff. Newly appointed staff are offered a comprehensive induction programme by the provider prior to joining the house staff team. This ensures that they are equipped with the appropriate and relevant training and skills before working with the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are able to access a good-quality training programme. The manager organises any specific training that is necessary to meet the care needs of the young person. The staff have just completed training in how best to support a young person who has care needs relating to diagnosed autism.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff reported that they feel very well supported by each other and the manager. There are no staff vacancies in the home and there is no use of agency staff. This ensures that the young person is consistently supported by people he knows and trusts.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of care in the home is closely monitored by a manager who is committed to continual improvement. Strengths of the home and any areas for improvement are documented in the home’s development plan. Recently the home has been completely decorated and furniture replaced, resulting in a homely and well-decorated environment for the young person to live in. However, the office is situated in one of the bedrooms. The walls are covered in documents and instructions to staff. This detracts from an otherwise homely appearance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent visitor visits the home monthly and produces an informative report containing any actions that the manager needs to address before the next visit. The staff reported that the registered individual visits the home regularly and is available for support and consultation. The requirements set at the previous inspection are all fully met. Inspection report children’s home: SC408149 7

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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: SC408149 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Phoenix Learning and Care Ltd, First Floor, Rolle Quay House, Rolle Quay, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 1JE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Stephen Nicholson

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Inspector

Tina Maddison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC408149 9 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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