Children's home run by Phoenix Childcare Ltd in North Devon

Inspection report children’s home: 1234374 1 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 children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural care needs. The home is operated by a private company that operates a number of children’s homes in the local 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

Date of last inspection: 14 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 09/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/02/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1234374 2

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive well planned care for the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that arrangements are in place to manage and review the placement of children in the home. (Quality Standard 14 (2)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to ensuring that children’s care plans contain aims and objectives of the placement, are targeted and are regularly monitored and updated. 17/07/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home’s statement of purpose clearly states whether the home provides long or short term care for children (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people benefit and make progress as a result of receiving care from a consistent and stable staff team which provides them with clear boundaries. Routines are predictable and ensure that the home runs smoothly. This helps the young people to develop a secure base from which they are able to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are supported effectively by the staff to ensure that their individual healthcare needs are fully met. The staff provide the young people with a wide variety of healthy meals. The staff eat with the young people and support them to learn good Inspection report children’s home: 1234374 3 manners and develop their social skills. Leaders and managers are proactive in obtaining professional help for the young people with their emotional health needs, if required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of supporting and encouraging the young people to channel their energy positively. A wide range of activities are on offer. The young people enjoy rock climbing, biking, swimming, walking and playing football in the garden with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of the home is how the manager and the staff carefully plan and implement the moves of the young people when they arrive and leave the home. The young people are carefully matched through a comprehensive impact risk management process. As a result of the effectiveness of this process, the young people living in the home get on well with each other. Young people who have moved out of the home in well-planned moves are still in touch with the staff and enjoy returning to the home for a visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The placing social worker for the young people comments positively on the progress they have made since moving into the home. One young person has only lived at the home for a short time, but already progress is noted in their social skills and self- confidence. The social worker said: ‘Since [my young person] moved to the home, he is happier, he is smiling and is now making eye contact.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff understand the importance of the young people engaging in and attending education. The young people are all placed in an appropriate educational setting that meets their identified needs. One young person, prior to arriving at the home, had not been attending school or engaging in education. This young person has now successfully been placed in a school and is about to increase his hours to full time as part of his education plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff are knowledgeable about how they can best meet the care needs of the young people. They support them effectively to make progress. The care plans do not always document the strategies that staff are using to support the young people. For example, staff are clear about how they are working with one young person to reduce swearing, but this is not clearly documented in the young person’s care plan to ensure that all of the staff are consistently implementing the agreed strategy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are supported to remain in touch with their families. Parents comment positively on the good communication they receive from the home and how the staff support their child. This is particularly positive for young people for whom the plan is for them to eventually return to live with their families.

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

The staff manage safeguarding issues effectively. The young people say they feel safe living at the home and they could all name a member of staff they have a trusting relationship with, and with whom they would share any concerns and worries they may have. Inspection report children’s home: 1234374 4 The young people are supported to improve their behaviour through effective behaviour management strategies. The staff praise positive behaviour and help the young people to learn from mistakes. This approach ensures that the young people do not feel ashamed when they make a mistake, but learn to understand why they behaved as they did. The staff help them to become aware and use different strategies the next time they find a situation difficult. One young person said: ‘I am not so angry now. Staff are helpful and kind.’

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

Young people have not been missing from the home. Each young person has an individual protocol that staff should follow if they do go missing. There have been no incidents of physical intervention as the staff have managed and de-escalated any difficult situations effectively. Records document how the staff have been creative in defusing difficult situations to prevent them from escalating, and to ensure that the young people do not get out of their control.

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

Risk assessment processes are comprehensive and give the staff clear guidance about how to manage risks and keep the young people and others safe. The appropriate balance from the staff team allows the young people to take age-appropriate risks while keeping them safe.

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

The staff are carefully recruited and comprehensive checks are carried out to ensure that only suitable persons are employed at the home. New staff do not begin working at the home until all relevant checks have been carried out.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recently successfully completed his registration with Ofsted. He is providing clear leadership to the staff team, who comment very positively about his leadership skills. There is good morale among the members of staff, who are a consistent and well-motivated team. All of the care staff are either undertaking a relevant childcare qualification or have completed it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from receiving regular and good quality supervision that looks at what training needs are required and provides reflection for the staff about any difficult situations they may have experienced with the young people. The team has high aspirations for the young people. Relationships between the young people and the staff are positive and trusting. The inspector observed many examples of the staff offering nurturing, supportive care during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The views and any requests the young people have are gained informally by the staff.. The staff act on these views. The young people’s bedrooms are personalised with their choice of decoration, and they choose which trips and activities they would like to take part in and where they would like to meet with their social worker or family. One young person has redesigned the children’s guide to the home and took the photographs used in this document. Inspection report children’s home: 1234374 5 The statement of purpose does not clearly state whether short-term or long-term care is provided for young people coming to the home. This information is required to ensure that any young people who are living in the home long term, as part of their plan, are not disrupted by other young people who are only living at the home for a short time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have worked hard to decorate the home. It appears very homely and welcoming. The office has been decluttered and the young people are now able to use this room and sit with the staff while they work, if appropriate. Any minor damage is quickly repaired. If the young people have caused the damage, they are encouraged to help with the repairs to help them to learn about the consequences of their actions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are comprehensive quality monitoring systems in place in the home. The manager is knowledgeable about the strengths and areas for development for the home. All staff are encouraged to give their views about how the home can further improve. The staff report that their views are welcomed and acted on. All requirements from the previous inspection are met.

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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: 1234374 6

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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: 1234374 7 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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