Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Devon

Inspection report children’s home: SC463431 1 SC463431 Registered provider: Phoenix Learning and Care Ltd

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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 two children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The home is operated by a provider of education and social care for children and young people.  The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2013.

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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 outstanding

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC463431 2 11/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/09/2016 Full Requires improvement 01/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC463431 3

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that when staff are re-employed they have an interview. In addition, expand on the level of detail in the records of staff supervision and appraisal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person receives individualised care from staff who know him well. He benefits from the stability the staff team provides. Detailed plans are in place to support the staff team’s work with the young person. The young person’s views are included in these plans and they are reviewed regularly to keep them current.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person loves living at the home. He truly regards it as his home, and says that he sees the staff as family. He said, ‘It is brilliant here, the staff really care for me. It’s not just a job to them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consultation with the young person is exceptional. He is very involved in all aspects of his care and future planning. This makes the young person feel valued and listened to, which has in turn increased his self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Very good progress has been made by the young person since he moved into the home. He is now fully engaged in education, his health needs are well met and his independence skills are growing rapidly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortably furnished and meets the young person’s needs well. Lots of photographs of the young person and staff are placed around the home, showing the wide range of activities and events that they enjoy together. During this inspection, the young person had just returned from his first holiday abroad; he very much enjoyed this holiday.

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC463431 4 Safeguarding systems are strong, and are implemented by staff effectively. Staff demonstrated a good working knowledge of safeguarding procedures and how to keep the young person safe. There have been no concerns since the previous inspection that required the registered manager to make a referral to safeguarding agencies.

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

Behaviour is exceptionally well managed. Since moving into the home, the young person’s behaviour has dramatically improved. This is due to the quality of the support and guidance the staff provide for him. Of note, is the work that has been completed to develop the young person’s understanding of his behaviour. This has included helping him to develop strategies to manage his anxiety and behaviour himself. The young person was involved in determining these strategies.

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

There have been no incidents of the young person going missing from the home, no behaviour-related incidents and no use of restraint. Because of the help from staff, the young person has learned to identify risky situations and now removes himself from them.

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

There has been one new member of staff employed since the previous inspection. This person had left the home seven months prior to their re-employment. All the required safer recruitment checks were undertaken, but this person did not have an interview.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is very experienced and well qualified for the role. She has an excellent understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has developed a creative and effective system for consulting with the young person about living in the home. The young person joins staff team meetings and is supported to present his views about his care and the people supporting him, and helped to suggest ideas about how to improve the home. The registered manager uses this information effectively in order to develop the home and the workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Attending these staff meetings has ensured that the young person is involved in decisions about his home, and has provided him with a real sense of ownership and the autonomy to make decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff welcome scrutiny of their work and they use this feedback to improve their care of the young person. The independent visitor is complimentary about the very positive responses he receives from staff regarding his visits and reports. The effectiveness of this monitoring has led to the team continually improving the services it provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team, the young person and external professionals praised the registered manager for the quality of her work. The staff see her as an inspirational manager who Inspection report children’s home: SC463431 5 leads by example. The staff receive very good support from each other and the registered manager. The quality of supervision and appraisal records is appropriate, but can be developed further. Currently, these documents do not capture fully the excellent support the registered manager provides for the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager places the young person first. This view is shared by the staff team and is enhanced by the stability provided by the team. They advocate strongly and effectively for the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff have built excellent working relationships with partner agencies, including the young person’s school. Those spoken to during the inspection were full of praise for the staff and the dramatic positive change there has been in the young person since he moved into this home.

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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: SC463431 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Learning and Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC463431 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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