Children's Home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in Devon

Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 1 SC403234 Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Limited Interim 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 who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider of education and social care. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 11 October 2018

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders, managers and staff have met four of the five requirements made at the previous inspection. Supervision is now more meaningful, and good-quality records are kept of these sessions. Staffing levels are appropriate for meeting the needs of the children and the manager ensures that staff who are in their probation periods are no longer left in sole charge of the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Behaviour is managed appropriately by staff. Since the previous inspection, staff have not called the police to control children’s behaviour, and missing-from-home incidents have significantly reduced in number for one child. This is because staff are implementing consistent boundaries with children. Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 2 Staff use their skills well to build positive relationships with children. This positive work is particularly evident with children who have recently moved into the home. One child said that they feel staff in this home really care about them, and that they have not felt this way when living in other homes. Both children are happy living here and feel safe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff provide children with a comfortable home in which to live. However, additional work needs to be done on personalising the bedroom of the child who has recently moved into the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff safeguard the children in their care effectively. They ensure that any safeguarding concerns are reported to the required authorities swiftly. Despite this good work, the fire risk assessment was due for review on 21 January 2019, but it has not yet been carried out.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite requests from the manager, important information about a child’s needs was not obtained from the placing authority prior to or at the point of the child’s admission into the home. Although the manager has created a care plan and a behaviour support plan, this weakness means that vital information could be omitted from these documents. Staff do not always sign and date children’s records as required.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments require improvement. Some documents do not contain sufficient detail about the strategies staff should use to reduce or remove risks. In addition, the assessment completed prior to a child moving in does not fully reflect the risks the current resident may pose to the new child, nor does it consider the environmental risks thoroughly.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has completed a six-monthly audit report. This report contains a lot of information, but it lacks feedback from children and other stakeholders and is not sufficiently evaluative about the care that is being reviewed. The actions set by the manager to improve the home are not sufficiently inspiring or challenging.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/11/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 3

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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

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met In meeting the quality standards, if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that concerns related to not receiving important information about children’s needs are escalated within the placing authority to ensure that the home receives local authority documentation prior to a child’s admission, and return home interview reports. 30/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that impact risk assessments take into account the risks that existing residents may pose to new residents and provide an increased level of detail about how staff will manage and reduce these risks. In addition, ensure that children’s risk management plans reflect children’s known risks and include strategies about how staff will manage and reduce these risks. 30/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

25: Fire precautions After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— take adequate precautions against the risk of fire. (Regulation 25(1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review and update the fire risk assessment. 31/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 4 45: Review of quality of care The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a

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Requirement Due date

result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’). The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure the report is more evaluative, and includes feedback from children and others. The actions set in this report need to be more inspiring and/or challenging. 30/04/2019

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure staff enable and support a child in personalising their bedroom.  All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date, and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 5 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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare 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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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 6 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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