Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in Southampton

Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 1 SC063767 Registered provider: New Forest Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children. The statement of purpose states that the home specialises in the treatment of more challenging children who pose a specific risk to themselves and/or the community, whose placements elsewhere have broken down or who are at risk of permanent exclusion. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2017.

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Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: A compliance notice was served following the full inspection of 23 May 2018. This compliance notice was judged to have been met at a monitoring inspection on 5 July 2018. Since that time, there have been no further enforcement actions.

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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

Since the last monitoring inspection, the registered manager has made steady progress in meeting the regulations and recommendations from the full inspection. These are all met, although there are further regulatory shortfalls identified as a result of this inspection. These include weaknesses in risk assessment, failures to appropriately challenge the practice of a local authority and shortfalls in the manager’s own reporting to Ofsted. However, there have been positive transitions for children moving from, and Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 2 to, the home. Furthermore, children have enjoyed an improved level of care and the organisation has made improvements to recording and practice in the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. A child told the inspector that the home has a ‘relaxed atmosphere’. There has been a reduction in the number of incidents and the home is calmer and more settled. Recent redecoration has improved the environment and an area of strength is how children’s views are heard and recorded by staff. However, the registered manager has not ensured that this consultation is considered or evaluated in his statutory reporting to Ofsted. Furthermore, the registered manager has not yet fully established a system to review the quality of care in the home as required. The manager’s reporting lacks evaluation and insight.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The actions of a placing authority have not been effectively challenged. This specifically relates to the one going missing incident that involved two children at the home. Although the children were located by the police and returned to the home swiftly, the children were missing. The registered manager did make a request to the placing authority that an independent person speaks to the children. However, this was not actively chased or followed up for both children. This meant that the opportunity for an independent person to review the incident with the child was missed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are alert to the ever-changing risks and vulnerabilities that children may present. Team meetings, regular supervision and positive leadership from managers mean that staff are aware and effectively respond to risk. The staff team is settled, and all staff are now trained to the required level within the required timeframe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children’s risk assessments lack sufficient updates to be meaningful guides for staff to follow. This means that staff do not have a consistent or up-to-date risk management plan for children. For example, an incident in September 2018 where a child was able to access vehicle keys has not been risk assessed or formally considered in the child’s risk management. To date, this has not led to negative experiences for the children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Restraint is used, and recorded, appropriately. Children are given opportunities to discuss their feelings and have these views recorded and seen by managers in the organisation. This means that there is good review of incidents and an improvement since the April 2018 inspection. This is further reinforced by the introduction of staff debrief documents, which are comprehensive and reviewed by managers. Staff are encouraged, and supported, to reflect on their practice and to identify learning from this process of reflection. This has contributed to a reduction in incidents in the home. Sanctions are used rarely and for appropriate reasons. Children are supported to share their views and any concerns resulting from staff’s approaches to behaviour management.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children’s progress at the home is captured and all children make good progress. A teacher commented that a child had ‘shown real progress’ and ‘shows a motivation and desire to succeed’. All children are engaged positively in education. When children have left the home, they have done so in a planned and considered manner. Memories from their time at the home are captured and given to children to remember and celebrate Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 3 their time at the home. Where children have come to live in the home, their arrivals have similarly been effectively planned. This has resulted in a calm home environment where children quickly settle and make progress.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are further planned improvements for the home which are not yet embedded into practice. The registered manager confirmed that there are plans for children to be involved in interviewing potential staff for the home. Also, the organisation is in the process of changing aspects of its recording to an electronic system. This latter change is in process and has led to improvements in record creation. For example, managers are now able to review incidents holistically and are alert to potential patterns and trends. The mandatory elements of the organisation’s recording system mean that staff must complete required fields. This has improved record-keeping and the managers’ review of children’s progress.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/02/2018 Full Inadequate 06/12/2016 Full Good 21/06/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff, 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)) 22/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 22/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 4 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 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. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c)) 22/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

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 (5)) 22/03/2019

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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

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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton SO45 6AA

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Inspectors

Pete Hylton, regulatory inspection manager Peter Jackson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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