Children's home run by Solace for Children Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2503710 1 Registered provider: Solace for Children

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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 is a newly opened children’s home owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children, aged between seven and 17 years, who have social and emotional health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and holds a level 4 NVQ in care for children and young people and an NVQ in leadership and management. The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 2019.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2503710 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (2)(b)(ii)(iv)) 08/12/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 08/12/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2503710 3 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)(vii)) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and 08/12/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2503710 4 have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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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 safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff genuinely care about children and go above and beyond in making sure that every child makes progress and has positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s education. Staff work closely with teachers to overcome barriers that can impact on children’s learning. This partnership working improves children’s school attendance and helps to increase their academic success.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to stay in touch with their families. Staff help to overcome barriers so that children can maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have many social opportunities. These include joining local football clubs, receiving training in life-saving and learning to swim. This means that children develop new skills, increase their confidence and form friendships away from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to prepare for their future. They encourage children to look for part-time work and help them to develop their life skills in readiness for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into the home are well planned to ensure that there is good matching of children’s diverse needs. As a result, new admissions do not have an adverse effect on children already in placement.

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

Staff keep children safe through having high staffing levels, consistency and good communication between the staff.

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

Managers take swift action when concerns are raised and will seek support from other Inspection report children’s home: 2503710 5 professionals. Consequently, children get prompt help at times of need.

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

Staff use positive and negative consequences to help children to understand how to keep themselves safe and to make positive choices. This has resulted in a reduction in the need for staff to use physical intervention.

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

Managers and staff have acted promptly when health concerns regarding a child have become apparent. They have quickly sought the help and advice of health professionals. However, on one occasion staff failed to promptly update the records. This delay could have resulted in a child not receiving their prescribed medication.

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

Although managers follow safe recruitment procedures, occasionally managers have missed some gaps in staff members’ employment histories. This has the potential to compromise the process needed to help managers to be assured that a new member of staff is suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is child-focused and is passionate about ensuring that children have positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff training and induction are comprehensive, with staff attending the local authority’s safeguarding training. When additional learning is identified managers swiftly source the training. This ensures that children receive care from staff who have the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. However, the numbers of qualified staff are not clear due to managers not checking the equivalence of their qualifications. This compromises the managers’ ability to be assured that staff working in the home have the required nationally recognised qualifications for working in residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are some minor shortfalls in the manager’s oversight of records that relate to children’s care. For example, key documents are not always accurately kept up to date and children’s behaviour management plans are not always clear. This has the potential to create inconsistency in how staff oversee children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although staff receive supervision, the frequency of these meetings is not always in line with the organisation’s policy. As a result, some members of staff do not have regular supervision to enable them to reflect on their care practice.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 2503710 6 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: 2503710 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solace for Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Attwoods, 90-92 High Street, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4EU

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Inspector

Debbie Bond, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2503710 8 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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