Children's home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC059755 1 SC059755 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited 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 operated by a national private organisation. The statement of purpose states that this home will provide care and accommodation for four boys with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties who have experienced early childhood trauma. The young people are likely to have acquired attachment disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in June 2019. However, a new manager was appointed in August 2019 and became the registered manager in December 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 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: 22 January 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC059755 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/08/2018 Full Good 02/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children‟s home: SC059755 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

13: The leadership and management standard

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1), (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, following the audit of safeguarding process in the home, produce a management review to formally report on the actions taken, lessons learned and improvements made. 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

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.

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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–

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45(1), (2)(b)) 31/01/2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that all staff receive training in relation to sexualised behaviours in children’s homes. Inspection report children‟s home: SC059755 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good-quality, personalised care that meets their needs. Staff develop positive relationships with them and show them genuine warmth and care. Young people say that they like living here. They say that they like the staff and would speak to staff if they had any worries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people access a good range of leisure activities and pursue their interests. A young person thoroughly enjoys going to the local skate park and spending time with his friends. Another young person attends a local youth club that focuses on music. Rap music is his passion, and showed the inspector the lyrics to a song that he has composed. In addition, he showed the inspector a soft toy that he brought back from a recent holiday to Disneyland Paris. He said that he had had a great time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Sensitive and effective support is being given to a child who is returning to live with his family. Staff have worked together with the child and his family to ensure that the planned move is a success. This is an extremely positive outcome for the child, who is looking forward to going home. His social worker said, ‘He has made good progress and is now ready to go home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the health needs of young people are met. They encourage the young people to lead a healthy lifestyle. In addition, the young people have good access to therapeutic support services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Considering the young people’s starting points, they are doing well in their education. Good links have been made with a school, and protocols have been developed to strengthen communication between the home and school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the previous inspection, a young person has left the home. This was because leaders and managers decided that they could not keep him safe. Good partnership working with the young person’s placing authority and safeguarding agencies ensured that he left in a well-planned and sensitive manner.

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

The arrangements to safeguard young people are good. Following his appointment, the registered manager undertook an audit of safeguarding practice and record-keeping. As a result,, the internal monitoring and recording systems have improved. For example, there is a clear audit trail to demonstrate the actions taken, outcomes and lessons learned from safeguarding matters. However, the registered manager has not recorded the audit in the form of a management review to formally report on the actions taken, lessons learned and improvements made.

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

Staff are supported well to keep young people safe. Staff receive regular safeguarding training that includes face-to-face training from an external provider, and the topic is a Inspection report children‟s home: SC059755 5 standing agenda item at staff meetings. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding protocols. Young people are safe, and they say that they feel safe. Social workers say that they have no concerns in relation to the safety of the young people.

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

Overall, staff manage young people’s s behaviour well. Since the previous inspection, restraint has been used, but only as a last resort to keep a young person safe. Leaders and managers have good oversight of the use of restraint. They ensure that discussions are held with young people to seek their views following the use of intervention. In addition, the same young person’s incidents of being missing increased. Due to serious concerns about his safety, leaders and managers decided that they could not keep him safe. The young person left the home in a planned manner in February 2019. Since this date, restraint has not been used and young people have not gone missing. Neither are there any concerns in relation to the misuse of substances or alcohol.

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

Staff are provided with behaviour support plans that guide them well in how to support the young people in managing their emotions and feelings. These are regularly reviewed and updated to take account of the young people’s s current needs and behaviours.

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

Young people live in a safe and well-maintained home. A comprehensive location assessment includes the impact of the local amenities on the home and the young people whom it provides for, and the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the previous inspection, the registered manager has left and a new registered manager has been appointed. He is an experienced manager and has previously been the registered manager of another children’s home in the organisation. The home is well managed and staff have high expectations for what young people can achieve. Staff speak well of the support that they receive from the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has undertaken a detailed review of the quality of care provided. He has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has identified realistic targets for improvement. However, the most recent review does not include the views of the young people. The registered manager responds effectively to recommendations made by the independent visitor. In addition, the responsible individual comments on the report. This ensures that she is aware of the outcome of these visits and takes the required action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people’s placement plans and associated risk assessments identify how their individual needs are to be met. This includes a wide range of risk assessments, such as the use of both social media and the internet. These are regularly reviewed and updated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are appropriately trained to equip them to support the young people well. Staff have recently received training in relation to the organisation’s new model of care. A Inspection report children‟s home: SC059755 6 member of staff said that the training has been very informative and that they have been able to apply their learning in practice. However, not all staff have received training in relation to sexualised behaviour in children’s homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers speak highly of the effective communication that they have with the staff, and they have no concerns about the quality of care. They say that they are regularly updated and that the staff know the young people well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people live in a welcoming and homely environment. At the time of this inspection, Christmas decorations were being put up and the young people were looking forward to the Christmas festivities and spending time with their families. Since the previous inspection, a number of improvements have been made. These include the redecoration and carpeting of hallways, stairs and a landing. In addition, some internal doors have been replaced and a variety of soft furnishing and fittings put in place. Inspection report children‟s home: SC059755 7

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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 difference 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: SC059755 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector

David Kidner, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC059755 9 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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