Children's Home run by Park Blue Homes Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC482872 1 SC482872 Registered provider: Park Blue Homes Limited

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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 children’s home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to five children in two properties on the same site. The manager has been registered since September 2016.

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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: 19 February 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: SC482872 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/11/2018 Full Good 07/03/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/11/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children‟s home: SC482872 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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and

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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 (2)(e)(h)) 14/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 14/02/2020

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from living in a home that provides them with a calm and nurturing environment. Despite several changes to the staff team since the last inspection, staff do well in building trusting relationships with the children. Positive relationships are formed which enable the children to successfully work through past traumas and make progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress is good. Staff use creative ways to match their interests to Inspection report children‟s home: SC482872 4 educational activities, encouraging children’s engagement with learning. Children are helped to go to school and as a result attendance is 100%. Staff have high aspirations for the children and they believe that the children can achieve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves of children into and out of the home are managed well by the staff. One child moved into the home during the inspection. He was supported well by the staff to settle and was observed playing, and enjoying the outdoor play areas. One young person who has recently moved out remains in touch with the staff in the home, which helps her sense of security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s placement plans and risk assessments are detailed, and clearly explain how the staff should best meet the individual care needs of each child. The children are helped to read and understand these plans, and their views are captured.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities on a day-to-day basis to learn, meet friends and have fun. Staff demonstrate a very good understanding of each child’s likes, and together they design structured, well-planned activities. These include pony rides, shopping, visiting family and friends, and going on holidays.

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

The registered manager and the staff team know the children well and identify potential risks and triggers. The staff do well in achieving a balance of allowing the children to take risks and learn from any mistakes, while keeping them safe. Plans to reduce these risks are detailed, and behaviour is managed effectively in the home.

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

The staff implement clear routines and boundaries effectively. The use of physical intervention takes place only when necessary. Records of these interventions are, in the main, comprehensive. However, a few are not wholly complete, and the manager has failed to identify anomalies within the home’s s quality assurance process. However, what is clear is the gentle, caring and well-considered approaches by staff when supporting children who are upset.

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

The manager and staff are vigilant and take prompt and effective safeguarding action if necessary. Safeguarding incidents, such as when young people disclose information or make allegations, are competently managed. The manager and staff promptly pass details of the incidents to the police and relevant safeguarding authorities.

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

The regular checks carried out by staff mean that children live in a home that keeps them safe. This includes checks on visitors to the house and the locality of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is qualified, experienced in working with children, and enthusiastic about improving the outcomes for the children. She is committed to ensuring that the children receive high-quality care and support, and she leads by example. As a result, the home is managed well. Inspection report children‟s home: SC482872 5 Since the previous inspection there have been several changes to the staff team. Nevertheless, more recently the staff team has stabilised. Staff spoke positively of the support they received from the manager to lessen the impact of these changes on the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Comprehensive care and support plans provide staff with guidance on how to meet the children’s individual needs. The registered manager ensures that these plans are regularly updated and reviewed. There is good evidence of challenge and advocacy by the registered manager within these documents. Examples include a school being swiftly identified for a child without formal education, and meetings taking place prior to a child moving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home, and there are systems in place to monitor the quality of care, including monthly management reports and the routine visits of the independent visitor. However, despite regular monitoring the manager had failed to identify several records that were incomplete. Furthermore, management oversight was not timely in all records. The impact of these shortfalls is minimal, and the registered manager was swift to address them during the inspection.

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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: SC482872 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Park Blue Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fairfield Lodge, Evenwood Lane, Evenwood, Bishop Auckland, Durham DL14 9NH

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Inspector(s)

Linda Bond, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC482872 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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