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

Inspection report children’s home: SC006921 1 SC006921 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 privately owned children’s home provides care for up to five children. In its statement of purpose, the provider states that care is provided for children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. This year, the provider changed the statement of purpose to admit children between the ages of seven and 14. The manager was registered with Ofsted in 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 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: 18 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC006921 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/09/2018 Full Good 16/08/2017 Full Good 24/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC006921 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are provided with nutritious meals suitable for each child’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.8, page 15)  Children should be supported to understand how to build friendships with other children. They should be able to spend time with their friends in the local community, in their home area, and by having friends visit them at the home, in line with the child’s plans, age and understanding. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 8.7, page 38)  Any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need

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Recommendations

longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint (Regulation 35(3)(c)). Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. Children should be offered the opportunity to access an advocacy support to help them with this (Regulation 7(2)(b)(iii)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 9.60, page 50)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children settle quickly into the home, forming positive and affectionate relationships with staff. The staff and registered manager are very child-focused and want to give children positive experiences. A parent said that staff ‘look after my child very well’ and an independent reviewing officer thought a child’s progress was ‘much better than anticipated’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional well-being improves as they feel safe and settled. Staff support children, giving them space, reassurance, praise and rewards. Staff notice when children are becoming stressed or anxious and support them to regulate their feelings. The number of incidents has reduced as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

It is a considerable improvement that all children attend school every day. Some children benefit from improved sleep patterns and better bedtime and morning routines. Children’s well-being improves as a result and they are readier to learn in school. Inspection report children’s home: SC006921 4 Aspects of children’s health have also improved, such as their skills to manage their personal hygiene. Children are making progress in learning skills for independence, such as cooking, making their own beds and managing laundry. They enjoy helping staff with chores around the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have fun with the staff doing everyday activities and on trips out. Some children are more active since moving into the home and use electronic games less often. Staff help children to build the confidence to join clubs or do activities where they may also socialise with others. However, children are reluctant to do so, meaning they are relatively isolated from others in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Food is an important aspect of nurturing in the home. Staff introduce cultural foods to children so that they experience a wider range of foods. Staff and children enjoy meals as a family occasion around the table. However, there is scope for improving some children’s health through healthy eating and increased activity.

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

The process for recruiting new staff is careful and thorough, for example sometimes obtaining up to six references to make sure that there is a full check of an applicant’s working history. This helps to ensure that only suitable people are employed in the home.

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

Staff understand the risks to children’s safety and are protective and nurturing of them. Staff are confident about how to deal with any allegations or suspicions of abuse.

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

Children generally get on well with each other and do not experience bullying. Staff respond effectively to any behaviour which may impact on others, such as talking to children about respecting other people’s personal space. Staff enforce boundaries well, which helps children to feel safe and secure.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and help them to better manage their feelings and behaviour. They strongly advocate for children, such as when arrangements to see their families are not in children’s best interests.

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

The registered manager recognises that the home’s physical intervention methods are no longer appropriate due to the age and size of the children now living in the home. Staff have not used physical intervention since this point. However, the last record of an intervention did not include the child’s view of the restraint. Staff training in new physical intervention techniques has been arranged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is well regarded as a positive leader who leads a child-centred staff team. A member of staff said that the registered manager is ‘very supportive and operates an open door policy’. Staff value their induction and training and feel this, with advice from the psychologist, helps them to support children’s individual needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC006921 5 Through her regular reviews of the service and by using reports from the independent visitor, the registered manager is clear about the home’s strengths and areas to develop. The registered manager has met the recommendations and requirements made at the last inspection, which has further improved the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good partnership working between the staff and professionals. This ensures that each child’s best interests are taken into account when decisions are made. A social worker said that staff have ‘a key focus on working with the local authority and health services to make sure that children are able to get access to timely support’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff consider the children’s views in all aspects of their care. Staff teach children to respect others’ views and differences. The children’s guide provides children with useful information about living in the home. The registered manager updated the statement of purpose during the inspection to make sure that it has all the information required by the regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager makes sure that decoration and furnishings are to a good standard, with appropriate safety checks in the building. Therefore, children enjoy living in a safe and comfortable home.

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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: SC006921 6

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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: Five Rivers Child Care, 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector

Jacqueline Graves: social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC006921 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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