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

Inspection report children’s home: SC001452 1 SC001452 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care 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

The home is owned by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children or young people whose plan is to live in a medium-term residential setting. The registered manager has been managing the home since November 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC001452 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2018 Full Outstanding 24/01/2018 Full Outstanding 22/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC001452 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children living in this home receive excellent care and support from their carers. Admissions are very well considered and carers sensitively welcome children into the home, helping to settle them quickly. Children benefit from building trusting relationships with their carers, as well as receiving individualised care. This supports the outstanding progress that children are making in all areas since their admission. Children enjoy spending time with their carers. They engage in imaginative play with them, cook, take part in a range of arts and crafts, go on nature walks, play games, watch movies and much more. The staff team provide opportunities for children to sit with their carers and reflect on their day. Carers can quickly respond to any issues that children raise. Excellent structure and daily routine provide children with consistent messages about how they will be cared for. This reassures children and supports their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

learning and development. The participation of children is given great significance. Carers reinforce to children that they are especially valued and unique. They also promote tolerance and diversity. This is achieved via proactive key-working sessions, boundaries, and appropriate levels of supervision of children. Subsequently, there are no bullying issues and children learn to live and accept each other’s differences in a positive way. This encourages prosocial behaviours, helping children to form friendships and develop social skills for the future. Carers are highly aspirational for each child. Independent advocates are available for children to consult with. This means that if there is any aspect of their care that they are not happy with, children have someone independent of the home and their placing local authority to talk to. This provides a consistent message to children that they are important and their experiences of being cared for are significant to assist their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

development. Family and friends time is especially well supported. Carers recognise the benefits of children having opportunities to go on play dates and continue to see family members when it is safe to do so. This helps children to maintain links with significant people in their lives. It also helps to reduce any anxieties around being separated from people that children recognise are important to them. Children can access therapy sessions on a weekly basis. This is encouraged by carers at each child’s pace. Carers, the therapist lead and head of the on-site school regularly meet and discuss the progress of individual children. This provides a holistic approach to ensure that consistent care is provided and supports positive outcomes for children.

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

Children receive safe and consistent care that helps to better protect them in and outside the home. Risk management processes are highly effective at responding to known risks or new risks as they arise. Carers follow the appropriate protocols to ensure that the children live in an environment which keeps them safer. Children feel safe as a result. Inspection report children’s home: SC001452 4 Children have up-to-date risk assessments and care plans that are relevant and individual to them. These provide clear and detailed instructions to carers on how to de- escalate behaviours that are known to be effective for each child. Over time, the need for physical interventions has dramatically reduced and disruptive behaviours have also decreased. Following the use of any physical intervention, there is dedicated time to re- engage children in discussions. This assists children to reflect on crisis episodes and

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

helps to strengthen strategies that will support them in the future. There is excellent management oversight to ensure that practice is within practice guidance protocols. Weekly proactive key-working sessions cover a wide range of relevant topics that are planned and in line with individual care plans. These provide a real focus for discussion that supports children’s development and own insight into their progress. Carers think of creative and imaginative ways to engage children, and this is benefiting their learning and development, helping to better protect them. Children’s health needs are very well supported. When children have additional health needs, carers receive specific training in those areas. This ensures that children receive appropriate support and care to manage conditions. This helps children to place their trust in their carers and ensures that good health regimes are maintained. A health

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

professional described the progress made by one child as being ‘remarkable’ due to excellent support he received from carers. Daily practice in the home is underpinned by trauma-informed practice. There is excellent insight into the underlying causes of children’s presentation and behaviours. Carers do not use sanctions to address negative behaviours and instead ‘natural consequences’ are used. This is based on restorative ways to support children to reflect and learn from their behaviour without making them feel shame. This is effective, and children are able to recognise the impact of their behaviours on themselves and others, and supports them to make more positive choices. Missing from home episodes are not an issue of concern in this home. An isolated incident was recorded for a child absconding. Carers lost sight of him when he was cycling in a park. The police were called as a precautionary measure and, since then,

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

work has been completed with this child to avoid any further occurrences. The manager ensures that positive working relationships are maintained with the police and relevant agencies. She utilises information shared to inform her locality risk assessment that helps to strengthen risk assessments for children. Children have fewer critical incidents as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager was registered in 2017. She is very knowledgeable about each child and the strengths and areas of development in her staff team. She is highly ambitious for the children and this sets a precedence for her team to follow. She is extremely child focused and proud of the children’s achievements. The manager has had a recruitment drive since the last full inspection. She has been astute in her recruitment of staff, selecting varying skills and experiences from those recruited. A stable core group of the team has remained in post. This has reduced any disruption to children. A professional said: ‘They are like a family there. The team is very Inspection report children’s home: SC001452 5 experienced and knowledgeable on the impact of trauma. Staff are reflective in all that they do. They really help [Name of child] to understand matters and he is making huge steps in his progress. He still struggles at times, but from his starting point it’s

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

outstanding the progress he makes. It is the most stable placement he has been in.’ The manager and her team maintain excellent working relationships with internal and external support services. She plays a significant role in the care team of professionals for each child. She is confident in her challenge of others when there are shortfalls in the quality of care provided to children. Children benefit from her advocating on their behalf, as the best possible outcomes are achieved for them. Highly effective quality assurance processes and monitoring systems mean that the manager can scrutinise the goals and targets set for children to ensure that they are progressing. She effectively communicates to her staff team the areas where she identifies shortfalls and supports improvements being made. This is done via individual staff supervisions and team meetings. She creates an excellent culture of learning and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

reflection time to ensure that her staff team is appropriately supported and given the skills to meet the needs of the children, benefiting the children now and in the future. The children are at the very centre of practice and carers work hard at providing a homely and nurturing environment for children to relax in. The home provides a very child-friendly environment with communal spaces for children to play, be imaginative and explore. Individualised spaces, such as bedrooms, provide children an opportunity to reflect their individual likes and needs. They value their home and identify their home as a safe place to be. The manager recognises the importance of supporting her staff outside of individual staff supervisions. Staff can access a therapist for their own well-being and can take part in peer support sessions. Reflective sessions assist the staff to discuss their own stresses and focus on better ways to support the children. The staff speak positively about the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

support provided to them and feel better equipped to manage challenges as they arise. Children receive better considered care and support because of this. Children’s records provide a clear analysis of what support is offered to children and the reasons for this. Support provided is in line with the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. The manager and her team have excellent insight into individual children’s needs, which means that they receive bespoke care. Documents are written in a way that demonstrate children are the highest priority and practice supports this. Child-friendly versions of care plans help children to see how they will be helped and protected by their carers. Children feel reassured as a result.

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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: SC001452 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: SC001452 7

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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, Sailsbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector

Jacqueline Tate, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC001452 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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