Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in Southampton

Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 1 SC063767 Registered provider: New Forest Care Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children. According to the statement of purpose, the home specialises in caring for children who have experienced difficulties in settling in residential care and accessing mainstream education. The organisation has its own separately registered school and its own therapy team.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2017.

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Inspection date: 25 February 2020

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The experience and progress of the children during this inspection period has been mixed. Two children experienced sudden, unplanned endings based on the assessed risk that they posed to the other children. The decision to end the placements, however carefully considered, results in a negative experience for the children and major disruption at a key stage of their lives.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The remaining child has continued to make steady progress in developing skills for independence and is on track to achieve a range of GCSEs. Another child has moved in and is making significant progress in all areas, most notably by re-engaging in full-time education.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The thinking and planning for the child moving in was careful and thorough and he has settled quickly. Plans of care for the children are current and clear and fit with the plans of placing authorities. The children’s areas of vulnerability have been identified and strategies to guide the staff to address these are clear. The risks associated with the children whose placements were ended were, however, not adequately understood and this contributed to an escalation in incidents and a significant period of disruption in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers have reflected carefully on the period during which the progress and experience of the children declined, and their associated risks increased. Lessons have been learned and approaches, particularly around staffing and managing referrals, have been revised to improve the quality of care. The number of different staff working in the home has substantially decreased. The result is a more cohesive and stable staff team that is able to offer the children a more settled and consistent home environment and increased continuity of care. Leaders and managers are not currently making best use of the regulation 45 review process to understand how the quality of care can be further improved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The use of the organisation’s new electronic recording system has improved. This has led to better sharing of information between those responsible for the care, education, and therapeutic support of the children. It has also led to clearer plans to guide staff, and improvements in reflecting the progress that the children make.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Changes have been made to the arrangement of indoor spaces to improve access of all areas of the home to all the children and to make fuller, more creative use of the available space. The outdoor areas, however, are underutilised and underdeveloped and contribute little to the overall homeliness of the property for the children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirements made at the last inspection to improve team working, improve recruitment practice, improve continuity of care, and to make risk assessments and Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 3 care plans more effective have been met. The recommendation that all areas of the home be made accessible to all the children has also been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2019 Full Good 21/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/02/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for deciding what each (regulation 45) review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the Quality Standards every six months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions

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Recommendations

will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, this should include the outdoor areas of the home.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC063767 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

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Inspector:

John Pledger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC063767 7 to 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:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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