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

Assurance visit report: SC035593 1 SC035593

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people. The home’s statement of purpose states that it caters for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It states that the home specialises in the support of young people who have had a poor education experience. No age range is specified in the statement of purpose. Young people stay in the home during term-time only, with an additional two weeks of care available during school holidays if necessary.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 16 October 2018

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: SC035593 2

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Findings from the visit

We identified no serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

Children in the home benefit from strong, positive relationships with a skilled and motivated staff team. Staff follow a well-developed and embedded model of care which strongly informs their practice. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the complex needs of children.

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The care of children

The home operates on a term-time only basis. Staff manage this successfully by developing excellent communication with parents and professionals. During lockdown, staff worked diligently to support vulnerable children and parents. In one case, children stayed on site when parents were isolating, and staff worked outside their normal rota patterns to make this happen.

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The care of children

Staff recognise the emotional impact of COVID-19, particularly for children with autism spectrum disorder. Staff work hard to maintain consistency and provide open and honest communication to help lower anxiety, assisting children to cope with the unexpected changes to their routine.

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The care of children

Children benefit from close links to the organisation’s school. Children were able to maintain their education off site throughout lockdown, with the careful use of ‘bubbles’ to ensure their safety.

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The care of children

Children have regular opportunities to contribute their views on day-to-day decision making. The registered manager can cite many examples of the way in which children’s feedback is integrated into the development of the home. Staff have created a very personal feel in children’s rooms.

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The safety of children

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the risks and vulnerabilities of children in their care. They can identify strategies in place to keep children safe. Staff also recognise their role in safeguarding children and can readily identify key external agencies that work together to keep children safe.

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The safety of children

While children in the home do occasionally require some physical intervention to help them keep safe, this is conducted skilfully and kept to a minimum. Staff spoke about the importance of exhausting all de-escalation skills they have before resorting to any sort of physical intervention. Children benefit from reflective debriefs after any incidents in the home. This allows them to share their views and supports both staff and the child to learn from the event.

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The safety of children

The registered manager maintains close oversight of all incidents at the home and produces a written reflective report after each one. She adopts a constructively Assurance visit report: SC035593 3 critical approach which helps her team to continually improve on their behaviour support skills.

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The safety of children

Staff training is regularly updated to ensure that they are kept up to date with developments in safeguarding practice. The registered manager used the training hub to provide online training continuity during lockdown. Staff are pleased to be returning to face-to-face training. They express very positive views on the quality of training provided.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager is passionate about her home. She is clearly an excellent advocate for the children in her care. She demonstrates a strong vision for the home and strives for the best outcomes for children.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager’s monitoring and oversight is detailed and shows a strong capacity for critical reflection. She ensures that children’s plans are regularly reviewed and quickly adapted to changes in a child’s behaviour.

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Leaders and managers

There has been a recent change to the independent visitor, which the registered manager feels has delivered an improvement over previous independent monitoring. The registered manager values feedback from the visitor, and uses this to continually improve the quality of care provided to children.

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Leaders and managers

Feedback from external professionals is consistently positive. An independent reviewing officer described the team as ‘good role models, advocating appropriately and managing behaviour by establishing a meaningful and respectful relationship with [children]’.

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Leaders and managers

Parents provide regular feedback via questionnaires and reviews. They are very happy with the support their children are receiving. They reflect positively on the impact that the placement has had on their own relationships with their children.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has developed a consistent and highly motivated staff team. This has been clearly demonstrated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff have pulled together and provided excellent care and support for children through a very challenging period. They have maintained consistent, effective care for children throughout.

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Leaders and managers

The requirements from the last inspection have been met.

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Leaders and managers

No requirements or recommendations are made following this visit. Assurance visit report: SC035593 4

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Forest Care Ltd, West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

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Inspector

Peter Jackson, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC035593 5 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

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