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

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC060118 1 SC060118

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Five Rivers Child Care Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a national private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for one child who may have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was appointed in July 2020 and has been registered with Ofsted since September 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to investigate safeguarding concerns regarding a child’s unsafe access to the internet, and to consider whether the staff in this home had the skills to meet the child’s needs. These were concerns identified in Ofsted’s review of notifications and the independent visitor’s reports.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions, the inspector undertook virtual interviews with staff and external professionals and reviewed the required records. As there is currently no child in the home, the inspector did not speak to any children.

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This monitoring visit

This home has recently reopened and has a new manager and staff team. There has only been one child who has briefly lived in the home since it reopened. Unfortunately, a significant safeguarding incident led to an unplanned move for the child. However, prompt and decisive action taken by the senior leadership team in response to this incident protected the child effectively from further harm. At this time, over 50% of the team chose to resign from their posts.

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This monitoring visit

The senior leadership team has undertaken a thorough review of all events leading up to the significant incident. Leaders are clear that there were serious management errors, including poor care planning during the admission process. The manager and her team are reflective and acknowledge that the errors made had a serious Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC060118 2 negative impact on this child. Behavioural support plans and risk assessments were poor, as they missed critical actions to keep the child safe. The risk assessments were lengthy and confusing for staff to follow. This undermined their ability to keep the child safe.

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This monitoring visit

Learning from this, a strengthened leadership team has reviewed a number of internal processes and implemented more robust placement matching procedures. They have provided staff with the time and space to regroup and develop before admitting another child to the home. Effective staff recruitment plans, which include the transfer of experienced staff with proven skills, will help ensure that children’s complex needs will be met in the future.

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This monitoring visit

Despite identified shortfalls, there are several management strengths. The recently appointed manager and deputy manager are very experienced and well respected by staff and other professionals. The manager has recently reviewed the quality of care provided and has identified realistic targets to further improve the provision. In addition, senior leaders provide helpful support and challenge for this management team.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and her deputy lead by example and provide staff with aspiration and direction to improve children’s experiences. When incidents happen, the manager provides supportive debriefs with the child and the staff. The use of physical restraint is minimal and only used as a last resort. The manager always explores whether the staff could have handled situations differently to prevent them from escalating to the point that a restraint needs to be used.

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This monitoring visit

Staff feel valued and share the management team’s passion to improve the quality of service offered to children. Staff receive regular supervision from their manager. They have undertaken a range of mandatory training courses to help develop their understanding of children.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements set at the previous assurance visit have not yet been met in relation to children’s health, child protection, positive relationships with children and leadership and management, so have been reset. One further area of improvement has been identified at this inspection. This is in relation to the embedding of the improved care planning and admission processes.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/10/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/08/2016 Full Good 12/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC060118 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

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)(c)) 31 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 31 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC060118 4 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)) 12: The protection of children standard

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. 31 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC060118 5 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(vii)(b)) 13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)) 31 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 31 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC060118 6 manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 1(a)(b) 2(b)(i)(ii)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the embedding of the improved care planning and admission processes.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Newman

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Inspector

Joy Howick, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC060118 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

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