Children's home run by Smooth Stone Care & Education Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2593032 1 Registered provider: Smooth Stone Care & Education Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and is registered to care for three young people who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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: This is the home’s first inspection since its registration in July 2020.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2593032 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

N/A N/A N/A Inspection report children’s home: 2593032 3

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outstanding

Children settle into this home very well and make extremely good progress. The very child-centred and nurturing approach of staff means that children are happy and thriving. Social workers said that the care provided by the staff is ‘amazing’.

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outstanding

Staff show great warmth and affection towards the children. They only ever have very positive things to say about the children. Staff said that the children make them smile every day. Staff take every opportunity to make children feel special, celebrating all achievements and ensuring that the home is a lively, fun and happy environment. One social worker said that a child had told them: ‘I feel like I am loved.’

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outstanding

Education attendance at the company’s own school continued during the pandemic, and children have achieved 100% attendance. Children receive a rich and varied education to suit their individual needs. One teaching professional said that a child was making ‘excellent progress in a range of subjects’.

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outstanding

Children’s interests and talents are nurtured. One child has an interest in computers, and there are plans for him to join a coding club. Another child is interested in cityscapes and staff make every effort to support her to learn more.

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outstanding

Care planning is highly creative. This is demonstrated in the way that staff have worked with a child who was resistant to some medical treatment. They have used the child’s interest in gaming to help him to overcome his anxieties. There are many other examples of innovative work that has improved children’s outcomes.

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outstanding

Memory books capture the fun and happy experiences of children, so that they have positive memories from this period in their life.

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outstanding

There are open and trusting relationships between staff and children. Children who can be highly anxious readily tell staff about their feelings. This means that they are able to share any concerns or anxieties freely. If children do express any concerns or worries, staff carefully plan their responses so that children learn how to stay safe. Staff support to children in this area is superb.

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outstanding

All aspects of child protection are understood by the well-established and knowledgeable staff team. There is regular discussion within the team about emerging safeguarding issues. This means that the staff’s knowledge of Inspection report children’s home: 2593032 4 safeguarding is regularly refreshed. Staff are not afraid to challenge each other, demonstrating an open and transparent safeguarding culture.

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outstanding

Behaviour management strategies are very innovative. Children learn how to manage their emotions and to regulate their behaviours. Staff understand that each child is different and requires an individual approach. Staff have a detailed and insightful understanding of the needs of each child. There are several examples of highly individual work with children to keep them safe. A recent example is the development of code words and resources to help a particular child when their anxiety starts to escalate.

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outstanding

Staff support the children to have a voice in all aspects of their lives. For some children, who have not felt confident or understood their rights until moving to this home, this is life changing.

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outstanding

Children have been practising using the home’s complaints procedure, and the manager has encouraged this so that children feel confident to make a complaint. All requests, however small, are taken into consideration, and this has had an impact on children’s confidence hugely. One child has recently participated in her own care review meeting for the first time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is devoted to the children. She is supported by a dedicated deputy manager. The manager’s leadership style inspires staff to be excellent practitioners. Staff are proud to work at this home. One professional talked to the inspector about the management of the home and said: ‘I would like them to show others how it is done.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The momentum of improvement never stops. There are always new developments. For example, new resources have been developed to encourage children to talk about matters which are outside their comfort zone and to gain instant rewards via a lucky dip box.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are regular and vibrant professional discussions about the care given to the children. Everyone has their say. There is real clarity about how care should be delivered because everyone is involved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff training programme, particularly in relation to safeguarding, is extensive. Research-informed approaches to care are included in the training curriculum, including the most up-to-date thinking and research about autism spectrum disorders. Training is adapted in response to children’s changing needs. All staff members, however new, have developed considerable knowledge of how they should care for and protect disabled children. The manager considers the learning styles of individual staff members so that they can all develop to their full potential. Inspection report children’s home: 2593032 5

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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: 2593032 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Smooth Stone Care & Education Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Datum House Electra Way, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 6ZF

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Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2593032 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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