Children's home run by The Vine Residential Services (TVRS) Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2532471 1 Registered provider: The Vine Residential Services (TVRS) Ltd. Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company operates this home for up to four children. The statement of purpose states that the home provides care for children who have a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder and/or learning difficulties and associated emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered with Ofsted in October 2019. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted at the same time.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 8 January 2020 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2532471 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

n/a n/a n/a Inspection report children’s home: 2532471 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children thrive in a service which is personalised to their needs and focused on helping them to maximise their potential. Relatives and social workers praise the quality of care. All children are making good progress, socially, emotionally, physically and educationally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and social workers commend the progress in children’s life skills. Children are learning to prepare meals, bake, do their laundry, help with household tasks, and go shopping. Children are learning the importance of social etiquette, which includes good table manners and interacting appropriately with others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop trusting relationships with staff who are committed to understanding their needs. The members of this caring staff team express joy in their work and a heartfelt commitment to enhancing children’s lives. One child told the inspectors they were ‘very happy’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children develop a positive self-image. Child-centred life story books help children take pride in who they are and in their achievements. One child’s life story book, however, did not have details that reflects their family’s heritage. A relative also highlighted that they would like further consideration given to children’s broader engagement in religious events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning focuses on children’s individual targets and personalised outcomes. The uniqueness of each child is celebrated; a good example of this is the care and attention given to organising children’s birthday parties. A parent commented that staff had ‘put their heart and soul’ into this. Children’s health needs are met effectively, and staff are able to manage a range of health conditions. Children enjoy a nutritious diet and they are learning to develop a positive relationship with food. Children enjoy regular exercise and they have access to personal training sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is good continuity of care due to the effective relationships with schools. Children are doing well educationally and there are marked improvements in children’s communication skills. Parents praise the communication with staff, who thoughtfully help children to create cards and personalised calendars for their parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities which includes art and crafts sessions, movie nights and pampering sessions. They also explore the wider community, going on trips to the seaside, parks, and a local farm. The organisation has an activity centre where children enjoy spending their leisure time or meeting up with their families. Inspection report children’s home: 2532471 4

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

Children have benefited from the proactive and solution-focused leadership and management throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The resilient staff team has flexibly responded to coronavirus outbreaks. Purposeful partnerships with public health and local authorities have protected children.

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

Children live in a safe environment. Twice-weekly COVID-19 testing is in place for staff, and a cleaner has been employed to ensure that the home is kept clean and hygienic. Children are reminded of the need to regularly wash their hands, and they have their own personalised photographic guidance.

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

The premises have good security arrangements, which prevents unauthorised persons from interacting with children. The regularly reviewed risk management system appropriately highlights the risks in relation to individual children, the premises, the location, and specific activities. Recruitment and employment practices prevent unsuitable persons from working with children.

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

Safeguarding practices help to protect children and promote their welfare. There are strong links with the local authority safeguarding personnel and a wide range of training. Staff know how to report safeguarding concerns both internally and externally.

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

Consistent boundaries and a good understanding of children ensure that behaviour management is not an issue in the home. There is a strong emphasis on preventative strategies and de-escalation of children’s negative behaviours. Children are a lot calmer and they are learning how to manage their emotions.

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

Adjustments have been made to the home, such as protective screens and stronger furniture. There is an understanding that children communicate through their behaviour. There is a good reward system and children’s achievements are meaningfully recognised.

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

Staff occasionally have to restrain children, and on one occasion the duration of the physical intervention was not recorded. The dates of debriefings with children and staff are not recorded in sanction or restraint records. However, the recording system states they were undertaken within the required timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers, and staff are ambitious to make a positive difference to children’s lives. Most professionals praised the managers and staff for their ‘impressive’ work in meeting the complex needs of children. Leaders and managers are present and readily available to support children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a good-quality assurance system. This includes the external quality assurance reports by the local authorities to provide external scrutiny. However, the registered manager’s quality of care reports do not include staff feedback. Inspection report children’s home: 2532471 5 The requirement from the last inspection has been addressed. An appropriate staffing ratio ensures that children receive the necessary supervision and support. The leaders and managers have continued to recruit permanent members of staff despite difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good partnership arrangements focus on meeting the varied needs of children. Leaders and managers have improved their communication within the local community, using technology effectively to manage the pandemic well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a nurturing, culturally diverse and gender-balanced staff team. Staff receive a range of support, which includes regular training, reflective supervision, team meetings and support for their well-being. The managers recently introduced a suggestion box to improve staff input. Staff told the inspectors that they feel valued by the leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children live in a clean, comfortable, bright and welcoming home. Their rooms are decorated to reflect their interest. The home uses creative ways to communicate with non-verbal children. Inspection report children’s home: 2532471 6

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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 system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 1 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)) 1 June 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure staff help all children understand who they are and where they come from. In particular, ensure all children have information regarding their heritage and they are helped to celebrate their faith. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.4)  The registered person should ensure records of restraint enable the registered person and staff to review the use of discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. In particular, record the date of children’s and staff debriefings. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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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: 2532471 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Vine Residential Services (TVRS) Ltd.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Granary, Studio 4 1st Floor, 80 Abbey Road, Barking, Essex IG11 7BT

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Inspectors

Sharon Payne, Social Care Inspector Gulcin Ardic, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2532471 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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