Children's home run by Thrive Childcare Services Ltd

Inspection report children's home: 2593928 1 Registered provider: Thrive Childcare Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private provider is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have experienced early childhood trauma and have emotional and behavioural needs as a result of these experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been at the home since it was registered in August 2020. She holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management and is an experienced registered manager.

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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 3 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this children’s home

This is this setting’s first full inspection since being registered.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2593928 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The two children currently living at the home have been there since the monitoring visit that took place in February 2021. Staff know the children well and are providing good-quality, individualised care. Plans are purposeful and have clear targets and objectives that are having a positive impact on the progress of both children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is now in full-time education in a mainstream school and doing well. He has become a class representative and has won certificates for high test results. He is building relationships with peers and being supported by staff outside school to develop his reading and spelling.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The other child is developing his level of responsibility in preparation for his transition to adulthood. Staff are supporting him to budget, shop, cook, manage appointments and travel independently. This is advancing his resilience and life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supporting the children to share their views and develop their value systems as individuals. For example, views are sought through key-working sessions and daily discussions. Good attention is given to exploring culture and diversity. A range of calendar events are celebrated. This helps to increase the children’s understanding and curiosity.

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

Children are safe in the home because staff know how to safely care for them. Staff receive a range of safeguarding training, including on child trafficking and internet safety. The children have positive relationships with staff, who listen and engage with them. As a result, the children do not go missing and there have been no incidents requiring the use of physical intervention.

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

Staff are successfully supporting the children to express and manage their emotions and feelings. Staff make good use of rewards and incentives. These are individual to the children and are linked to encouraging positive development in other areas of their lives, for example, putting together a ‘bottom-drawer’ ready for leaving care and developing new interests, such as fishing. However, there have been a few occasions when rewards have not linked so clearly to normal parenting approaches or to a child’s plan of care. For example, staff have given a child a financial award towards the purchase of a computer game, despite trying to encourage the child to reduce his time playing.

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

The home is spacious, clean, homely and inviting. Children and staff are currently investing time and energy in developing the garden ready for the summer. Children’s access to communal areas of the home is not restricted. However, there are locks on the doors into the lounge and kitchen area. This is not in keeping with the homely environment. Inspection report children's home: 2593928 3

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good

Prior to this inspection taking place, Ofsted received information that between 9 February 2021 and 16 April 2021, three children were documented to have moved in and then subsequently out of the home. However, the children had not visited or lived at the home and were instead living in a property located 90 miles away. This property was not a registered children’s home and should not have been used to accommodate these children. Ofsted deemed that the property was being used as an unregistered children’s home. Since 16 April 2021, the provider has not used the unregistered property to accommodate any children associated with this children’s home.

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good

The use of this unregistered children’s home raises concerns about leaders’ and managers’ decision-making, knowledge and experience. However, senior leaders have engaged proactively with Ofsted on this matter.

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good

The registered manager has ensured that the two children currently living in this home are provided with appropriate care and support. As a result, they are making progress.

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good

Staff are supported to develop their practice. They receive good-quality induction and mandatory training that equips them to meet the needs of the children they care for. Their knowledge is further developed by managers in supervisions. Team meetings ensure that there is good communication between staff. This promotes consistency of practice.

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good

The provider commissions a mental health practitioner who has regular meetings with the registered manager and staff team to offer guidance on supporting the children. He also provides training to support the staff team’s ongoing development and understanding of the home’s two models of care, specifically, the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) parenting programme and the playfulness, acceptance and curiosity and empathy (PACE) therapeutic parenting programme. This ensures that children are cared for by staff who are knowledgeable and skilled in childcare.

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good

The registered manager works effectively in partnership with a range of professionals. Children’s social workers are positive about the care and support that children receive and the level of communication they have with the manager and staff. They see that children’s confidence and self-esteem is growing. Inspection report children's home: 2593928 4

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that, just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Any modifications to the environment of the home must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs and be kept under regular review. This specifically relates to considering the need to have locks on the doors into the sitting room and kitchen/dining room. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive

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Recommendations

behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)

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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: 2593928 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Thrive Childcare Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 72 Oakdale Drive, Heald Green, Cheadle SK8 3SW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Haywood

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Inspector

Dawn Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2593928 6 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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