Children's home run by Solace for Children Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2600541 1 Registered provider: Solace for Children Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately owned home is registered to provide care for three children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager were registered with Ofsted on 10 September 2020.

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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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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: not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2600541 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home was registered, three children have moved into the home in a well- planned manner. Children have settled very quickly because staff understand how best to support them. One child told the inspector, ‘I like the staff. They help me to do better.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive help, support and encouragement to do well in their education. There are clear plans in place to promote the individual needs of each child. As a result, children are attending school and making progress. One child shared with the inspector how well they have done in their recently completed GCSE exams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to give children opportunities to succeed. For example, one child has gained temporary employment within the organisation. This has given the child the chance to develop work-based skills, experience and confidence. This has helped to motivate the child and given him an understanding of what he needs to do to achieve his career goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have been supported to learn and develop their independence skills. For example, one child completes various chores around the home and has begun to learn new manual skills. Another child has progressed to be able to meet with his friends in the community without staff supervision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff kept the children busy. When leisure activities which children normally enjoy were unavailable, staff recreated these activities in the home. For example, the registered manager bought various items of exercise equipment and made a gym in the home’s garage. This means that children have fun and enjoy living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff during difficult and challenging life events. For example, staff have supported one child to create a memorial garden for a loved one. This has been a helpful coping strategy for this child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In the main, the home is well furnished and maintained. However, at the time of the inspection, children’s bedrooms were in an untidy state. For example, clothes were scattered on the floor and cables from electronic devices posed a potential trip hazard.

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

Staff recognise when children are struggling to manage their emotions and are feeling anxious. Staff act on this to provide children with reassurance and support. This helps children to develop their resilience and to manage situations which may otherwise be very challenging for them. Inspection report children's home: 2600541 3 Detailed risk assessments provide the staff with the necessary strategies to minimise potential dangers to children. One child shared that staff provide them with clear boundaries. This helps the child to feel safe and to understand what is expected of them.

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

Staff take time to consider what may be causing children to behave in particular ways. For example, staff recognised that a child was leaving the home at night because he was struggling to sleep. Staff now take the child for a walk before bedtime and talk through any worries. This has helped to reduce the frequency of the child going missing.

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

Staff are imaginative in the way they provide direct work to the children. For example, direct work is embedded into the day-to-day care provided to children. This has helped children to be able to better manage their own behaviours without becoming frustrated. This has had a positive impact on the children, with incidents of physical intervention being rare.

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

The registered manager is effective in responding to safeguarding concerns and complaints from children. She acts swiftly to investigate such matters and where necessary to implement any identified learning. This ensures that children are protected and that their concerns are responded to.

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

Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they are concerned about a child. Staff feel confident in their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The high quality of care provided to children is driven by an enthusiastic, child- centred and motivated registered manager and by the responsible individual. This is mirrored by the staff, who put children at the centre of their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses a range of quality assurance systems. As a result, she has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Furthermore, when recommendations for improvement are made by the independent person, the registered manager acts on these promptly. The responsible individual also undertakes planned and unplanned checks on the home. This helps the registered manager to ensure that children receive good quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent reviewing officers for all children speak highly of the registered manager and her staff team. This was echoed by one social worker, who told the inspector that staff go above and beyond. All children have made significant progress while living in the home. This progress has been made possible by the dedication of the registered manager and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a robust induction training programme which meets the needs of the children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the registered manager Inspection report children's home: 2600541 4 completed a review of the effectiveness of the online training completed by staff. Because of this, the registered manager was able to address gaps in staff knowledge to ensure consistent care is provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff have regular supervision. This supervision is thorough and includes discussion about the children and staff members’ well-being. Staff say they are supported and listened to, and know they can always turn to the manager for help and guidance. Inspection report children's home: 2600541 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the physical environment is safe and appropriately maintained for children. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2600541 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solace for Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Attwoods, 90-92 High Street, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4EU

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Inspector

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2600541 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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