Children's Home run by Amegreen Children’s Services in West Berkshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC473329 1 SC473329 Registered provider: Amegreen Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned service accommodates up to four children. There are two other homes run by the same provider in the local area. This home’s statement of purpose states that it specialises in assisting children with making the transition to adult life and gaining the skills they need to live independently.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 31 October 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: SC473329 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2020 Full Good 03/09/2018 Full Outstanding 15/08/2017 Full Outstanding 09/02/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC473329 3

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outstanding

The children are engaged and happy, and they are making excellent progress from their starting points. Some of the children, prior to living here, have lived in several children’s homes. Staff are fully empathetic about children’s backgrounds and, as a result, they ensure that children have excellent experiences at this home. The staff focus on home-life stability and build strong and secure relationships with the children through trust, laughter and consistency.

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outstanding

Children benefit from staff who engage fully in all activities. For example, messy paint play, gaming and apple bobbing. The staff give the children wonderful childhood experiences. One professional said, ‘I feel very strongly that the child has made huge progress, especially in terms of their social and emotional growth.’

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outstanding

The staff have positive relationships with the children and encourage them to attend school daily. Children understand the benefits of a good education and celebrate their successes with staff. When children are not attending school, the registered manager finds suitable informal learning activities. The children are appropriately encouraged to engage with formal tuition around these less-formal activities. This approach allows children to build their confidence and self-esteem. In another example, one child has recently moved back into a learning group environment. This is significant progress from their starting point.

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outstanding

The staff have supported one child to recognise when they need to withdraw from situations that may cause them anxiety. This is good progress for the child. The child is now applying this learning into their educational setting. Their classroom support worker said, ‘The child’s behaviours have been more consistent, which is supported by boundaries and expectations in place at the home.’

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outstanding

The staff encourage the children to pursue their interests, likes and hobbies. One child has regular piano lessons, and another child has recently furthered his independence through going swimming by himself. This helps the children to develop self-reliance as well as making them active participants in their community.

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outstanding

The staff support the children to enjoy safe arrangements when they spend time with their families. The staff work in partnership with parents and allocated social workers to ensure that this time is positive and in the interests of the child. This promotes home-life stability and helps the children to feel supported by a network of people. One parent said, ‘The staff and manager listen to me and my son. I couldn’t be happier with where my son is living now and the progress he is making.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC473329 4

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outstanding

The children all have comprehensive risk assessments to identify their risks, such as county lines, radicalisation and child sexual exploitation. The strategies used by staff to support the children in managing these risks are clear, and they are fully reviewed after every incident. Risks are made clear and well-documented throughout the children’s plans, and the children are actively encouraged to talk about their risk- taking behaviours with their key workers. As a result, the children’s known risks prior to moving into the home have significantly reduced. This, in turn, is improving the children’s longer-term life chances and their opportunities.

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outstanding

Children’s health is very well-managed and all children make progress in this regard. For example, one child has stopped taking their regular medication and has been discharged from the associated clinical services. This has had a tremendous impact on the child’s ability to gain independence, friendships and self-esteem. Their social worker said, ‘The staff worked intensively with [the child] to overcome this problem.’

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outstanding

The staff team has developed a detailed and responsive safety management plan for one child through highly effective multi-agency planning. Contextualised safeguarding risks are understood and well-managed by the staff. As a result, the child’s risks have been minimised. The home has fantastic links with the local police community support officers who visit the home regularly. This is helping the children to further understand their risks and vulnerabilities online, in the home and when in the community.

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outstanding

The staff understand the risks that using the internet may pose for the children. The staff receive regular training and have well-developed strategies in place for the children in the monitoring and review of e-safety plans. The staff talk to the children about the dangers of the internet and sensitively support the children to understand why adults check their devices. This approach instils trust and reduces the children’s anxieties in what staff are looking for and the reasons why. The registered manager is in the process of looking into external workshops for the children to support what the staff are instilling in the home. Some of the workshops offer sessions in children’s rights, healthy relationships and staying safe online.

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outstanding

The staff have written comprehensive personal evacuation plans for the children. In the event of a fire, the staff have a clear understanding of how best to support the children to leave the premises safely. When the children have not evacuated during drills, the staff update the children’s plans to reflect this, adding measures to help children next time. This ensures that practice is streamlined and any areas of concerns are identified and addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Senior leaders have decided to renovate the upstairs staff-sleeping and office area to accommodate two separate bedrooms, one with an en suite. This change means that the home will be able to provide overnight care for one more child. Plans are Inspection report for children's home: SC473329 5 suitable and the impact of the work has been considered to suit the needs of the children. While the children are in school, there is building work ongoing at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A child living in the home recently tested positive for COVID-19. The staff supported the child to isolate in their bedroom, effectively reducing the spread of the virus to other children or staff. The home has suitable policies and procedures in place for the management of COVID-19, and the registered manager is working transparently with Public Health England for advice and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager works in partnership with a range of educational professionals to support better outcomes and futures for the children. The engagement with one child’s educational psychologist has allowed the team to really understand the barriers to one child’s learning and the best ways of supporting them to manage their time away from the home. As a result, the child is slowly building their timetable in school and is starting to engage with practice educators. One professional said, ‘The child is forming stable attachments with adults for the first time since we have known them, and this is bearing fruit not just in terms of engagement but in terms of their mental health and capacity to regulate.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

External professionals are extremely positive about the progress of the children at the home. They said that they are impressed with the professionalism and commitment of the staff team. External professionals praised the open and honest communication from the registered manager. They also said that the staff always make excellent contributions to meetings and professional discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff say the registered manager leads by example and always makes time for the children. One member of staff said, ‘He is always aware of the children’s moods and recognises when they might need extra support.’ The registered manager spends time with the children and is often involved in taking them on outings, trips, and routine clubs such as football.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff retention in the home is excellent. The registered manager creates a culture of positivity and togetherness. When there are shortages in the rota, the staff always cover these. The staff say they do this by choice and feel no pressure from management in working additional hours. As a result, the children are being supported daily by a familiar, skilled and experienced staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children are making steady and life-changing progress living in the home. This can be found in many aspects of their relevant plans and reviews, and in speaking with parents and professionals. However, this process is not routinely tracked or monitored by the registered manager. He is acutely aware of this and, with the help of the team, is in the early stages of forming a new streamlined template to better capture the progress the children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The two requirements made at the last inspection have been met. These related to evacuation plans and promoting education. Inspection report for children's home: SC473329 6

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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 for children's home: SC473329 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Amegreen Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Courtyard, Sulhamstead Abbots, Sulhamstead RG7 4EE

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC473329 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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