Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in Southampton

Inspection report for children's home: SC485529 1 SC485529 Registered provider: New Forest Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to three children. It is owned and operated by a private organisation. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with complex emotional, behavioural and educational difficulties. All children have access to the organisation’s therapeutic services.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since July 2021.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 21 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted 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

Date of last inspection: 17 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC485529 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/02/2020 Full Good 21/03/2019 Full Good 21/03/2018 Full Good 15/11/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC485529 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a nurturing environment from a dedicated staff team who know them well and provide them with a sense of security. Staff adapt their care to meet children’s individual needs. As a result, all children have made good progress since arriving at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff share good-quality relationships. Staff use a lot of humour and playfulness in their interactions with children. Children are able to identify staff who they trust and can approach. These positive relationships have been fundamental in the progress children make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain good relationships with professionals and parents. Working in partnership with the team around the child is embedded in practice. One parent commented on how professional the staff team are when liaising with her. These positive relationships ensure consistent approaches and messages for children and help to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education and have good attendance. Children who previously disengaged from education are now attending regularly. Children achieve good educational outcomes and have aspirations for their futures. Staff support children to achieve their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s physical and emotional health needs to a good standard. Staff are proactive in identifying any concerns with children’s health. Staff advocate to a high standard on children’s behalf. If new health issues arise, staff are very quick to undertake the relevant training and make links with experts to inform their practice. Children are included in this learning. Children are therefore healthier.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s views are heard and understood. Children’s views are well recorded, reviewed and acted upon. As a result, children feel listened to and develop confidence and trust in the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to take part in new interests and hobbies. Activities include Scouts, football, swimming and bike riding. One child also has a part-time job. These experiences help children build confidence, make new friends and develop as individuals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live far from their family home are well supported. Staff promote and support contact well. Staff have maintained children’s links with their families throughout the lockdown periods. Inspection report for children's home: SC485529 4

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

Safeguarding practice is good. Staff have a clear understanding of reporting processes. Staff know where their role sits within wider safeguarding networks. As a result, this practice helps to keep children safe.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the risks faced by children in their care. Documentation reflects each child’s individual needs. The risk assessments are proactive as opposed to reactive. This preparation ensures the needs of all children are carefully thought through.

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

There have been no episodes of children going missing during this inspection period. The number of safeguarding incidents is very low. All children say that they feel safe. Children know how to make a complaint. Staff keep children safe.

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

Staff know how to respond to children’s behaviours. There is clear and consistent communication between children and staff. As a result, physical interventions are very rare. When there has been a restraint, this has been proportionate and well recorded. Children and staff are always consulted promptly afterwards. Therefore, the previous requirement concerning restraint has been met.

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

Staff are recruited in line with safer recruitment practice. There were relevant risk assessments on staff files, albeit uploaded during the inspection. However, not all staff files are consistent. In two files sampled, one document was unreadable and another was missing information. While the registered manager confirmed that original documentation is verified, evidence of this in one file was inconsistent. This compromises the safe recruitment of staff.

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

Staff ensure that health and safety is prioritised in this home. Safety audits are consistently carried out, with no widespread risks identified. However, fire risk assessment action plans are not always responded to in line with their risk rating. The delay compromises the ability of leaders to be confident that the premises are as safe as they can be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager promotes a culture of aspiration for children. Staff are motivated to provide a good standard of care. Staff praise the support of senior managers and hold the leadership team in high regard. This leads to a positive and calm feel within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by formal supervision and supportive relationships in the team. New members of staff have a good induction package and receive a high level of support. All mandatory training has been completed by the staff team. Staff can attend external bespoke training to support the individual needs of the children in their care. Staff morale is high. Inspection report for children's home: SC485529 5 Leaders and managers maintain good links with other agencies and children’s families. All feedback received is positive. One professional said that the registered manager is good at communication and ‘amazing’ with parents. They added, ‘He wants the children to progress.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of monthly reports has varied over the past year. The provider has plans in place with the independent visitor to improve this and keep it under review. An improvement in the most recent report has been noted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Prior to the inspection, Ofsted had not received a statement of purpose from the provider for over a year. The most recent statement of purpose was provided to the inspector during the inspection. The original document provided included identifiable details. The manager resubmitted the document when the inspector pointed this out. Shortfalls with the statement of purpose were raised at the previous inspection, therefore the requirement is repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is undergoing major redecoration on the ground floor. However, the standard of maintenance on the second floor is variable, with some areas worn and tired looking. Examples of this include holes in the carpet and windows that have damaged sills and condensation build-up. The provider has plans in place to redecorate the second floor. Therefore, the recommendation remains. Inspection report for children's home: SC485529 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 29 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)) 29 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 29 April 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC485529 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are maintained to a high standard. For example, ensure that the decoration and maintenance of the whole home is maintained and prioritised. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC485529 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Forest Care Limited, West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

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Inspector

Skye Frain, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC485529 9 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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