Children's home run by Consistent Quality Support Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2601137 1 Registered provider: Consistent Quality Support Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to two children with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2601137 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2601137 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both the children living at this home have made good progress. Children and staff have developed trusting relationships. This has enabled children to settle quickly and start making progress. Staff know the children well and invest time in them. The nurturing and consistent care provided to children helps them recover from previous trauma, placement breakdowns and instability in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has a learning disability and complex care needs. The child communicates non-verbally. Support is given to the child to ensure they can actively participate in day-to-day decisions about their life. The child makes their wishes known using a specialist communication system. Effective partnership working is supporting the child’s progress and overall development. A professional said, ‘The child is very much valued by staff and has formed positive relationships with the team. The home is proactive in seeking support for the child and advocating for their best interests.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have tailored education provision as outlined in their education, health and care plans. They need specialist school places. In the event of a gap in children being able to access the right education package, they are supported by staff with educational activities. Staff work hard to give the children the best opportunity to succeed in education. They are ambitious for the children and want them both to have the specialist help they need. The manager has been a strong advocate for the children’s education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy fun activities. They spend quality time with staff. Hobbies are encouraged and supported. One child enjoys horse riding and attends a local climbing activity centre. Another child enjoys visiting local soft-play centres and a trampoline centre. The children are looking forward to a summer holiday this year. The staff promote leisure interests and play opportunities. This helps children to grow in confidence and flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported to spend time with their families and friends. Staff work positively with parents and carers so there are no unnecessary restrictions on these relationships for children. This means both children can safely spend time with people who are important to them.

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

Safeguarding practice is effective. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities and this helps to keep children safe. Communication with social workers and placing local authorities is good. This results in children feeling safe and becoming safer because of living here.

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

Risks associated with going missing are very low. Both children have high levels of supervision to keep them safe. Individual risk assessments reflect the children’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2601137 4 known vulnerabilities and are updated regularly. These plans set out the actions which should be taken by staff to reduce risk and support children. This practice reduces the risk of harm and, over time, promotes positive behaviour.

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

Physical restraint is only used when necessary to protect children and staff from harm. Staff are trained in the use of physical restraint and only use it as a last resort. Incidents for one child are reducing. The management team reviews all incidents so the effectiveness of physical restraint can be monitored and lessons learned. Children and staff involved in restraint are always offered the opportunity to discuss the incident to ensure their views are understood.

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

Allegations against staff are handled quickly and effectively. The right external agencies are communicated with promptly to avoid unnecessary delay. Investigations are carried out following advice from the local authority designated officer. This effective practice keeps children safe and promotes their welfare.

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

The physical environment is safe for children. Improvements have been made to the outside space, which means children can enjoy playing in the garden safely. Staff invest time in making sure the home is clean, tidy and well furnished for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is led by a qualified and experienced manager. She is ably supported by a deputy manager. The staffing levels are suitable to meet the needs of both children. The staff are ambitious for children and enjoy their jobs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The company director and responsible individual are committed to providing a high standard of care to children. Leaders are visible and know the children well. They lead by example and act as good role models to staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has driven improvement since the last inspection. Effective action has been taken to ensure that all previous shortfalls have been addressed. The manager uses learning from practice and feedback from others to improve the care of children. As a result of this, children’s experiences have improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with external professional agencies. They have built effective working relationships with social workers, parents and other professionals. This helps to build positive outcomes for children in their care. One professional said, ‘Communication from the management team is good. The child is definitely safer because of living at the home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training and induction activities are very good. They are specific to the individual children’s needs. Specialist training in how to support children with autism and specific behavioural needs has been commissioned by the company to ensure staff have the necessary skills to care for the children. Staff feedback is positive and shows the vast array of training opportunities are valued by the team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2601137 5 Staff receive monthly supervision from a manager. This focuses on children’s needs and experiences. Staff speak highly of the leadership team and feel supported at work. The emotional impact of caring for children is recognised by the manager. However, supervision does not provide a record of outcomes or actions needed, nor does it routinely track staff development pathways. Implementing this would improve the standard of supervision for staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2601137 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions is kept and ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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: 2601137 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Consistent Quality Support Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Scarlet Way, Shirebrook, Mansfield NG20 8FW

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Inspector

Rachael Sprigg, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2601137 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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