Children's Home run by Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1263571 1 Registered provider: Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned and managed by a private organisation. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home can care for up to five children aged between 11 and 17 years who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children currently live in the home. The children and the staff team moved back to this home from another registered setting following a period of closure in 2021 to undertake essential maintenance work.

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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: 10 December 2019

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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: 1263571 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/05/2019 Full Good 19/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 04/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1263571 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are looked after by a manager and care team who provide consistent and nurturing care. The manager and staff place the children’s needs at the centre of their practice. A member of staff told the inspector that she and the staff respect and trust the children and this has helped to build positive relationships. The children respond well to this approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The opportunities children have in this home help them to grow as individuals. All three children have made progress from their starting points and are thriving by living here. Two of the children have lived in homes operated by the provider for several years. They have found stability here because of the meaningful and trusting relationships they have with the adults who care for them. One child is new to the home. He is embracing the support and new opportunities provided for him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is well maintained and inviting. Staff successfully help the children to respect the environment that they live in. A social worker said that the quality of care is of a high standard and told the inspector, ‘The home is clean, comfortable and a well-presented environment.’ Children are relaxed and comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team recognise the importance of children’s educational needs. Collectively, the team works in partnership with education services to ensure the children’s learning styles are integrated into their individual timetables. As a result, children’s educational needs are well met. Two children have completed their exams and are looking forward to starting at their further education settings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain and develop positive relationships with family members and those who are important to them. They also enjoy spending time with their friends and meeting together in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff successfully support children to enjoy a variety of activities. Staff are not risk adverse; they encourage children to try new activities. One child said that since living at the home she has been rock climbing, camping and go-karting, and has found that archery is her new favourite hobby. These new opportunities broaden children’s experiences and provide them with fond memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare needs are met well. All children are registered with healthcare services and attend regular appointments. To help one child to progress with her independence skills, staff have supported her to manage her own medication.

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

The arrangements for safeguarding children are, in the main, good. The manager takes appropriate action in response to safeguarding concerns. On one occasion, she Inspection report for children’s home: 1263571 4 took immediate action when she became aware on her return from leave that staff had not followed the allegations management process correctly. The concerns were subsequently referred to the local authority designated officer and a full investigation was completed. The manager identified where lessons needed to be learned and took action to strengthen the home’s reporting procedure at times when she is away from the home.

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

To develop the staff team’s safeguarding knowledge, they receive additional training and have regular discussions in team meetings and supervision sessions. The manager uses these opportunities effectively to develop the team’s understanding of its safeguarding responsibilities and to consider contextual safeguarding issues for the children. Consequently, staff now have an improved awareness of safeguarding.

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

In recent months, incidents have increased. The team identified that this was because children were very anxious about their exams. The manager looked at these incidents, spoke with the children and together with staff put in more structure for the summer holidays to help distract the children. This plan worked. Two children have part-time jobs in the local community, have successfully secured college placements and feel less anxious.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are robust. The manager ensures that all staff working with the children are vetted for their suitability, experience and skills. The three-part interview process includes children interviewing the candidates. They ask their own questions and share their views with the manager.

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

Before the manager agrees for a new child to move into the home, she uses the information gained from the placing authority and her knowledge about the current children’s needs to assess their compatibility. For the most recent admission, the manager did not use this information well enough to consider the impact of these needs. This has not impacted negatively on the current children because the information that was obtained provides staff with the detail they need to mitigate and manage potential risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has had a positive impact on the home since her appointment. She provides strong and effective leadership. She has been instrumental is creating a culture where the staff have high aspirations and expectations for the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A strength of the manager is her drive to promote reflective practice. Team meetings, bi-monthly clinical meetings and supervision discussions are well attended. These meetings provide an opportunity for the staff to reflect on the children’s changing needs and the impact of staff’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight of the quality of care is good. Monitoring completed by the manager, independent person and senior leaders is effective. A centralised recording system provides senior leaders and the manager with a detailed overview of events Inspection report for children’s home: 1263571 5 that have happened in the home. This information is used effectively to identify patterns and trends of behaviours and to understand the children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that all staff are compliant with basic mandatory training. In addition, staff are provided with a broad range of specialist training courses that meet the current and changing needs of the children. Recent training has helped staff to understand the impact on a child of losing a parent by sudden death.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All new staff are provided with a robust introduction to the home, including a full induction and regular supervision. This level of support helps with staff retention which, in turn, provides children with continuity of care from adults who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback received from social workers is overwhelmingly positive. They confirmed that communication is excellent. One social worker said, ‘The team has been successful in providing a warm, welcoming home with a team of adults who are strong advocates for the children.’ Another social worker said, ‘The child’s progress is because staff have the skills and experience to maintain positive and respectful relationships with the children. Staff are consistent with their approach, and as a result, children say they feel safe and like living at this home.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1263571 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they assess the impact of a new child’s arrival on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.3)  The registered person should ensure that notifications of safeguarding concerns are consistently reported in accordance with regulation 40. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 1263571 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 27 Westend Office Suites, Westend, Stonehouse GL10 3FA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Summers

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Inspector

Sharron Escott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1263571 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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