Children's home run by Bridge Communities Limited in Stroud

Inspection report children’s home: SC016600 1 SC016600 Registered provider: Bridge Communities Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The provider states in its statement of purpose that the home provides care for a maximum of five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 31 March 2007.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 14 September 2021

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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: SC016600 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/09/2021 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/12/2019 Full Good 10/09/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC016600 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing and supportive in their care of children at this home because they understand the impact of children’s past trauma. Children benefit from close relationships with staff who spend time with them to build trust and help them share their experiences and worries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped by staff to access routine appointments, including dental and optician appointments, to maintain their general health. However, while staff make efforts to talk with children about contraception and to encourage them to attend appointments to check their sexual health, not enough work is being done to help children use contraception and to understand the consequences of not doing so on their lives in the longer term.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to have fun at this home and to try new activities, such as street dance, horse showing and go-karting, to develop their confidence and self- esteem. Staff assist children in learning how to cook, to be more adventurous with food and to explore baking cakes as a means of developing independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a large, period-style property that has been decorated to a good standard. It is comfortable, with lots of bright, soft furnishings, plants and artwork. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to their taste with neutral colours and personal furnishings of their choice.

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

Since the previous inspection, there have been no allegations or complaints against staff. Staff at this children’s home understand the impact that using restraint can have on children and use other approaches, including verbal reassurance and time away, to manage incidents of aggression. Since the previous inspection, there has been no use of restraint.

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

Safer recruitment records are strong. Managers make sure that all necessary identification, and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and reference checks are held on file. Staff members’ previous employment history and any gaps in employment are reviewed in detail and verified by managers.

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

Staff understand the risks to children outside the home from issues such as being missing from care, cannabis use, sexual and emotional health, and exploitation. However, risk assessments, behaviour management plans and some care plans do not provide enough practical guidance to enable staff to respond consistently to children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC016600 4

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good

Improvements have been noted in the quality of care provided to children since the previous inspection. However, one requirement since the previous inspection is not fully met because some children’s plans and risk assessments need further clarity to help staff respond to those children’s individual needs.

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good

The registered manager and responsible individual have not ensured that the statement of purpose is suitably updated. It does not demonstrate how children will be cared for in an emergency, or include arrangements for staff supervision, how competence in the use of restraint is tested, nor the approach to the monitoring and surveillance of children in this home.

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good

The most recent evaluation of the quality of care completed at this home by the registered manager is overly descriptive. It does not properly evaluate areas for improvement or reflect sufficiently on the quality of care provided to children. Subsequent actions are not SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound) to enable effective monitoring and to track progress in this home.

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good

The registered manager does not ensure that there is written oversight of records, including for missing-from-home and other significant incidents, to review concerns and strengthen staff practice, including in the quality of some written records. This does not enable consistency of care or improve outcomes for children. Many records at this home are not signed and dated by the registered manager.

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good

Staff enjoy working at this home and feel supported by managers and team members alike. Staff have suitable qualifications for their roles and there is close oversight of training schedules and staff personal development plans so that staff are up to date with mandatory and specialised training. Professionals gave positive feedback about the care and protection provided to children at this home by staff. Social workers are satisfied by the frequency and the quality of communications from managers about children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC016600 5

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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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that children receive more support to understand the use of contraception to help protect them from future harm. 14 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; (Regulation 11(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that risk assessments, behaviour management and care plans include specific practice guidance for staff about how to support children with issues such as cannabis use, and with sexual health support and how to reduce risks outside the home. 14 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 14 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC016600 6 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to updating the statement of purpose, ensuring that there is a written record of managerial oversight of records of significant incidents, including missing-from-care incidents, and evaluations of the quality of care in the Regulation 45 report to enable progress in, and reflection about, the care provided.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager needs to ensure that key documents, including care plans, risk management plans and records of significant incidents, are signed and dated. 14 October 2022

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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: SC016600 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bridge Communities Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sutton Dipple, 8 Wheelwrights Corner, Cossack Square, Nailsworth, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 0DB

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Inspector

Anna Gravelle, His Majesty’s Inspector, Social Care Inspection report for children’s home: SC016600 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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