Children's Home run by Arc-HD Services Ltd in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1258831 1 Registered provider: Arc-HD Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to three children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The accommodation is set in three individual living areas, with a communal space. Two children currently live at the home; one child was present during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since January 2022 and has submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

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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: 27 January 2022

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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: 1258831 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/01/2022 Full Good 04/09/2019 Full Good 18/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1258831 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a peaceful and calm environment that promotes their emotional well- being. Children enjoy having pets and taking care of the ducks that live in the large garden, which is surrounded by fields and farmland. Caring staff focus on developing trusting and warm relationships with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Nurturing staff recognise when children are communicating their distress and they respond with kindness and empathy. Specialist help is available to support staff in using a trauma- and attachment-informed approach with children. Consequently, children develop insight into difficult feelings and build their resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of recreational pursuits. Staff encourage children to follow their individual interests and extend their social experiences. This helps to improve children’s social skills and increases their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with encouragement and opportunities to voice their views and feelings. For example, staff seek out children’s views about day-to-day issues relating to the home. Children are involved in planning their menus and choosing activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the manager has introduced a nationally approved qualification to help children develop personal, social and employability skills. While the initial signs of children’s engagement appear promising, it is too early to see any positive impact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have made some progress in supporting children to develop healthier day and night routines. However, staff practice is inconsistent. Managers and staff have not ensured that children make reasonable progress towards achieving their educational potential. For example, school attendance has significantly reduced for one child who has recently joined the home. The previous requirement made at the last inspection around the lack of educational progress that children make has been restated.

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

Staff create a reflective and open culture in the home. Children enjoy good relationships with staff, and staff know the children well. This serves as an added protective factor in helping children to feel confident about speaking out about any worries they may have.

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

Risk assessments identify children’s individual vulnerabilities, with detailed strategies to minimise the risks. Staff undertake individual direct work with children to address high-risk behaviours. This targeted work helps to develop children’s awareness of risks and gain alternative ways of thinking about difficult issues. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258831 4 Staff work in close partnership with children’s families and with their professional networks. Outreach support and family intervention help maintain and strengthen relationships. Positive communication and collaborative relationships have built trust and engagement. This creates a strong team around each child and ensures that risks are reduced for them.

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

Recruitment practice is strong and follows safer recruitment processes. This safeguards children and minimises potential risks of unsuitable adults working with them.

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

Poor leadership oversight and staff’s insufficient technological knowledge have led to a shortfall in providing online, age-appropriate safeguarding. The staff and managers were not aware that the home’s Wi-Fi was not fixed in a child-safe setting. Therefore, children have potentially been able to access inappropriate adult sites, for example adult dating and gambling sites. As a result, children have been vulnerable to online risks that staff have not been aware of. This was rectified during the inspection.

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good

The manager has submitted her application to register with Ofsted. She has been supported with a well-planned handover by the hands-on responsible individual. However, the home has experienced an unsettled period, including staff sickness and changes in the children’s group dynamics. This has affected the manager’s capacity to maintain sufficient oversight of staff practice.

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good

Managers have not provided all staff with regular supervision and some staff have not received their annual appraisal. This means that some staff have not had enough support to help them to meet the significant complex needs of children.

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good

Managers have not ensured that they have in place the most up-to-date local authority placement plan and care plan for a new child who has recently joined the home. Consequently, staff do not have the most current information to ensure that they are meeting the child’s current goals and needs.

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good

Staff receive a range of mandatory and child-specific training to ensure that they are equipped with the right skills to meet children’s needs. Regular group supervision is led by a therapist who supports staff in their application of the home’s therapeutic approach.

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good

The manager and senior leaders promote an inclusive ethos at the home. Staff are mindful of children’s cultures and celebrate diversity. Staff’s care practice reflects these values. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258831 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (Regulation 8 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 1 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff supervision must take place in line with the home’s policies. 1 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s internet access is managed in a way that ensures reasonable duty of care in providing age-appropriate online safeguarding. 15 November Inspection report for children’s home: 1258831 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that new children joining the home have a current local authority placement plan in place at the time the placement is made. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.7)

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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: 1258831 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Arc-HD Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wessex House, Upper Market Street, Eastleigh SO50 9FD

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Inspectors

Anne-Marie Davies, Social Care Inspector Tony Waite, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1258831 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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