Children's Home run by South West Childcare Services in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 1 Registered provider: South West Childcare Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. The statement of purpose confirms that the home can provide care for up to four children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

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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: 8 February 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: 2509684 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2022 Full Good 27/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/06/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and from the home are well planned. Since the last inspection, two children have left the home and two children have moved in. A social worker confirmed that their child benefited from a well-planned introduction to the home that included meeting the adults who would care for the child and information about the home. This eased the child’s anxieties and helped her to settle into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One of the children is due to celebrate her fourth year of living in this home. This child is thriving. All three children are relaxed and comfortable in this well- maintained and homely house. Children confidently approach staff for their company, advice and help. Interactions between the children and staff are warm and respectful. The atmosphere in the home is upbeat, like that of a busy family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from being looked after by a stable and cohesive team. High staffing levels enable staff to provide children with regular one-to-one support. As a result, all three children are making progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are strong advocates for the children in their care. For example, one child is currently struggling with his sleeping routine. In response, the manager and team are seeking help and support from a range of healthcare professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s educational needs well. One child attends a full-time course at an equine centre. The child works hard and is enjoying the learning opportunities. Another child’s attendance at school is excellent, and she is making good progress in achieving her educational targets. Both children say that they enjoy learning and they have made new friends. The manager is working closely with the third child’s local authority to secure an appropriate education provision for him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans have been reviewed, and the amount of historical information has been reduced. The new plans provide staff with the current information they need to meet the children’s needs. However, targets to maximise children’s progress are too ambitious and do not focus on helping children to conquer daily challenges. The manager agreed to look at ways to simplify these targets.

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

Children say that they feel safe living at this home. They like the adults who care for them and said that if they had any worries the staff are always there to help them.

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

All staff have completed safeguarding training and regularly attend refresher courses. Staff are clear about their safeguarding responsibilities. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and provide clear guidance and information of known risks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 4 Safeguarding concerns are identified and managed well. The manager works collaboratively with a range of safeguarding agencies. Overall, safeguarding records are well maintained. However, not all safeguarding actions are recorded in one central system. This has the potential to make it harder to monitor these actions effectively.

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

In recent months, missing from home events have reduced significantly. When children have gone missing, staff are vigilant in following protocols. To ensure children’s safe return home, staff contact known associates and search known places of interest. Information gained from independent missing from home interviews has been used effectively.

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

Since the last full inspection, there have been 11 reported incidents where staff have had to hold a child. The holds were for a limited amount of time and only used to prevent harm to the child and others. The manager’s analysis of these incidents has identified that, in one month, incidents increased for one child significantly. The manager has identified potential triggers for these incidents and is working closely with healthcare professionals and therapists to help the child to manage his anxieties before becoming too distressed.

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

The manager ensures that all staff and children have an opportunity to discuss how they felt after incidents. Records of these meetings do not always detail all the discussions held, for example what has been learned about the incident, were indicators missed and what actions could have been taken differently to prevent the child being held.

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

Safer recruitment practices are maintained. However, despite this good work, interview notes do not show why the candidate has been deemed as suitable, or has the skills and experience required to care for children with a wide range of complex needs.

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good

The registered manager provides effective leadership to her team. The staff speak positively about the manager, her child-focused approach and the support they receive. The manager has successfully created a culture that encourages staff to work as a team. Collectively, staff have high aspirations and expectations for the children they care for. Weaknesses identified at this inspection relate to the quality of written records completed by staff and the manager.

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good

The manager and team are provided with regular formal supervision. Discussions held include the home’s strengths and weaknesses, and any changes in children’s presenting needs. Despite this, written records do not detail whether the supervisor has assessed if the individual is meeting their role and responsibilities, or the impact their direct work has had for the children they care for. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 5 Team meetings take place regularly and attendance is good. The manager shares relevant information with the team during these meetings. However, team meetings do not consistently provide staff with the opportunity to learn from the findings of audits and monitoring activities. This does not maximise the team’s professional development.

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good

The manager ensures that all staff complete basic mandatory training. Specialist training opportunities are also provided. These help staff to have an improved understanding of the children’s changing needs. Currently, only two members of staff have completed the required national qualification in residential childcare. The remaining team members are enrolled and are working towards completing the qualification within the required timescale.

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good

The manager regularly consults with the children and team about how they can improve children’s experiences. Feedback provided is included within the home’s development plan. The registered manager is looking into maximising the use of the grounds in the home, including the orchard. She is looking at projects to help children to learn about the local wildlife, including caring for hedgehogs and bee keeping. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to simplifying children’s short- and medium-term targets. 13 January 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that formal supervisions and team meetings provide staff members with the opportunity to learn from internal and independent monitoring findings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that recruitment records document how the interview panel has assessed the suitability of candidates. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 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: 2509684 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Second Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Sharron Escott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 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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