Children's home run by Plus One South West Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 1 SC386428 Registered provider: Plus One South West Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned and operated by a private provider. The home can care for three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home may take emergency and short-break care placements, subject to a satisfactory risk assessment.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and has managed the home since November 2021. There were two children living at this home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 25 January 2022

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2022 Full Good 11/09/2019 Full Good 04/10/2018 Full Good 08/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Some children have benefited from well-thought-through support from staff, which has helped them make good progress in education, especially bearing in mind their starting points. However, staff efforts have not been effective for all the children and, consequently, some children have failed to engage in education, training or employment in a meaningful manner.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s physical health needs are known and met. Children receive mental health and emotional support from the home’s psychotherapist on a weekly basis. However, children are not benefiting from specialist, targeted therapeutic services to help them deal with other vulnerabilities, such as harmful sexualised behaviour or child sexual exploitation. Therefore, children are not being educated and informed of how to recognise potential risk.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home has a welcoming, homely appearance. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. For example, photos of the children and their family are on display. There is ongoing refurbishment to ensure the home continues to be a child-friendly environment in which to live.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with their family and friends. Staff recognise the importance of this and do all they can to ensure contact is maintained. As a result, both children are rebuilding relationships with family members and developing good friendships.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children have opportunities on a day-to-day basis to take part in activities in the home and in the local community. The children have a significant interest in cooking, which is encouraged and enabled by members of staff. This enriching experience is embraced with passion and ensures tasty home-cooked food is enjoyed, as well as helping them to develop significant independent living skills.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are seen to seek the company of staff, and interactions are observed to be relaxed and respectful. As a result, the children are able to discuss significant experiences and events, and this helps staff to reassure them and to help keep them safe.

p.3

improvement to be good

When children have been missing from home, staff have conscientiously followed the individual agreed protocols. The protocols have been developed in collaboration with external agencies such as the police and placing authority. Despite staff efforts, the agreed strategies have not always been successful, and some children have Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 4 continued to be missing from home for significant periods of time. While missing, some children have been at risk of harm through criminal and child sexual exploitation. This concern is the subject of continuous review and assessment by the necessary agencies.

p.3

improvement to be good

Members of staff have the knowledge and training to support the children in their care, and children are helped to take age-appropriate risks. However, inspectors found this is undermined by a lack of guidance or clarity in the children’s care plans and not all risk assessments were up to date. Although these shortfalls have not compromised children’s safety, there are missed opportunities to support children to develop their self-care and awareness of wider risks, especially in the community.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children are supported to manage their own emotions and to implement strategies to help them cope with their anger, worries and frustrations. This has helped to reduce the number of incidents. There has been no use of restraint since the last inspection in January 2022.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently apply agreed boundaries. For example, a child was able to obtain money for an activity from one member of staff when another had already appropriately refused this. This means that behaviour management is sometimes undermined, and children receive mixed messages.

p.4

improvement to be good

Safe recruitment practices are understood and implemented by the manager and staff responsible for this area of practice. All necessary background checks are in place to reduce the risk of unsuitable adults being employed to work at this home.

p.4

good

Children and members of staff report good support and have a positive relationship with the registered manager. Despite this, monitoring of key documents is lacking, and information therein does not always inform staff of strategies to use to support children, especially at times of stress. Consequently, there is inconsistency of approach when caring for the children.

p.4

good

Systems to review and assess the effectiveness of care provided do not identify shortfalls and areas to improve. For example, the manager has not completed a review of the home as required by regulation 45. This was identified as a shortfall during the home’s previous inspection in January 2022. This means that opportunities to improve outcomes for children are missed.

p.4

good

The registered manager acknowledges shortfalls in the recording and quality of information. He reports that operational demands, such as working extra shifts due to staff absence, for example due to illness or annual leave, have detracted from some of his monitoring of his statutory obligations.

p.4

good

Stakeholders, such as social workers, speak positively about the levels of communication and information-sharing from the manager and staff. This open and Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 5 transparent approach ensures that agencies collaborate effectively to promote the children’s well-being. Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 6

p.4

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager needs to ensure the quality of care plans are improved so that staff can consistently use them to help children to progress. 28 February 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iv)(ix))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager needs to improve the support given to children to enable them to attend further education, training or employment. 28 February 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— 28 February 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 7 the health and well-being needs of children are met; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(iv))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to the manager ensuring children receive specific therapeutic support to meet their individual needs.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring all risk assessments are up to date and relevant. 28 February 2023

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 28 February 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 8 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; and

p.7

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)(f)(h))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to the manager monitoring and reviewing key records such as risk assessments and incident reports is more timely, relevant and effective manner.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

p.8

Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(c))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager completing the regulation 45 report within the timescales set out in regulation. 31 December

p.8

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: SC386428 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Plus One South West Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Mount, 21 High Street, Wellington, Somerset TA21 8QT

p.9

Inspectors

Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Tina Maddison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC386428 10 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.

p.9

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10