Children's Home run by Willows21 Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children's home: 2599388 1 Registered provider: Willows21 Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for a maximum of three girls aged 10 to 17 with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

In addition to the main house, there is also an annex where one of the children currently lives, providing them with semi-independent care.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 21 July 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 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: 23 November 2021

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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: 2599388 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2599388 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully presented and is homely, warm and welcoming. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to their liking and are kept clean and tidy. There is a plan to refurbish a bathroom. However, the staff bedrooms need redecorating.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make very good progress at the home. One child is now living in a purpose- built annex on the site of the home and is managing semi-independent living well. Another has made remarkable progress in education and their self-confidence. These are noticeable improvements since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to make sense of their world through direct work. They help children find ways to manage their emotions and these sessions are revisited to help children embed new strategies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are positive documents that are detailed and provide staff with good strategies to respond to children. They also give useful guidance to the child to help improve behaviour. However, one plan is not up to date in all areas and some dates are incorrect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to experience a wide range of activities, hobbies and events throughout the year. Children have holidays abroad, go horse-riding and swimming and are taken to lots of seasonal events in the community. Staff know children well and encourage them to try new things. When children mention that they may like to do something, this is followed up to make it happen.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the children and staff are a strength of the home. Children make good progress because they receive positive messages about themselves. Children are valued and loved. Children trust staff and this helps them to make sense of their past trauma and recognise that adults can be relied upon.

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

When children go missing, staff respond swiftly. They follow a clear protocol and ensure that other agencies are kept informed. Staff continue to look for children until they are found. Return home interviews are routinely undertaken.

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

There are good systems in place to introduce children to the home. Discussion between managers and the local authority take place to gain as much information as possible. Managers have discussions with the child’s family to better understand the child’s history and current needs. However, matching assessments are weak. There is limited assessment of the known risks that each child may pose and how these will be mitigated. Inspection report for children's home: 2599388 4 Staff work hard to resolve difficult relationships between children. Two children currently living in the home do not always get along. One child told the inspector that she loves living at the home and gets on well with the team, but she finds living with the other child challenging. She reported being kept awake at night and on one occasion being slapped by the other child. Staff responded well to these incidents. However, conflict continues to cause upset in the home. Staff give children many

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

opportunities to spend time independently doing things that they enjoy. They also support them to do activities with one another and develop friendships. Managers constantly review plans to find ways to improve relationships between the children.

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

Restraint is used in the home. Staff told the inspector that this is used to prevent a child from hurting themselves or others. Records are detailed and there are useful debriefs with children to help them understand the triggers for their emotions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has safe recruitment practices. Leaders and managers use a well- organised process, with robust checks and scrutiny of candidates’ history and suitability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has safe medication procedures that are followed by staff. Leaders and managers also ensure that there are good health and safety protocols in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers support the progression of staff within the organisation. One member of staff has been promoted to registered manager at a sister home. Another is now the deputy manager of the home. Members of staff told the inspector that they feel valued and supported by the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has good relationships with external professionals and families. There is evidence of clear communication, robust challenge when required and swift sharing of information when incidents occur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have responded to the issues regarding their electronic records system that were raised at the last inspection. Changes have been made that have reduced the quantity of documents used while retaining all pertinent information. This is an ongoing process of refinement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have high expectations for children in all areas of their life. They provide children with positive messages about what they can achieve and aspire to. This message filters through every aspect of the care children receive at the home and helps them to make very good progress. Inspection report for children's home: 2599388 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to developing appropriate documents for matching and ensuring the needs of all children are considered before a child moves to the home. 2 February 2023

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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: 2599388 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Old Farmhouse, Gussage St Michael, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 5JE

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Inspector

Penelope Kutz, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2599388 7 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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