Children's Home run by South West Complex Care Services in Cornwall

Inspection report for children's home: 2593054 1 Registered provider: South West Complex Care Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider of education and social care. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a new manager in post. They have applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 26 October 2021

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2593054 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/10/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: 2593054 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress because of the quality of care provided to them. Staff use creative approaches that support children to make incremental steps towards desired outcomes. They have been helped to increase their communication and develop new life skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. This helps staff to promote activities that children enjoy. Staff are proud of the children they care for and treat them with dignity and respect. They celebrate all their achievements. One child’s achievements are set out in a tree mural painted on the wall in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend an education provision suitable to meet their needs. Staff provide care for children at school to ensure that they are fully supported. Feedback from parents described their children as happy and they said positive relationships with staff have been developed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are complex. Daily medication arrangements in the home are safe. However, on occasion, when systems have not been followed, medication errors have occurred. At these times, leaders and managers have responded immediately to improve systems in the home. Further development is needed to ensure that medication is recorded at the time of children’s discharge from hospital.

p.3

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

Staff provide skilled care to help and protect children. This is underpinned by good- quality training informed by health professionals. One parent is fully involved in their child’s care, to ensure that their child’s specific health needs are understood and met.

p.3

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

Children’s individual plans identify their vulnerabilities and focus on preventative care. However, guidance to staff about what actions they should take in response to significant events or accidents is not always clear. In addition, collaborative working is not always effective in ensuring that timely decisions are made for children.

p.3

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

Staff take steps to ensure that physical intervention is used only as a last resort. When physical intervention is used to prevent harm, staff provide reassurance to the child during and after the incident. In the main, records clearly detail incidents and actions taken by staff.

p.3

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

Careful recruitment processes reduce the risk of unsuitable people working in the home. A recent recruitment drive has been successful and has ensured that the home is sufficiently staffed. No agency workers are used to care for children, due to children’s complex needs and the continuity of care required. Inspection report for children's home: 2593054 4

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the previous inspection, a new manager has been appointed. They are developing in their role and are supported by a well-established responsible individual who is involved in the daily running of the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

During this inspection, team leaders appeared knowledgeable and confident in their roles. They are creative in their approaches and use learning from practice in team meetings to develop staff skills and improve the care of children. There is a learning culture embedded in this home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have met the recommendation made at the previous inspection, to maintain a domestic rather than institutional home environment. However, some other areas of the home lack the care and attention needed to improve the home’s overall appearance.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication with children’s parents is extensive, to ensure that they are involved with their children’s daily lives. When complaints or issues are raised, leaders and managers listen and respond comprehensively. They take appropriate action when there are concerns about care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring of quality of care provided to children is not always recorded effectively. For instance, staff supervision records do not consistently show how staff are supported and challenged to ensure that children’s care and experiences are continually improved. Inspection report for children's home: 2593054 5

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.5

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.5

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that the child’s plans provide clear information and strategies that are used to respond to the child’s needs. 31 January 2023

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of its children; in most cases, this will be a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. In particular, leaders and managers should ensure that systems are in place to record and manage medication at the time of children’s discharge from hospital. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

p.5

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: 2593054 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Complex Care Services

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Thornleigh House, Chilsworthy, Gunnislake, Cornwall PL18 9PB

p.6

Inspector

Louise Bacon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2593054 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.

p.6

Inspector

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7