Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Plymouth

Inspection report for children's home: SC458811 1 SC458811 Registered provider: Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider of social care. The home is registered to provide care for up to two children. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 25 May 2022.

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: 24 November 2021

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC458811 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/11/2021 Full Good 01/10/2019 Full Good 18/07/2018 Full Good 20/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC458811 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are receiving care that is enhancing their life outcomes. Their achievements are celebrated and important life events are captured in photos that are included in meaningful memory books. One child enjoys looking at their memory book regularly. They spoke to the inspector with excitement about positive experiences since living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have started new schools. They attend full time. From one child’s starting point, this is a significant achievement. When collaborative working is not effective, the manager challenges services to ensure that the wider needs of children are understood to support their learning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy time with their families. The manager liaises effectively with the children’s host authorities to ensure that any restrictions are reviewed regularly. A creative approach at Christmas helped children to build meaningful memories with their family. However, some arrangements lack clarity. This includes time spent with siblings, to ensure that important and lifelong relationships are maintained.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are at the centre of practice in this home. They live in a family home environment and receive nurturing care in line with their individual needs. One child’s social worker described an ethos of ‘child-focused care’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to communicate their views. They speak openly about positive and negative experiences of being looked after. Where appropriate, access to an independent advocate should be offered to support their involvement in decisions made about their lives.

p.3

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

Since the previous inspection, there have been no safeguarding incidents in the home.

p.3

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

In the main, children’s plans identify key areas for support and provide guidance to staff. However, some vulnerabilities, such as managing conflict between children living together, are not detailed.

p.3

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

Staff support children to manage their feelings and behaviours. During this inspection, the inspector observed staff responding to children calmly and sensitively. They used appropriate guidance and boundaries to promote positive behaviour effectively.

p.3

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

At times when de-escalation techniques are not effective, staff use restraint to reduce risk. Incidents are recorded and reviewed promptly. However, management Inspection report for children's home: SC458811 4 oversight recorded lacks the challenge needed to develop staff skills and to consider alternative strategies to reduce the use of restraint.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have made child-centred decisions about children moving into the home. There has been careful consideration of children’s needs to ensure that their needs can be met individually and together.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and well-established staff team working in this home. They are led by a knowledgeable and efficient registered manager. Staff say they are enthusiastic about their roles and enjoy working in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records reflect their everyday lives. However, staff responses and interventions are not recorded consistently. This limits monitoring of the quality of care in the home to ensure that children’s experiences are continually improved.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager told the inspector that the frequency of formal supervision has reduced and said they plan to address this shortfall in practice promptly. Supervision records lack reflection and the learning needed to drive high-quality care. This includes learning from events identified at the previous inspection. Inspection report for children's home: SC458811 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that arrangements for contact are included in the placement plan agreed between the registered person and the child’s placing authority and updated regularly. This particularly relates to reviewing arrangements for sibling contact. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.15)  The registered person should ensure that supervision of practice reflects the expectations included in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10)

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: SC458811 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Support Hub, Unit 5, Chinon Court, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6SS

p.6

Inspector

Louise Bacon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC458811 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