Children's Home run by WiNurture Childcare Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2700591 1 Registered provider: Winurture Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home that provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home was registered in September 2022.

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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 outstanding

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2700591 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home: 2700591 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a very good standard of care. Their outcomes improve as soon as they arrive. They settle quickly. They are cared for by a nurturing and resilient staff team. Children are encouraged to develop their social skills, and staff support them emotionally to achieve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s complex needs very well. They bring a broad range of life experiences to share with children. Staff work effectively with children with learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorder and a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. When children come to live at this home with different social and healthcare needs, managers ensure that staff receive the right training to care for them well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children attend school or college. When there are delays in children getting a school place, the manager takes steps to minimise any delay. They are dogmatic in challenging the responsible authorities. The manager is a keen advocate of young people’s right to be in the most appropriate educational setting. Interim educational provision is sought to bridge any gaps so that young people maintain their enthusiasm for learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop a strong sense of identity. Each child has their own individual style. When young people have specific care needs, managers ensure that care is tailored. For example, staff from a similar background help one child look after their own hair and skin. Another child attends an LGBT social club.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Self-worth is consistently promoted for all children. Staff have created a positive and nurturing home environment where children feel comfortable to make mistakes. Children are helped to develop their social skills. When they need help with personal care tasks, staff provide this in a gentle and nurturing way. As a result of this, young people develop better self-care and independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have quickly made strong links with the local community. They have developed a joint initiative to create a community youth club for children with similar support needs. Children have been at the centre of this project. This initiative means that they will have further opportunities to meet their peers to increase their social interaction and to become part of their community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children get to see what this home looks like before they come to live here. They receive a children’s guide. This details information about what to expect and some of the adults they will meet. However, this guide could be improved by making this information easier to understand for those who cannot read. Inspection report for children's home: 2700591 4 Children live in a large, warm and inviting home. It has extensive gardens. There is a sensory room. There are several choices of rooms so that children who struggle to share their environment can have space. When required, children have pictures and symbols to further support their understanding. However, in many of the communal areas, there are no pictures of children, which creates the feeling of an adult home rather than a children’s home.

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

Staff are confident. They understand the children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Detailed care plans and risk assessments guide staff in their understanding of children’s needs and provide staff with effective strategies to keep children safer.

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

Children were able to tell the inspector how they would make a complaint and are confident to speak up about any concerns they have. They can also write down their concern or complaint. This means that children are confident to speak up about any concerns they have.

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

Medication is only administered by staff that have been trained. Staff speak confidently about this area of care. When staff make mistakes with the administration of medication, the responsible individual carries out a thorough investigation. Outcomes from investigations include further learning. This means that the likelihood of further mistakes is minimised.

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

Children have rarely had to be physically held by staff. Staff try several less restrictive measures before using a physical intervention. Staff use the trust they have with children to try to deflect and reduce their anxieties. Leaders and managers maintain an overview of all interventions.

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

When children are involved in an incident, staff make detailed reports. These reports are written to the children, not about them. They detail how children were feeling and what measures staff undertook to support children to manage their own behaviours. This means that records are written in a supportive and child-centred way.

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

Children have gone missing from this home once. Staff immediately made efforts to locate them. Information is shared appropriately with safeguarding agencies. All children have a risk assessment that provides guidance for staff and a profile that can be shared with the police to aid any search. Additional practical measures include staff having a bag containing resources to help them search for children and maps of known routes that children may take when away from the home. These measures make children safer.

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

Managers ensure that all staff go through a robust safer recruitment process. This means that only adults with the right intentions get to work with vulnerable children at this home. Inspection report for children's home: 2700591 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager was registered in September 2022. In a relatively short timescale, and with strong and inclusive leadership, he has created a highly motivated staff team that puts the children at the front and centre of everything it does.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have created an environment that is supportive and extremely positive. Staff are confident because they receive clear guidance and training. The manager has developed a strong and diverse staff team with a range of skills and experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are extremely positive about working here. They feel well supported by an effective manager. Starting at induction, managers ensure that staff have regular access to training that develops their skills, knowledge and competence. The responsible individual provides on-site training sessions in the home’s therapeutic model. When staff move into a more senior role, they are provided with a higher level of research-based management training. This will help them develop into effective leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers ensure that staff have regular opportunities to meet with each other to share information about the children and for peer support. All staff members receive a very high standard of supervision. Managers also provide a good degree of appropriate and effective challenge to staff, ensuring they have regular opportunities to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Stakeholders confirmed the inspector’s findings that children settle into their new home quickly. They say staff are both professional and nurturing, and the home tailors support to each child’s individual and unique needs. Others describe it as a home from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Despite being registered in September 2022, leaders and managers have made significant progress already. They feel accountable to the children and are optimistic in making sustained progress. To aid this progress, two recommendations have been made. Inspection report for children's home: 2700591 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children and is a homely, domestic environment. The children’s home must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home produces a children’s guide. The children’s guide must be available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home if the placement is made in an emergency) and must be age-appropriate, provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure they understand it. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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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: 2700591 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Winurture Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: K G House, Kingsfield way, Kings Heath Industrial Estate, Northampton NN5 7QS

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2700591 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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