Children's home run by Solace for Children Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2503710 1 Registered provider: Solace for Children Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children aged between seven and 17 with social and emotional health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2022 and is suitably qualified.

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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: 14 February 2022

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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: 2503710 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2022 Full Good 08/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2503710 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and making good progress in many areas of their development. This is because staff provide good individual care for children. Staff work well with children to build independence and social skills. As a result, children make progress in building confidence. One child, when he first arrived in the home, struggled to be in the company of others, spending a lot of time in his bedroom. He now happily engages in a range of activities with staff and other children in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to lead a healthy lifestyle. They regularly attend school and are doing well in their education. Children enjoy a good range of activities both in the home and out in the local community, such as horse riding, football and golf. They also are supported by staff to enjoy holidays to the sea and to take part in school trips abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build strong relationships with children. This helps children to feel comfortable with the people who care for them and helps them develop self-esteem. As a result, there has been a reduction in incidents of self-harming behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Emphasis is given to help children to express their thoughts and feelings about their care. Placement plans are written for children. The home’s recording system allows children and their social workers to have access and for children to give their views. As well as regular key-work sessions, children have monthly individual meetings with the home’s manager. They can give feedback on the quality of their care and express their views on the running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children well to develop strong family relationships. One child who had not seen his twin brother for over nine months before moving into the home is now enjoying regular visits with both his brothers. This good support helps children to develop a strong sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are clear plans in place for when children move into the home. Children are able to visit the home before moving in with their social workers and, if appropriate, with members of their family. This helps reduce children’s fears of the unknown and helps them to settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, welcoming and furnished to a high standard. Communal areas are child-centred, with soft furnishings and photos of children engaging in different activities on the walls. Children’s bedrooms are of a good size and personalised to their individual tastes. This helps children to settle in the home and develop a sense of self-worth. Inspection report for children's home: 2503710 4

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

Children are supported to feel safe living in the home. Staff reflection takes place following incidents. This helps the staff to better understand children’s behaviours and to make ongoing improvements in the care they give to children . As a result , staff understand the risks to children well. This is further supported by clear risk assessments to safeguard children.

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

Allegations are taken seriously and responded to well to keep children safe. Children rarely go missing from home. When they do, staff respond appropriately to safeguard children and ensure their swift return.

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

Staff provide clear and consistent boundaries to ensure that children are safe and know what expectations are in place. The home has internet safety measures that protect children online. This helps children to be able to keep themselves safe and be aware of socially acceptable behaviour. As a result, the need for physical interventions has been reduced, and one child is now beginning to understand more about tolerance and accepting difference.

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

Staff recruitment procedures for permanent staff are thorough in order to keep children safe. However, managers do not satisfy themselves that the recruitment of agency staff covers all areas required in legislation. However, the current impact on children is reduced, as the home has not used agency staff for over six months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual has resigned, and although he is currently in his notice period, he is not providing oversight of the management of the home. The home has made suitable interim management arrangements until a permanent responsible individual is appointed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the progress children make and the challenges they face. She is motivated and has high expectations for children and what they can achieve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the running of the home and has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a good level of experience among the staff team. Staff are motivated and feel well supported by the manager. They receive a good level of supervision that promotes their development. The manager has recently made good use of team meetings to further support staff development by inviting an external professional to the team meetings to develop staff knowledge and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed good working relationships with placing social workers, police and other external professionals. Without exception, those spoken with during Inspection report for children's home: 2503710 5 this inspection were overwhelmingly positive about the home and the quality of care given to the children. The police children’s home’s coordinator stated she had ‘nothing but praise for the home’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The location risk assessment for the home is regularly reviewed by the manager. However, this is not thorough, as it does not include the risk from the river in the nearby village. This has the potential to compromise children’s safety should children go missing from the home and be unaware of the danger the river may pose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records are well kept and demonstrate that staff understand the children they care for. However, some local authority care plans are not up to date or reflective of their current placement. The manager has not yet taken steps to address this with the placing authority, and a lack of up-to-date information may compromise the effectiveness of children’s care over time. Inspection report for children's home: 2503710 6

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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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s care plans are up to date to allow for consistent care practice. 28 February 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the recruitment of staff, including agency staff, safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and the strategies for managing them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2503710 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solace for Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tadcaster House, Kempton Road, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 2TA

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Inspector

Sue Young, Ofsted Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2503710 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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