Children's Home run by Watermead Care Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children's home: 2583468 1 Registered provider: Watermead Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced and registered manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 25 January 2022

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2583468 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: 2583468 3

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outstanding

The children are thriving. They are happy, settled, content and making excellent progress. Staff ensure that risks to children are reduced, and that children’s behaviour improves. Some children have experienced a great deal of instability and have moved home many times. However, they settle at this home and live there on a long-term basis. Children receive excellent help and support to move to independent accommodation when the time comes to leave the home.

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outstanding

Children have excellent relationships with staff and managers because they have built trust in them. Staff speak very highly of the children and are proud of the progress they make. These excellent relations, together with the strong bonds between the staff and children, help the children to make excellent progress.

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outstanding

The staff provide very good support to older children who are transitioning to adult care services. Older children are helped to prepare for adulthood, and they are supported in the move to their new home in a way that meets their individual needs. For example, one young person who left the home since the last inspection said, ‘I know there are people there who still care for me. Staff support in every way. When they say they are there for me, they are. The staff and manager are brilliant.’ This is a testament to the devotion of managers and staff to children.

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outstanding

Children’s individual key-work sessions with staff are very effective. They are relevant to the child and focus on important issues that affect the child. These discussions then inform the plans for the child. The recording is written directly to the child. This helps children feel involved in their care and know that their wishes and feelings are listened to.

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outstanding

Children’s health needs are very well met by the staff. Staff promote a healthy lifestyle. Children are helped to access specialist services if required. This has been particularly effective for supporting children with their mental health.

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outstanding

The manager has used relevant research and theory to support staff care practices with children. They have introduced a preferred method of care practice, and staff fully understand this approach. Therefore, staff can use this in their daily work with children. As a result, staff practice is guided and focused and leads to children making exceptionally good progress in all areas of their development.

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outstanding

Children feel safe. The staff understand their vulnerabilities and risks. One child said, ‘I feel very safe living here. It’s the safest place I’ve lived in.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2583468 4 Children who harm themselves are incredibly well supported by staff. This has led to children feeling able to tell staff when they feel like hurting themselves. For example, one child indicates their feelings by asking for a hug. This has meant a reduction in the frequency and level of self-harmful behaviour.

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outstanding

Staff have been helped to understand the impact of trauma on children. They recognise how this can affect a child’s behaviour. Managers have ensured a high level of support for staff to work with challenging presenting behaviour in an empathetic and compassionate manner. The staff receive clinical supervision provided by a counsellor. The manager has also created bespoke training to ensure staff understand each child’s experiences of trauma and how they can manifest in behaviour. As a result, the knowledge, skills and confidence of staff have greatly improved.

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outstanding

The children’s individual behaviour support plans are clear and detailed. These plans support staff to understand how to manage children’s behaviour. Several managers are trained in the company’s preferred method of behaviour management. This is predicated on the de-escalation of incidents and an emphasis on preventing, protecting and restoring children to being settled and calm. This ensures that physical intervention is rarely required.

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outstanding

Children’s risk of, and exposure to, exploitation is well understood by the managers and staff. Incidents have been handled extremely well. Staff and managers work closely with specialists in this area to ensure they are doing their best to keep the children safe. A social work team manager praised the staff for how they worked with children affected by exploitation. She said, ‘Their approach is that we are here to help you. There is no blame regarding exploitation, and their immediate response is to believe children. They go above and beyond.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager knows the children extremely well. She is committed, a strong advocate for children and a role model for staff. Staff and children speak highly of her and the ethos she has created. Staff say they enjoy their work and are dedicated to the children and the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has provided exceptional support to the children. For example, they advocated on behalf of a child to receive criminal compensation and ensured that staff supported a young person in their own flat. She provides children with the support they need to make progress and achieve. She and the team consistently go above and beyond to benefit the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures staff receive a high level of support and guidance. Regular, effective and professional supervision sessions are held with the manager. Additional supervision is provided by a counsellor who works with the organisation. The manager has created an excellent guide to support staff who are completing the required qualification in residential childcare. New staff receive a comprehensive induction programme and ongoing training to support their development. This has Inspection report for children's home: 2583468 5 led to staff improving their knowledge and skills and helped them progress within the company.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children are always the focus of team meetings. The staff discuss the children’s progress and plans in detail. The manager has also introduced a training and development section to meetings. She has created presentations on a variety of topics. These include attachment, trauma, language that cares and theoretical models to enhance the knowledge and skills of staff. The manager understands that staff development, knowledge and skills are fundamental in helping children to become safer and happier.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s monitoring of the home is excellent. She uses various quality assurance processes, including daily and weekly checks, a comprehensive monthly quality assurance tool that is also reviewed by the responsible individual and an outcome measurement tool that is used in key-work sessions with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

These processes mean the manager remains vigilant of areas working well in the home and those requiring further work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children make consistently very good progress. They become settled and engage in meaningful work with staff and other professionals to overcome experiences of trauma. The bonds formed with staff help them progress in all areas of their lives.

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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: 2583468 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Watermead Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 135, 1 Hanley Street, Nottingham NG1 5BL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anne-Marie O’Reilly

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Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2583468 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 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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