Children's Home run by Libre Living Limited in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Inspection report for children’s home: 2676499 1 Registered provider: Libre Living Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. The home provides care for up to two children. Two siblings currently live in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2022 when the home opened.

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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: 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: 2676499 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2676499 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the opportunities and experiences they have living in this home. They are comfortable and settled. Staff support the children to enjoy an active, social lifestyle with those important to them. The children enjoy daily boxing sessions as well as weekend outings further afield. The children’s siblings live nearby, and they enjoy spending regular time together. Staff welcome their siblings into the home. Staff support and nurture these relationships, recognising the importance of the family bond to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek children’s views about the care they receive and the opportunities they would like to explore. This involves children contributing to the weekly menu, sometimes cooking themselves. Staff support the children to develop healthy habits around exercise and eating. As a result, this promotes positive body image and self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The support that staff give to children to improve their progress in education is a strength. Staff help children to prioritise their education. Since moving to the home, both children’s attendance at school has improved significantly. Because they spend more time at school, they now receive and complete homework, supplementing their learning. The children increasingly benefit from the social opportunities offered through regular school attendance. An education professional confirmed the progress the children have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s early childhood experiences and how these impact on them. They take the opportunity to learn from children about their own customs and traditions and help the children to follow them. The children’s mother is positive about the help and support they receive. Staff support the children’s mother to visit the home weekly, helping her to spend quality time with her children.

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

Children feel safe living in the home. They enjoy positive relationships with staff. Consequently, staff can have meaningful conversations about serious topics with the children. This includes exploring the impact of social media influencers, the effects of smoking and health concerns. Staff understand the children and their needs. As a result, behaviour in the home is well managed. Staff use reward systems to address minor concerns as they arise, with a focus on maintaining and promoting positive behaviour.

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

Staff understand safeguarding and know the process to report concerns. Clear risk assessments help staff to know how to keep children safe. However, the plan for missing-from-home episodes lacks clarity about what action staff should take. Inspection report for children’s home: 2676499 4 Recruitment practice follows safer recruitment processes. However, employment histories obtained do not always include full dates of employment. This makes it more challenging for managers to identify gaps in employment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced manager leads the home and is supporting a staff team of mixed experience to develop. Staff say they enjoy working in the home. They particularly highlight the satisfaction of seeing the children make progress. The manager has developed a homely and welcoming environment for the children, which helps the staff to deliver good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, reflective supervision. Staff meet regularly as a team, which includes clinical reflection meetings. These meetings show how managers support staff to reflect on the care provided to children. However, there are missed opportunities to explore scenario-based safeguarding concerns. This would provide staff time to explore issues they have not come across to further develop their skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff monitor and track progress for children through regularly reviewed documents. Because staff know children well, they understand and celebrate the progress they make. Professionals highlight the strong relationships staff have with children. They say this has helped them to develop and grow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers make use of independent oversight of the home to understand areas for improvement. Leaders and managers foster a culture of learning and development to continually improve the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2676499 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the opportunity to explore safeguarding concerns using scenario-based activities. This will ensure staff keep their skills up to date and relevant. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)  The registered person should ensure that there are clear plans in place for staff to follow in the event a child goes missing from home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure that every effort is made to obtain full dates of employment for staff to help identify potential gaps in their employment history. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2676499 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 14a Albany Road, Granby Industrial Estate, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 9TH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Brennan

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Inspector

Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2676499 7 inspects 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. 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

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Inspector

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 .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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

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