Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in Southampton

Inspection report for children's home: SC402135 1 SC402135 Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children. According to the statement of purpose, the home specialises in caring for children who have experienced difficulties in settling into residential care and accessing mainstream education. The organisation has its own separately registered school and its own therapy team.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since June 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 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: 22 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: SC402135 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2022 Full Good 26/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/06/2019 Full Good 13/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC402135 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home where relationships with staff are warm and caring. Children are listened to. Planned and naturally arising opportunities to share views mean children’s individual needs are met effectively and sensitively. One child who recently moved into the home said, ‘It’s the best place that I’ve ever lived. Staff are lovely.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Detailed plans give staff information on how to meet children’s needs. When new information is available and changes to care and support are needed, this is done promptly. For example, the registered manager responded to new medical information within a day, with updated care plans to inform practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff work together to choose and plan activities, such as laser tag or having their nails done. One child recently went out for a meal with a friend from school, something that they had never done before. Children get a weekly allowance and are encouraged to budget and to consider their safety as part of activity planning. For example, additional safety equipment was needed for horse riding sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home was undergoing some redecoration at the time of inspection. One kitchen, one lounge and the sensory room were closed. Children were aware of the work, which does not affect the care that they receive. The parts of the home being accessed by the children have a homely feel. Children’s rooms are personalised and one child spoke passionately about the colour choices and decor that they were able to plan for in their room.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy time in the conservatory, which has a pool table and air hockey. The garden is large, most of it grassed, and with a patio. One area of the garden includes the staff smoking area, which was untidy, with a full cigarette bin and cigarettes on the floor. This was unsightly and not in keeping with the rest of the home. Children have easy access to this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school and make educational progress. When children have difficulties at school, this is addressed through effective communication and positive relationships with education professionals. For one child, this has led to a change of class and improved experiences and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is good planning for children moving into the home, and this is done in a child-led way. Children have the option to have video calls and visits before moving in. This means children know what to expect, may have met some of the staff and can feel welcomed. When children move out, this is done in a planned way. Information is shared with staff from the new setting to help with continuity for the child. Inspection report for children's home: SC402135 4 When children visit their families, this is supported in accordance with their plans. Staff work creatively to enable children to meet family members that they have not seen for some time.

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

Staff work in a therapeutic way to help children identify their feelings and manage their behaviours. When behaviours present a possible risk of harm or serious damage, staff are quick to intervene. On the rare occasions when children are held, it is for the shortest necessary time. Management oversight of incidents is detailed and includes discussions with the staff involved and the child. New information regarding triggers to behaviour or the effectiveness of strategies is incorporated into care plan updates.

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

Strong relationships with external professionals support leaders and managers to follow procedures to keep children safe. For example, leaders and managers provided a swift response and a proportionate outcome when an allegation required investigation. This is because detailed and comprehensive safeguarding incident reports are kept.

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

Children are helped to know how to keep themselves safe online. One-to-one sessions and children’s meetings cover subjects including social media access and music with adult ratings. For instance, one child asked a member of staff for help to find a ‘clean’ version of a song. This is because the child knew that it would not be accessible without this edit, due to the age restrictions on their TV profile.

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

When children ask to be allowed to change their social media access, these requests are fully considered, even when the change is not agreed. Staff and managers ensure that safe, fair and proportionate decisions are made. These decisions are shared with children in a way that strengthens their knowledge of how to keep safe online. For example, when one child asked for their phone overnight, this was discussed at a managers’ meeting. Following the meeting, a staff member explained why this was not agreed. Furthermore, a plan was devised that enabled the child to have something to work towards, for their request to be reconsidered at a later date.

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

The home’s health and safety lead has monitoring systems and audits in place. These are overseen by managers and help to minimise risks and keep children safe in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good management arrangements in place to allow for the imminent extended leave of the registered manager. The current registered manager and interim manager have worked together to ensure a smooth transition. As a result, children and staff benefit from stability of the management team. Inspection report for children's home: SC402135 5 Children’s views are listened to and complaints and concerns are taken seriously. Managers and professionals work together for a suitable outcome.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and well-documented supervision. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on the challenges of the work and to focus on areas that can be improved on. Actions are reviewed and staff talk positively about this support. One staff member, who had not been working in the home for long, said, ‘The managers are absolutely brilliant.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff are supported with detailed induction plans covering areas needed for work in the home, such as roles and responsibilities, policies and training. Induction also extends to the part played by attachment theory and other theoretical approaches when supporting the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals say that children are safeguarded effectively and that staff have a great understanding of children’s individual needs. Communication between staff and professionals is effective and families benefit from the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents say that communication is good and that, when children face difficulties settling in, staff work well to resolve this. Staff have good relationships with children and their families and encourage ongoing communication to help children to progress. Inspection report for children's home: SC402135 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children live in a homely environment. In particular, children should have access to a clean and tidy garden. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC402135 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

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Inspectors

Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Tony Waite, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC402135 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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