Children's Home run by Mutual Care Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children's home: 2591688 1 Registered provider: Mutual Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of two homes that are privately operated by a small company. The home is registered to provide care to two children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. One child has lived in the home for two years 11 months, the other has lived in the home for 10 months.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager has withdrawn their application to register with Ofsted. They plan to remain working at the home as the deputy manager. While a new manager is being recruited, the manager from the other home in the company will manage this home.

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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: 2 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2591688 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2591688 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is cosy, well-furnished and decorated to a good standard. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and arranged in line with their preferences. One child chooses to sleep in a tent, the other chooses to have colour-changing lights on the wall which allows them to alert carers to how they are feeling. One child keeps a fish tank in their bedroom, however, carers do not support the child to keep it clean. The outside space is well maintained and provides opportunities and space for children to play and explore.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Carers support children to make progress. Children’s progress and any changes in their presentation are closely monitored, which allows carers to have a good overview of their needs and supports precise care planning. Children are actively encouraged to express their thoughts, wishes and feelings. Carers support them to share their views verbally or by email. When children do this, carers consider and, when appropriate, act on children’s views. Prompt and meaningful responses to a child’s expression of their views are provided. This supports children to learn essential communication and life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Carers support children to attend education. When a child is reluctant to attend school, there is clear guidance to assist staff in supporting the child to attend. Carers have communicated with teachers when concerns have arisen in relation to school attendance. This has allowed carers to share information and identify ways to support the child. Carers have requested work for the child to do at home. However, when a child does not attend school, staff have not had clear guidelines to follow in respect of supporting the child to engage in learning at home. Guidance for this was devised during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Carers are not consistently supporting children to have healthy lifestyles. Although carers understand that children need to lead healthy lifestyles, including having a good diet, there are no consistent actions or a plan in place to support this. Currently, there is no external service providing therapeutic support to carers or children. Work to commission a suitable service is currently being undertaken.

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

Risk assessments are up to date and contain relevant information for carers. Carers work with children to increase and support their understanding of risk and how to keep themselves safe. Risks in relation to a child’s use of the internet have reduced. When carers identify new risks, these are appropriately assessed. Carers communicate effectively with other professionals to share information and devise plans with the aim of reducing risk.

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

Incidents are managed well by carers. Carers have not used restraint to manage incidents. Recordings of incidents are thorough and informative, and children Inspection report for children's home: 2591688 4 received timely and meaningful debriefs. Carers follow plans and use therapeutic parenting techniques to support children and resolve any incidents. However, different carers have different approaches when supporting children. At times, a child may be set strong boundaries, while at other times boundaries may be more relaxed. This may cause a child to feel confused and send mixed messages in relation to what is expected of them.

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

Carers take appropriate action when children report that they have experienced harm. Information is shared with relevant professionals to allow for investigations to take place. When there has been a delay in receiving the outcome of investigations, carers have made continued efforts to gain updates and outcomes from other professionals, acknowledging that children need to know the outcomes. Following a child raising a concern about a carer, a prompt and full investigation took place and the outcome of this was shared with the child.

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

Carers have worked to build positive and supportive relationships with children. Both children living in the home identify carers who they feel able to talk to. They say they feel loved and safe. Carers have a good understanding of the children’s needs and are responsive to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While a new manager is recruited, the running of the home is being supported by the deputy manager and the responsible individual, both of whom have good knowledge of the children and team of carers. A clear plan has been devised, aiming to ensure that all management tasks are carried out, children are cared for and safe and the running of the home is effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Carers are positive about leaders and managers. They report that they are provided with guidance and support when they require it. They say leaders and managers listen to them and actively support their learning and development. All carers spoken to said a new employee assistance package provided by the company was a beneficial addition to an already positive work environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are well attended. Minutes give a good understanding of the discussions that took place. The meetings focus on children, practice and learning and development. Actions and who should carry them out are clearly set out, however, there is no record of whether these actions have been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide carers with good-quality reflective supervision. There is a clear focus on children and how carers are meeting their needs, as well as the well-being and development of carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Concerns in relation to health and safety in the home are promptly addressed. Recent fire safety checks and home safety checks identified areas for improvement. This work was swiftly undertaken, prioritising the safety of the children who are living in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2591688 5 The recording systems developed by leaders and managers for use by carers have evolved. New documents tracking the progress of children and the recording of key conversations with children have improved oversight of carers’ practice and therefore the quality-of-care children receive. The manager is aware of where documents are saved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Daily logs are written to children. These portray warmth and the depth of relationships that carers have with children. They also show how children are provided with support and guidance, as well as an array of enjoyable and focused activities in line with their interests. They give a good insight into the child’s day. Several documents are written in the first person, from the child’s perspective. However, these have not been written by the children. Language used in documents relating to children is not always appropriate. If children were to access their records some of the content could lead to them experiencing confusion and upset. Inspection report for children's home: 2591688 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are supported to have a well-balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children and staff have access to appropriate psychological advice and support when required. 28 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 28 June 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2591688 7 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure the children experience a consistent approach from all carers in relation to the enforcement of boundaries.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, carefully consider the appropriateness of recording the child’s information using first-person narrative. In addition, ensure that language used in records is child-focused and does not put a negative focus on the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff follow the home’s policies and procedures to benefit the children who live there. There should be clear lines of accountability. In particular, ensure that any actions resulting from team meetings are reviewed to ensure that they have been completed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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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: 2591688 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Northams, St Marys Road, Portishead, Bristol, Avon BS20 6QP

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Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2591688 9 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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