Children's home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 1 SC059753 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child 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 operated by a national private organisation. The statement of purpose advises that the home provides care for a maximum of two children with emotional and behavioural needs arising from trauma and attachment-based difficulties and/or learning disabilities. One child is currently living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 9 November 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2021 Full Good 28/08/2019 Full Good 18/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 3

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improvement to be good

The home is well presented and decorated. Spaces are designed for children. For example, there is a large chalkboard in the dining room and a comfortable living room for computer games. The large outdoor space is child friendly and provides a space where children can carry out activities. The child’s bedroom is warm and inviting. The child has personal items and lots of photos on the wall. The home has a formal office space, which the child must knock to enter. This detracts from the otherwise homely feel of the property.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection restraint has been used 42 times to manage the behaviour of the young child living in the home. Attempts to develop alternative, successful approaches have not always been successful. There is a risk of normalising the use of physical force as a means of facilitating compliance for the child.

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improvement to be good

Carers document the child’s journey well. They clearly record important conversations with the child. Bright and inviting memory books clearly detail the child’s positive experiences. Regular culture evenings take place and are well documented, which enables the child to reflect on these experiences. These events consider the child’s own culture and identity as well as those of others.

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improvement to be good

Carers support the child to make positive progress in most areas. The child is involved in weekly meetings which consider menus, activities and the child’s achievements. The child regularly assists with cooking healthy and varied meals. Carers encourage the child to learn new hobbies and skills. All professionals spoken to said that progress has been made in relation to the child’s self-care, communication and independence skills. Three separate documents are written in the first-person narrative from the child’s perspective. The child did not create the documents.

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improvement to be good

Carers work to meet the child’s health and educational requirements. Carers support the child to attend school, the child has 100% attendance which is a notable achievement from their starting point. The child is making good educational progress. Carers support the child to complete homework, which is prioritised in the daily schedule. Concerns in relation to the child’s health are managed well. When health needs are identified, carers support the child to attend appointments and undergo treatment.

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improvement to be good

Work to support the child to prepare for a future move to foster care is inconsistent. The child has verbalised worries about a move. Carers have had some good-quality conversations with the child in relation to a future move; however, these are ad hoc and irregular. This means that the child is not regularly supported to receive updates or discuss any worries or emotions that they may have. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 4

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improvement to be good

When incidents occur in the home reports are thorough and detail how carers have sought to support the child. Actions taken by staff consider guidance provided in the occupational therapy report that is completed following assessment of the child. Debriefs are carried out with the child and with staff. The registered manager has oversight of all incident reports. Four incidents have involved the child attempting to enter the office, which has led to an escalation in behaviour or use of restraint.

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improvement to be good

There have been 42 incidents of restraint since the last inspection. At times, the use of restraint is not appropriate. Restraint has been used prematurely and not as a last resort. Worryingly, since November 2021 due to use of restraint, the child has received accidental bruising on seven occasions and has been scratched by an adults watch on one occasion. On one occasion, a carer unnecessarily used restraint, which resulted in the child subsequently falling over and injuring their wrist. This called for a visit to hospital.

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improvement to be good

More needs to be done in respect of family time for the child. Where measures to support positive family time have not been implemented by the local authority, the home has not escalated further. Carers who support the contact are not trained to do so. There is no document available to staff that details their role during family time and what they should do if they have concerns.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are not carried out in relation to all known risks. Where risk assessments are available, they are of good quality and provide staff with clear information and strategies. At the point of inspection, the home did not have risk assessments in relation to restraint and family time. A risk assessment in relation to family time was devised during this inspection.

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improvement to be good

Carers have positive relationships with other professionals. Professionals spoken to report that the home provides regular updates in respect of the child. Communication with the school takes place daily. The home has challenged the school appropriately and effectively in relation to the reporting of safeguarding concerns.

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improvement to be good

Carers involve the child in fire drills. The home’s fire risk assessment is out of date. A pre-arranged appointment was not attended by the commissioned service. The home has rescheduled this appointment. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 5

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good

When the child has been injured during restraint, the social worker has been informed; however, Ofsted and the local authority designated officer have not. Some of these incidents were reported to Ofsted in hindsight, following a prompt from the independent person. The lack of action has prevented all agencies from having the necessary oversight of the child’s care and of carers’ practice.

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good

A concern in relation to a carer was not thoroughly investigated. The registered manager has reflected and accepts they were not inquisitive enough.

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good

The home has a stable management team. Managers and some members of the team have been working in the home for several years. When additional carers are needed, the management team steps in or carers from sister homes are used. This ensures that the child is cared for by carers who are familiar to them. Agency staff are not used by the home.

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good

Leaders and managers provide carers with a strong and supportive working environment. A strength of the registered manager is supporting carers to maintain and achieve good levels of health and well-being. Carers speak positively about their relationships with other carers and management. Carers say that they are supported in relation to professional development and liken working in the home to having an additional family.

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good

Recruitment processes help to prevent unsuitable people from being recruited. When concerns have been identified during the recruitment process, the registered manager has requested that further checks are carried out.

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good

Carers receive good-quality, regular supervision. Supervision has a clear focus on the carer’s’ relationships with the child and how carers can meet the needs of the child. There is a clear focus on staff well-being and professional development. Actions and progress are monitored.

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good

Team meetings take place regularly. The clinical team attends these meetings. There is a strong emphasis on the child and their needs. Discussions are reflective and highlight areas of good practice and areas of learning. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must ensure that the child is safe during family time.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that concerns in relation to what happens during family time and the emotional impact of family time on the child are raised in a robust manner until these have been dealt with effectively.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that staff receive specific training to allow them to safely support or supervise family time. 16 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 7 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must ensure that ongoing work to support the child to prepare for a move to foster care is planned and consistent.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that restraint is only used as a last resort. 16 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular— 16 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 8 provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that: full investigations are carried out in relation to any allegations against staff members; all investigations are carried out without bias and with the safety of child at the forefront; risk assessments, safety plans and agreements are in place in relation to family time and the use of restraint.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that appropriate safeguarding agencies are informed if a child is harmed during or due to a restraint. 16 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the child has access to all shared areas of the home; this should include the office. The office should always be a safe and nurturing space for the child rather than an adult space where refusal of entry may exacerbate incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  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. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 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: SC059753 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Five Rivers Child Care, 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC059753 11 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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