Children's home run by Physis Quantum Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC487794 1 SC487794 Registered provider: Physis Quantum Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a privately owned company. It offers care for up to three children. The home specialises in caring for children who have been, or are, at high risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE).

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since June 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2020

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

In July 2021, Ofsted was informed of plans to close the home and relocate staff and one child to another of the company’s homes. The home closed in September 2021, with a three-month condition to inform Ofsted of any plans to reopen the home. In September 2022, Ofsted was made aware that the home had reopened without giving notice. This led to a monitoring visit in October 2022 and the home being closed due to breach of conditions. There were two further monitoring visits before the home reopened in February 2023. At both visits, there was evidence of improvement against the requirements and recommendations raised. Inspection report for children's home: SC487794 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2020 Full Good 09/01/2019 Full Outstanding 15/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/10/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC487794 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have been welcomed to the home since it reopened in February 2023, and were living there at the time of this inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive well-planned introductions to the home. Managers complete robust pre-admission checks to ensure that they and the staff can meet the children’s needs. They meet the children and share information about the home, staff team and the bespoke model of care. The children are invited for an overnight stay before moving in. The managers are confident when making decisions about which children will move into the home and how their needs will be met.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive bespoke care following a model created and guided by the clinical team. A structured programme specially designed to support children who have been or are at risk of CSE is delivered over a minimum of 12 months, depending on the progress children make. This is designed to educate children in the associated risks of CSE and help them to make better choices to keep themselves safe, through an increased sense of self-worth and emotional resilience.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although both children have recently moved in, they are starting to make progress. One child is fully engaged in weekly sessions with the home’s clinician. The other child is completing their GCSEs and has increased time with their family. The children are encouraged to find hobbies and interests, with one child spending time at the local dog rescue charity. The children have enjoyed activities such as bowling and going to the circus and have a trip to a theme park planned.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide the children with a safe, warm and welcoming home. The children have good-sized bedrooms that have been personalised to their individual tastes. The communal spaces and garden allow the children to find areas for relaxation. There are personal touches and soft furnishings throughout the home, such as pictures of the children enjoying activities. Through regular house meetings, the children are encouraged to get involved in decision-making about changes in the home.

p.3

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

The staff are enthusiastic about the care children receive and this was evident during the inspection. Positive interaction and relationships were observed. This was backed up by encouraging comments from the children, who spoke highly of the staff. Furthermore, the independent visitor reported ‘a real sense of love and affection’ on their visit to the home. This means that children are building trusted relationships with the staff and adults who care for them.

p.3

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

Staff know the children and their associated risks well. The staff ensure that each child has an individual care plan in place that highlights any risk, which is reviewed Inspection report for children's home: SC487794 4 and updated regularly. When one child went missing from home, staff followed the agreed plan to ensure that the child returned quickly.

p.3

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

Staff help children who struggle with their emotions. They apply a model of therapeutic parenting to encourage the children to talk about how they feel. Staff use direct sessions with the children to reflect and find ways to manage their emotions. For example, one child has been supported with incidents of self-harm to find better coping strategies.

p.4

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

There are some good systems for managing and recording children’s medication. However, staff have not followed procedure for all medication and failed to record a child’s use of prescribed eczema cream.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has changed since the last inspection. The new manager is experienced and has shown her resilience through a challenging period. The manager is determined to develop the home and staff team and promote good outcomes for children. This has been evidenced in her hard work to meet requirements and reopen the home, which is currently thriving.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager prioritises building positive relationships with the children. She achieves this with a hands-on approach to their care and ensures that she is visible and available, with her open-door policy. The children speak positively about the manager and said they liked seeing her in the home on a Sunday.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes to the staff team, however, this has not reduced the quality of care to the children. The changes mean that the staff team is more experienced and qualified, which adds value to the home and care for the children. New staff benefit from a robust induction which covers mandatory and specialised training. New staff have their progress tracked throughout the probation period. All staff receive regular and reflective supervision that supports their practice and development.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is developing good monitoring systems to ensure that she has good oversight and review of documents, which are updated and shared correctly. The registered manager will continue to develop her team’s understanding of the importance of reading and signing all documents. One social worker commented on the excellent communication from the home and how she is always updated. This means that there is good partnership working. Inspection report for children's home: SC487794 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

p.5

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: SC487794 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Physis Quantum Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: DC, 55 Stone House Road Business Park, Stone Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 6SR

p.6

Inspector

Stacie Sharpe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC487794 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.

p.6

Inspector

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 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 .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7