Children's home run by Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2651501 1 Registered provider: Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to two children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that care is provided for children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager started in May 2023 and has applied for registration with Ofsted. This inspection was supported by the responsible individual.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 24 January 2023

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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: 2651501 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2651501 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child currently living in the home is making progress. He is developing positive relationships with staff, and this is helping him to express himself safely, talk about his feelings and reflect on his past experiences. He is supported to develop healthy routines, which has allowed him to spend more time in the community doing the things he enjoys. Recently, he has enjoyed trips to large cities, playing in the garden with staff, going to the cinema and going to the gym.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Scrapbooks provide the child with a nice keepsake of his time living in the home and the experiences he shares with staff. The scrapbooks are full of photos, stories and comments from staff. This helps the child to remember his positive experiences and the relationships he has developed. As a result, he is supported to feel valued and share a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are being met. Following some health concerns and a prolonged absence from school, there were some difficulties in supporting the child’s return to school. However, staff worked with professionals to ensure that the child’s needs were being met. As a result, he is now attending school regularly again.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said that he likes living in the home and he gets on well with the staff. He said that he gets to do lots of fun things. The interactions observed between staff and the child were light and friendly. Staff spend time with the child, participating in his imaginary play. This further helps to establish trusting, fun and nurturing relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is provided with positive messages and guidance from the staff. As he is becoming more comfortable and confident in the home, leaders and managers are exploring increased therapeutic support for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A family member of the child said that the care he is receiving is good. They said that he is happy and feels safe, and they feel involved in his care. External professionals highlighted the progress the child is making, particularly as he is becoming more open and able to express his feelings safely.

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

On one occasion, staff used physical intervention to guide the child away from a risky situation. This intervention was proportionate and necessary, and staff used the least intrusive technique to support the child effectively. On another occasion when staff attempted to use restraint to prevent harm from being caused, this was unsuccessful and a member of staff was injured. Learning from this occurrence was identified and plans were updated to highlight what should be done differently in future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651501 4 The child is helped to keep safe. When staff have identified safeguarding concerns, they have responded appropriately to ensure the immediate safety of the child. However, the subsequent oversight of safeguarding concerns has not been sufficient to ensure that appropriate follow-up actions have been taken. Although this has not impacted the immediate safety of the child, the response from leaders and

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

managers has not been sufficiently robust.

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

Incident reports provide an overview of the behaviours that have challenged staff, and the responses staff have used to support the child. Staff use caring and non- confrontational approaches to help the child express himself safely. Staff reflect on the strategies they have used, and this supports them to identify what has worked well and what has not worked so well. As a result, staff continually review and improve their practices to meet the needs of the child. Leaders and managers evaluate reports to ensure that learning for the team is identified. However, this is not always thorough and opportunities to respond to and support the child proactively are sometimes missed.

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

Care plans provide staff with a summary of the child’s needs, the progress he is making, and the strategies they can use to support him. Plans clearly outline the child’s targets and how staff can help him achieve them. Risk assessments support staff to understand the key risks associated with the care of the child and are used to help staff keep the child safe. However, some plans are missing pertinent information. Other plans require updates following incidents that staff have found challenging or changes to care arrangements.

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good

Since the last inspection, the home has experienced a period of managerial change. The previous registered manager left their post and the responsible individual stepped in to assume managerial responsibility while a new manager was appointed. The new manager has submitted their application to be registered with Ofsted. Before the manager started in the home, the child was supported to get to know them.

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good

To date the shortfalls identified at this inspection have not compromised the safety of the child in the home or how staff look after him on a day-to-day basis. Leaders and managers explained that oversights have been the result of not having a manager in post. During this inspection, a new manager started in the home. Staff acknowledged some of the initial challenges associated with the change of manager, which particularly impacted staff morale. However, as managerial responsibility was assumed by the responsible individual, morale improved. The responsible individual offered staff increased levels of support and ensured that sufficient and experienced staff were made available to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651501 5 When there were staff shortages, leaders and managers used a small number of known bank workers. This supported the continuity of care for the child and limited the disruption of staff vacancies on him. Staffing numbers have since improved and

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good

there is currently one vacancy in the staff team.

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good

Team meetings are well attended, and staff supervisions are held regularly. These forums provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on the needs of the child, the support being offered and the relationships they have developed.

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good

The home’s location assessment supports staff to recognise and understand the risks in the local area, while taking into account the needs of the child in the home. However, the location assessment does not consider the views of relevant professionals. As a result, the location assessment is limited in its capacity to support staff.

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good

Although the independent person has continued to visit the home monthly, the reports have not been submitted to Ofsted as required. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651501 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, The 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 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—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure effective monitoring and oversight of significant events in the home. The registered person should use this oversight to ensure that effective actions are taken when concerns are raised.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, through review and oversight, the registered person should support staff to reflect on their practices and identify learning opportunities that can be used to improve the quality of care being offered. 1 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)) 1 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). 1 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2651501 7 When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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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: 2651501 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 27 Westend Office Suites, Westend, Stonehouse GL10 3FA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Summers

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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2651501 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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