Children's Home run by South West Childcare Services in Plymouth

Inspection report for children's home: 1254740 1 Registered provider: South West Childcare Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider and registered to provide care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties. There was one child living at this home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

A qualified registered manager has been in post since 11 October 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1254740 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2022 Full Good 25/11/2021 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1254740 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has developed strong and trusted relationships with the adults who support them. Staff know the child well and invest time in the child to ensure their voice is heard and their welfare is promoted. The child has developed a sense of belonging and they continue to make progress and experience positive outcomes. The child’s placing social worker commented that they were really pleased with the support their child receives, and that staff understand the child’s needs and know them inside out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is treated with dignity and respect by staff, who put consistent and clear boundaries in place. The child feels safe to share their thoughts, feelings and concerns with the adults who support them. Staff listen to the child and sensitively respond to their needs. This supports the child to develop a positive self-view and build emotional resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place great importance on supporting the child to attend school and have their educational needs met. Staff liaise effectively with the school to ensure the child has the best opportunities to succeed. The child is currently on a reduced school timetable. Staff are supporting the child’s additional educational activity throughout the day and promoting the child’s return to full-time education as soon as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place the well-being of the child at the centre of everything they do. The child enjoys spending time with their family with no unnecessary restrictions in place. Supportive staff understand how important the child’s family members are to them and work hard to ensure this meaningful contact is maintained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place great importance on the child having every opportunity to experience a range of social and recreational activities. The child has enjoyed many days out, which include trips to the beach, a theme park and a safari park. A memory book captures these special days out in photos so that the child can look back and relive positive emotions.

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

Staff are acutely aware of the benefit of taking a positive risk approach and enabling the child to take age-appropriate risks. The child has been enabled to progress and have unsupervised time with their friends in the community. The child now spends quality time with their friends safely socialising independently, without unnecessary restrictions. This has helped the child to develop their self-identity and form good relationships with peers.

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

The child is kept safe by competent staff who understand the support they need. Well-trained staff respond promptly when incidents occur and support the child to manage their own behaviour safely. Incident records are comprehensively reviewed Inspection report for children's home: 1254740 4 by the manager and lessons learned are identified to inform staff practice and develop a better understanding of the child. Restrictive practice to manage a child’s behaviour has been used once since the last inspection. The recording of this incident was not up to the high standard of other records and important information was omitted. However, the action taken to minimise future risk and keep children safe was thorough.

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

Staff follow a clear protocol when the child goes missing. They take urgent action and implement a well-coordinated response to help protect the child, reduce their risk of harm and ensure a safe return home. Reflection takes place after each event and the in-house therapies team is used to inform and revise staff practice.

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

The child lives in a home that has a warm and homely feel. The physical environment is well maintained, safe and secure and protects the child from risk of harm. There are several appropriate risk assessments in place that are continually reviewed and updated. This ensures staff understand know precisely what to do to minimise risk and keep the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a suitably qualified, caring and experienced manager. The child is at the heart of every decision made and is included in all aspects of the home’s development. The home is run effectively and efficiently by a permanent and competent staff team. Staff receive regular supervision that focuses on the child’s progression and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use learning from incidents to inform staff practice. The child’s thoughts and wishes are always sought. The in-house therapies team is used to help address areas where improvements are necessary and supply additional bespoke training to staff around the child’s individual needs. This enhances the care and support the child experiences and ensures positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively and has developed positive and effective relationships with external agencies. They advocate on behalf of the child to help ensure they experience positive outcomes. A social worker said that the manager and their staff are all competent and quick to get in touch to discuss any concerns and keep them informed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and show sincere passion in wanting to do their very best for the child. They spoke with genuine pride about how the child has settled in their home, the relationships they have been able to form and the positive difference they have helped make to the child’s life. Staff conveyed the trust they have in the manager, and how they are encouraged to progress and develop, ensuring they have the skills and support to enable the child to continue to grow. Inspection report for children's home: 1254740 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s records are clearly written. Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 1254740 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Second Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1254740 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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