Children's Home run by New Forest Care Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2571846 1 Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current acting manager applied for registration with Ofsted in May 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: 21 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: 2571846 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2571846 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children were seen to have warm and positive relationships with the staff in the home, while still being provided with clear boundaries and guidance. The children are making progress with building trusting relationships and increasing their emotional and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff offer the children a wide range of activities to participate in each day. The children contribute to the activity planner that forms the basis of their day. The children’s involvement means they feel that they are consulted and listened to. This leads to them engaging in tasks that increase their confidence and independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and managers seek the children’s views through informal conversations. One child in the home said that they are encouraged to talk about their feelings. The staff’s positive support enables the children to talk about any worries and allows the staff to respond to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported by in-house registered mental health professionals who provide additional support and oversight. This is a particular strength of the home, especially when children are struggling with their emotional well-being and may self- harm. This additional professional support means that managers are able to quickly identify when staff are no longer able to manage children’s escalating levels of risk.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s progress in education is somewhat limited during their time in the home, which can often be linked to the period of crisis they are in on admission. The staff try to implement education in the children’s daily programme, but this is not always successful. There is limited evidence of the staff engaging with education providers or, in situations where children are not on a school roll, advocating that this is necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and decorated with homely touches. The outdoor space is vast and provides many opportunities for the children to learn, have fun and enjoy activities. However, the outdoor space requires maintenance and development to make it a more welcoming area.

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

The staff are successful at quickly building relationships with the children living in the home on short-term placements. This has led to a reduction of incidents involving children going missing or requiring the use of physical restraint. The staff encourage the children to instead talk through and resolve their anxieties. The staff hold debrief conversations with the children after each incident, which allows time for reflection and contemplation. Inspection report for children's home: 2571846 4 Incidents that require the use of physical intervention are well recorded, with good management oversight. The strong management oversight has ensured that staff receive clear guidance and expectations on responses to future incidents. For one child, the consistent responses of staff have meant the use of physical restraint during incidents has significantly decreased.

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

When children do go missing from home, the staff work with the child and their network to keep them safe. The staff follow the missing-from-home procedures and consistently respond quickly to return the children home safely.

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

The staff manage incidents of self-harm in the home well. They respond to the children with kindness. They seek input from other professionals to support the children. Incidents of self-harm are well recorded, with debriefs included for the staff and children. However, it is not clearly recorded which staff have received training in managing and preventing self-harming behaviours.

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

The staff understand and know about the children’s past experiences and risks. A wide range of risk assessments for children are in place. However, these do not always clearly describe what the risk is for each assessment. Strategies to address risk provide clear guidance for staff about the actions which are necessary to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The newly appointed manager is not currently registered with Ofsted but has submitted an application. Since being in post, she has made a positive impact, such as improved management oversight of incidents. This has led to a more consistent response to the children, as the guidance provided to staff means they are more confident when incidents happen.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are positive about working in the home and feel supported by the new manager. They receive regular good-quality supervision. New staff are provided with a good induction programme. The support they receive during their probation period is monitored closely by the management team, who provide regular time for support and discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is not recorded accurately or monitored by managers. The manager was unable to evidence that all staff have completed suitable training to meet the likely needs of the children who may come to live at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals is positive. Communication is highlighted as a particular strength by professionals and by one of the children’s parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The workforce and home development plans have been updated to reflect these areas for development. Inspection report for children's home: 2571846 5

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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.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff receive training that equips them to meet the needs of the children they care for. Furthermore, ensure that accurate records are maintained of staff training. 4 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(vi)(vii)) 4 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2571846 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. This includes ensuring that the outdoor spaces are well maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. They should ensure that all risk assessments in place consistently and clearly identify current risks and specify how these risks will be reduced. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2571846 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

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Inspectors

Faye McCarthy, Social Care Inspector Mark Dawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2571846 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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