Children's Home run by Central and Southern Homes Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children's home: 2717528 1 Registered provider: Central & Southern Homes Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home provides long term care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2023. The home also has an acting manager, who has been in post since 14 August 2023.

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Information about this children's home

This is the first inspection since the home was registered on 2 February 2023.

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Information about this children's home

There is one child living in the home. They moved in on 10 August 2023.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2717528 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home moved in less than three weeks ago. No other children have lived in the home since it was registered. Managers worked well with the local authority and other professionals to ensure that the move for the child was carefully planned and progressed at their pace. The staff created a colourful individualised children’s guide that included the child’s interests to help them to understand about the home, the team, and what it might be like to live there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has settled well and is building positive relationships with the staff. They played football in the garden and went swimming during the inspection. The inspector saw staff gently but persistently persuading the child to end their tablet time and prepare for their outing with no issue. The child’s social worker reported that the child struggles with transitioning from one activity to another and, in the past, this would heighten behaviour. Since moving to the home, the child’s behaviour has been more settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child experiences lots of active play and outings during the day. This is directly linked to their needs and helps them to expend excess energy. The team have also created and followed consistent routines and boundaries for the child. The child has adapted to this well, and they are managing changes of task better. Staff are slowly providing a sense of security for the child and trust that adults will keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully decorated and feels spacious yet homely. The child chose their bedroom and has furnished it to their taste. They have toys and pictures displayed that are personal to them. The house has been converted from a health building, but the renovation has been completed in a way that little of the original usage remains. However, some of the doors still have large metal kick plates and the back door has an industrial handle.

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

The home has useful and detailed plans in place to help staff to understand the child’s needs, behaviours and risks. They provide good strategies for staff to respond to the child’s behaviour in ways that help the child to process information at a pace that works for them. This has meant that there have not been any significant incidents. The de-escalation techniques used by staff have helped to calm the child quickly. However, one known risk has not been included in the child’s plans. Staff are all aware of the behaviour and strategies are in place to protect the child and others, but these have not been recorded.

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

There have been no instances of restraint within the home. The home has clear policies about when restraint can be used, and this is only as a last resort. Most staff Inspection report for children's home: 2717528 3 are trained to use restraint appropriately. Those who are not trained are booked on training that is due to take place in October 2023.

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

The child living at the home has not been missing from home. Staff know what to do if a child does go missing.

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

The home has safe recruitment practices. This means that appropriate adults work with children in the home.

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

Medication, including controlled medication, is stored, administered and recorded accurately. Any mistakes are noted swiftly, and lessons are learned. The acting manager has devised a clear recording process that highlights errors more easily so that they can be rectified and investigated appropriately.

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

All staff spoken to know what to do if they felt that a child was at risk of harm. They have a good knowledge of the provider’s safeguarding policies and procedures. They know the external agencies to contact if they feel that their concerns have not been responded to effectively.

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

The child’s health needs are being well met. The child has accessed universal services, such as the GP and dentist. They have recently been to the opticians and chosen new prescription glasses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have employed sufficient staff to meet the needs of two children. Further staff need to be recruited before the home can care for more children. The recruitment process is ongoing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child’s social worker provided positive feedback about how managers have worked with them to ensure that the child’s needs were understood and met prior to them living in the home. Communication with other professionals is positive, including education and health professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to the home only recently being fully staffed, staff supervision has not yet taken place. However, as most of the staff previously worked in sister homes, this has been undertaken by their previous managers. All supervision is planned to be completed by the home’s managers in September 2023.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are limited records due to the child only recently moving to the home and being so settled. However, current plans, policies and procedures have been reviewed and overseen by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has good procedures in place to ensure that health and safety within the home is followed. Staff have completed a fire drill since the child moved in so that they know what to do in the event of a fire. The acting manager is in the process of devising a health and safety risk assessment to bring all of the different actions together for ease of monitoring. Inspection report for children's home: 2717528 4

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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— that staff—

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to any known risk to the child being recorded in their plans so that this can inform practice. 1 December 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a homely domestic environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2717528 5

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Central & Southern Homes

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Pitmaston House, Malvern Road, Worcester WR2 4LL

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Inspector

Penelope Kutz, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2717528 6 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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