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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2539305 1 Registered provider: South West Childcare Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and support for one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties. It is one of several homes provided by a private organisation operating in this area.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in April 2021 and is suitably qualified.

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: 12 January 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2539305 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/01/2023 Full Good 13/10/2021 Full Good 03/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2539305 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has developed strong and trusted relationships with a consistent team of staff who know them well and invest time in them to promote their welfare. The child is supported by staff to have a voice. The child’s views are listened to and considered. For example, the child expressed they were interested in car mechanics and staff secured them a job at a local garage. This positively enhances their experiences and helps them to progress in all aspects of their life.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of the child attending their educational provision and encourage the child to achieve this. The manager continues to liaise effectively with the local authority and school to advocate for the child and ensure that they receive the right educational provision to meet their needs. The child has made good progress from their starting point, and the hours they attend school are increasing at the right pace for the child. This gives the child the best opportunity to succeed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys an excellent range of activities to help them build their confidence. Activities include bowling, trips to the beach and going to the gym. The child informed the inspector of their passion for swimming and has been given many opportunities to enjoy this activity. These experiences help to support the child to grow socially and emotionally.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child spends regular quality time with family members, which the child really values. This supports the child’s identity and well-being. Staff understand the importance of the child maintaining these relationships and work proactively with the child’s family to promote this continuity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child attends their medical appointments, enjoys a balanced diet, regularly exercises and is in good health. Staff and the child have developed effective relationships with healthcare professionals to ensure that this is maintained. A nurse commented that they are impressed by how proactive the team is. They added how understanding and supportive staff were when they were able to encourage the child to attend an important appointment with the doctor that they did not wish to attend.

p.3

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

The child says they feel safe living in their home. Experienced staff use established boundaries to help keep the child safe. Staff treat the child with dignity and respect. Staff understand when they need to respect the child’s privacy and personal space and when the child needs support. When incidents occur, staff take appropriate and effective action to help the child manage their own behaviour safely. The registered manager evaluates each incident to continue to develop a better understanding of the child and inform staff’s future practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2539305 4 Staff have developed an in-depth understanding of the child’s needs and know exactly how to manage and support these needs effectively on a day-to-day basis to help the child feel protected. . Risk assessments are comprehensive, regularly reviewed and give clear instruction to staff. Staff are competent, knowledgeable and

p.3

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

The child says that they are happy living in their home. Staff support the child to take age-appropriate risks, increase their independence and learn new skills. This includes cooking and carrying out repairs and maintenance jobs around the home. Staff recognise the importance of this and how it helps the child to develop and promotes their self-esteem.

p.4

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

Restraint has been used once to ensure the safety of a child and staff. The incident was comprehensively reviewed, and the child’s views were obtained. The in-house therapy team has been consulted to improve staff practice and minimise any future use of restraint.

p.4

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

When the child goes missing, staff quickly follow a comprehensive process to reduce the risk of harm to the child. Family and relevant professionals are informed in a timely manner to help locate and protect the child. However, records of what action staff have taken during the incident are not always clear. The registered manager evaluates each incident effectively and had identified this. Staff are going to have additional training in their report writing skills to ensure better recording of incidents in the future.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides strong leadership in the home. They are experienced, have excellent staff retention and have built solid relationships with the child and staff. The home is run effectively and efficiently by a permanent, consistent and competent staff team. Staff receive regular and effective supervision that focuses on the child’s progression and experiences.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are strong advocates for the child. Managers listen to the child and respect their wishes. They appropriately challenge external agencies and advocate on the child’s behalf to help ensure that their needs are met. They proactively liaise with professionals to ensure that the child’s voice is heard, and changes are made to reflect what is currently important to them. This encourages the child to engage and make progress.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel valued and have high levels of job satisfaction. They speak with genuine compassion and pride about how they support the child and make a positive difference to their life. Staff express the utmost confidence in the members of the leadership team, who demonstrate true concern for their well-being and work-life balance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2539305 5 The child and professionals shared positive comments about the manager and staff. The child’s placing social worker stated that they are extremely impressed with how quickly their child settled in at the home and the amazing progress the child has made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2539305 6

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This specifically relates to staff completing incident forms. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.6

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: 2539305 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2539305 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.

p.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8