Children's home run by Warwickshire County Council

Inspection report for children's home: 2716136 1 Registered provider: Warwickshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by the local authority and provides care for up to six children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in March 2023. This is the home’s first inspection.

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: Not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2716136 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since its registration in March 2023, two children have moved into the home and are currently living there. Staff offer a warm welcome to children when they first move in. As a result, children settle quickly.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who have their best interests at heart. Staff are passionate about their role and have high aspirations for children. The relationships that children have with staff are a key factor in the progress that children make. A parent said, ‘[Name of child] has made good progress in the last few months. He has become more open with staff and built relationships.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are generally in good health. They attend routine health appointments, and they choose to eat healthily and exercise. Mealtimes are planned well and give children the opportunity to share their day-to-day experiences. These good lifestyle choices promote the children’s emotional and physical health.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to improve their educational outcomes. When children struggle with their attendance, staff are relentless in encouraging children to attend by working in partnership with the child and the school. This means children do not miss out on learning opportunities.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a range of activities in and out of the home to broaden their social experiences. For example, children have enjoyed holidays to the seaside, theme parks, laser tag and bowling. Additionally, children contribute to their community. For example, children bake cakes and biscuits for their neighbours. As a result, children are welcomed into the social circles of their neighbourhood.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children share their views with staff in house meetings and key-work sessions. For example, children discuss and plan their weekly menu, share how their week has gone and make personal requests. As a result, children help to shape the home they live in and the care they receive.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make a complaint. When children are unhappy, they use the ‘grumbles form’ to tell staff. The manager addresses and responds to each child’s grumble to ensure that children feel listened to. As a result, there have not been any formal complaints.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children visit family and friends who are important to them. Staff stay in regular contact with children when they have daily visits or overnight stays with relatives. Children cherish spending time with people who are important to them. As a result, children strengthen these important relationships. Inspection report for children's home: 2716136 3

p.2

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

Children do not go missing. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and regularly review risks for children. However, staff have clear guidelines to follow if a child goes missing. The home’s missing policy and procedures ensure that staff understand what action to take to protect children if they go missing.

p.3

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

Physical intervention is only used as a last resort by trained staff. There has been one incident of physical intervention since March 2023. Staff successfully use de- escalation techniques that reduce the need to physically intervene. As a result, the use of physical intervention is rare.

p.3

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

Staff implement respectful consequences that are fair and proportionate when children do not follow the rules and boundaries of the home. The registered manager said, ‘Respectful consequences help to explore the child’s actions and how to take responsibility, for example speaking disrespectfully to staff; the consequence would be to apologise.’ This helps children to make the right choices and learn from their mistakes.

p.3

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

Staff take good precautions to protect and educate children to prevent online abuse when children use the internet. This enables children to access and enjoy the benefits of social media and the internet safely.

p.3

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

The home is warm, welcoming and well-maintained. There is plenty of communal space for children to relax. The home is a safe, nurturing environment. Children’s bedrooms reflect their personalities and are also kept impeccably clean and tidy.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified registered manager. She is ably supported by an experienced and suitably qualified deputy manager. The managers are dedicated and ambitious. They have high expectations for children and are driven to help them achieve their best.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the service. She has a workforce development plan. She knows what progress children are making because monitoring and review systems are effective. She also spends quality time with children and staff. This ensures that she is up to date with how the staff team is delivering quality care and what this feels like for children.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are stored electronically. Retrieving information is sometimes difficult and time-consuming. This impacts on the manager’s ability to share and access records. Both the manager and the responsible individual recognise the challenges they face and are considering other methods.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with good training, induction and supervision. This ensures that staff continue to improve their professional development and receive valuable feedback about their practice. Added support is provided to staff through ad-hoc Inspection report for children's home: 2716136 4 discussions outside of formal supervision. As a result, staff like working at the home and continue to develop their knowledge and skills.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnerships with other professionals and communication are real strengths. Professionals and parents speak well of the care that the registered manager and the staff team provide. A parent said, ‘The manager does a really good job and keeps me up to date.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2716136 5

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records that are kept electronically can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view them and, if required, reproduced in a legible form. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

p.5

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: 2716136 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Warwickshire County Council

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shire Hall, Warwick CV34 4RL

p.6

Inspector

Michelle Spruce, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2716136 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.

p.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7