Children's home run by Strive to Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2598004 1 Registered provider: Strive to Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 22 November 2022

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2598004 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Outstanding 07/12/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2598004 3

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outstanding

Children living at this home make excellent, sustained progress. They are proud of their achievements and have the confidence to celebrate their successes. The children say that the staff are kind and caring. One child said, ‘They are like my family now; they care a lot for me.’ The culture of the home is one of kindness, understanding and mutual respect.

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outstanding

The children’s needs are well understood by those who care for them. The staff and manager have an excellent knowledge and comprehension of children’s past experiences. The manager embeds an environment where children can flourish and feel safe. The importance of children behaving as children is a key feature of this home. For some children, this is the first time that they have experienced childhood in this way.

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outstanding

Children’s experiences of moving in to and out of the home are excellent. When children move in to the home, the manager ensures that they visit beforehand so that they can get to know the staff. When children leave the home, the manager and staff continue to offer support and maintain contact with the child and their family. One parent said, ‘My son was able to return home following their [the manager and staff] support and guidance, and this has continued. I am extremely grateful.’ Staff build excellent relationships with family and previous carers. This has helped in supporting one child to return home in planned way and another child progressing to a shared care arrangement with plans to return home soon.

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outstanding

Children are recognised and commended for their punctual school attendance and positive engagement with education. The staff regularly talk to the children to emphasise the significance of education and its role in their future success. This has encouraged them to remain motivated and attend school regularly. Since being at this home, one child has learned a new language and another child has learned to play a new instrument.

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outstanding

The children and the staff team are supported by a clinical psychologist, who provides one-to-one support for the children and guidance for staff. This professional input enhances the excellent work being undertaken. Research- informed practice informs staff’s excellent knowledge of the individual needs of children. For one child, this has had a significant impact on their health.

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outstanding

Children are from different faith groups. Each child has their religious beliefs supported. Staff understand the children’s individual beliefs, and children are provided with prayer mats and thobes and supported to attend the local mosque. Religious celebrations are embraced and shared with children’s families and friends. Children are encouraged and supported to take part in community activities. Some children enjoy cricket and attending the gym, while others enjoy swimming and Inspection report for children’s home: 2598004 4 playing the bongo drum. These activities have provided excellent opportunities for children to make positive and safe friendships in the community.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Children benefit from positive, trusting relationships, which have developed because of the staff having an excellent knowledge and understanding of the children’s needs and behaviours. Research-informed practice, specialist advice and consultation support a multi-faceted approach to supporting children and planning for their care. Children who experienced high levels of physical intervention, no longer require this level of support. There is a strong ethos of engaging with children’s interests to support their self-esteem and progression.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

The staff use open discussions in response to children’s behaviour. This gives the children space to reflect and consider what these feelings are and why they are present. There is a strong culture of mutual respect and positive role modelling. Staff talk about the children with great passion and enthusiasm. They are proud of the children’s achievements.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Children’s individual development plans are analysed and reviewed for them to determine how children are progressing and what approaches have been found to be effective to support positive behaviour and good decision-making. One professional said, ‘They are very good at noticing the small things. They notice when early intervention is required. This reduces incidents and risk effectively.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Staff retention is very high, and some staff have been at the home for many years, creating a stable presence for children. This ensures continuity of care for children, but also means that staff know the children very well. Staff are nurturing in their approach, and this practice forms the essence of how they work with children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Feedback from professionals and family is very positive. One professional said, ‘Staff are attuned to relationships with children. They are aware of their social and emotional needs, and they adapt to children.’ Another professional said, ‘They [staff] get the children 100%. Staff are amazing and supportive to children. They really care about them.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Children know how to complain. The staff ensure that children are frequently reminded of this process. Complaint forms can be accessed privately without staff or managers being notified. One child said, ‘The staff are 100% good. They help me and are very kind.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is inspirational and confident. He leads by example and is ambitious for the children. He has high expectations for the staff team and their development. As a result, there is a highly motivated and knowledgeable staff team that works together to provide a consistent and stable home for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598004 5 The manager has maintained a supportive and aspirational culture in which children can thrive and grow. The children who live in this home receive informed and consistent high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The level of oversight from the manager is exceptional. The manager is organised and innovative. He has implemented effective monitoring systems in the home. These have helped him to identify learning outcomes and opportunities to support the staff team’s development. This helps to provide the highest quality care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has developed positive working relationships with professionals, parents and family members. The manager understands the importance of effective partnership working and how this contributes towards children’s positive experiences. One parent explained that the manager arranged for him to attend several helpful parenting training sessions, which the manager and staff also attended. He said, ‘This supported my son returning home to me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff training programme is extensive. Staff receive ongoing training that includes mandatory training and relevant online focused training. The manager studies children’s needs and creates case studies to support practical learning. As a result, staff meet the specific needs of the children and are provided with open forums to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive supervision monthly. The supervisions are well planned, structured and led by a suitably experienced manager or team leader. The supervisions are reflective and provide a safe environment for staff to reflect on their practice and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The independent person’s visits to the home are not sufficiently robust. There is a lack of consultation with children’s families and external professionals. This limits the opportunity to champion relationships and capture the voices of children. Further to this, reports are not sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598004 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny and make best use of information from independent monitoring. In particular, the registered person should ensure that the independent visitor gains feedback from parents, children, and professionals during each visit and that these are sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2598004 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Strive to Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 455, Whalley New Road, Blackburn BB1 9SP

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Inspector

Sally Hallwood, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2598004 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 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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