Children's Home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC059717 1 SC059717 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child 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 in two houses for up to six children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home is operated by a national private organisation. At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC059717 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/08/2022 Full Good 09/12/2021 Full Good 16/10/2019 Full Good 24/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC059717 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. Incidents of self-harm continue to reduce in frequency and severity and children are more able to express their emotions. Children’s self-confidence and self-esteem continue to increase, which helps them to progress socially.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built strong and effective relationships with the children. Their positive and nurturing interactions show children how much they care about them. Children say that they really like the staff. Although some staff have left, the impact of these changes has been minimised due to the remaining staff working additional hours. This has provided children with ongoing stability and consistency of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff’s care of children is supported by them following comprehensive plans which provide them with clear and current guidance. Children are actively involved in developing their care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s attendance at school is positive. Two children attend school full time while two others are working towards this goal with staff’s support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of activities. They choose what they wish to do and put forward ideas which staff help them to achieve. This includes children attending music concerts and shows. Children had an enjoyable holiday during the summer. One child put forward a strong case, in writing, for the children to have a holiday abroad next year. This was considered and then agreed to by senior managers. Passports have been obtained and the children are looking at where they want to go.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a comfortable family-style home. Children are invested in decorating and maintaining the home. Throughout the home, children’s school photos are displayed and there are lots of family-style photos of trips, holidays and celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and social workers are positive about the care their children receive. Parents describe the staff as ‘amazing’ and ‘fantastic’ and are particularly proud of the progress their children make.

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

Children are safe and feel safe at the home. Staff have a good understanding of how to protect children and help them to take measured risks the same as other children of a similar age. Detailed safety plans are in place where a concern has been identified, for example around online and social media safety. Staff work well with children to help develop their understanding and skills to keep themselves safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059717 4 Behaviour is managed well. Staff understand the needs of the children and that some behaviours are children’s way of communicating their feelings. When incidents occur, meaningful conversations are held with children to develop their understanding of their behaviours and the impact their behaviours can have on others. Since the previous inspection, restraint has only been used twice to keep a child safe. It was appropriate and proportionate.

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

Risk is well managed. Staff help children to develop their understanding of risk. As a result, children are making safer choices. Risk assessments help staff to understand the risks and identify strategies to reduce them.

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

Staff recruitment follows safer recruitment practices, which helps to protect children. When necessary, probationary periods have been extended to ensure that staff practice is of good quality.

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

The manager has identified a need to review and improve the interview process following several new members of staff deciding to leave. More action is required to fully understand the reasons for these resignations so that leaders and managers can use the information to further develop the home.

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good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced for the role. They demonstrate a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in the home.

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good

Since the previous inspection, there has been a significant turnover in staff. This has had an impact on the team. Leaders, managers and staff have covered gaps in the rota, which has meant longer shifts and less opportunity to focus on developmental work they had planned to carry out.

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good

Feedback from staff about staff morale is mixed. Some are positive about the home, the support they receive and the approachability of leaders and managers, while others are not. Some staff say they do not feel listened to or valued. Some staff say that staff shortages are part of the issue. More work is needed to rebuild a cohesive team.

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good

Recruitment is ongoing with not enough permanent staff yet to provide care for children if the home is full. The manager says they will not take more children until the home is fully staffed.

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good

Staff supervision records and team meeting minutes do not consistently evidence the support provided for staff. Some records lack details of the discussions held. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059717 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 that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that good- quality records are maintained of staff meetings and staff supervision sessions. 31 December 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should carry out a review of the reasons why staff resign, to learn lessons and improve practice moving forward. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: SC059717 6

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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: SC059717 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Five Rivers Childcare, 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC059717 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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