Children's home run by Physis Quantum Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC443708 1 SC443708 Registered provider: Physis Quantum Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned by a small company. The home provides therapeutic care for up to five children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in November 2022. She holds a level 4 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC443708 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/09/2021 Full Good 25/02/2020 Full Good 17/10/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC443708 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have come to live in the home. Both children benefited from planned transitions which involved visits and regular phone calls as part of introductions. Staff provide outreach support for a child who left the home in May. This demonstrates the commitment of staff to ensure that children who move on from the home have the support that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children make progress in all areas of their health, education, social and psychological well-being. Children are building positive relationships with the staff and this is helping them to open up and talk about their feelings. Staff further support these good relationships by ensuring that children’s progress is acknowledged and celebrated, however big or small.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their learning. As a result, two children who previously found learning challenging are now accessing education daily. Furthermore, one child has been supported to take equine studies as part of their curriculum. Some children have excelled in post 16 education, but this has not always been maintained when they have left the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported to be healthy. Staff ensure that the children attend their health appointments and that the importance of healthy lifestyles is promoted. Children are encouraged to help plan menus and to get involved in food shopping.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have personalised and detailed plans for their care which are reviewed and updated regularly. However, these plans are lengthy and are not presented in a child-friendly way. Furthermore, children are not involved in the development of their plans. This means that it is difficult for the children to understand their progress. One child said they would like their plan to be clear about what they need to do to make progress under the model of care for the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child spends most of their time living away from the home, in line with an agreement with their placing authority and their pathway plan. Staff keep in daily contact with the child and ensure that they have the necessary support, including financially, for their day-to-day living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, welcoming and beautifully decorated throughout. Personal touches, including photos of the children and soft furnishings, give a homely feel. The children benefit from two living rooms and a dining room which is used for arts and crafts. The children have bedrooms that are well maintained and decorated to their tastes. There is a real sense of pride in the home environment. Staff work hard to maintain high standards for the children and provide them with a safe, secure and comfortable environment. Inspection report for children's home: SC443708 4

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

The staff know the children and their associated risks well. Children have individual behaviour and risk management plans which outline clear risk management strategies for the staff. These plans are reviewed and updated regularly to reflect any emerging concerns.

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

Staff use therapeutic parenting effectively to de-escalate low-level concerns in the home. This means that incidents do not escalate, as the approach of staff supports children to calm down. Consequently, there has been no use of physical intervention. Furthermore, children are helped to explore their changing behaviour with ‘wondering’ questions and acceptance from the staff. This helps children to understand the reasons for their behaviour.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. There is a clear missing protocol in place and the staff are fully aware of their responsibilities if a child were to go missing.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been some minor incidents self-harm by children. This has now stopped. When self-harm has occurred this has been managed well by the staff, who offer support, including opportunities for the children to understand their emotions and behaviour.

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

The children are supported by a clinician and the programme lead to take part in therapeutic work in line with the home’s model of care. This is complemented by direct work with staff that helps children to understand themselves and risk. As a result of this intervention, children have developed the ability to self-reflect and have increased self-awareness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably skilled and experienced. Since the last full inspection, she has worked hard to make positive changes in the home and to the staff team for the benefit of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team works together consistently set standards to create a positive culture in the home. This means that there are clear expectations for the staff team, who are enthusiastic and committed to the care that they provide to the children. The staff say they are supported by managers and described the registered manager as ‘available’ and ‘approachable’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child-focused and knows the children well. She has a good understanding of their backgrounds and their areas for development. Furthermore, she operates an open-door policy and is readily available for the children. Inspection report for children's home: SC443708 5 The staff receive regular and reflective supervision which supports their learning, development and progress. All the staff have received an annual appraisal and there is a clear workforce development plan in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a focus on staff training. This means that all the staff are up to date with their mandatory training and training specific to the home’s model of care. Staff have recently revisited training on therapeutic parenting and this is being embedded in everyday practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers practise safer recruitment. New staff speak positively about their experience of induction into the home and training and the support from other staff and the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has developed effective monitoring systems. Consequently, she has good oversight and reviews all reports and documents held by the home. She makes good use of external monitoring, including independent visitor reports and monthly auditing by the responsible individual and compliance manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has built positive relationships with external professionals. One professional was particularly positive about the extended support being offered under the ‘staying close’ scheme to a child who has moved on from the home, saying the manager and staff go ‘above and beyond’ in providing support. Inspection report for children's home: SC443708 6

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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 care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are involved in developing and reviewing the plans for their care. 29 December

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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: SC443708 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Physis Quantum Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: DPC, 55 Stone House Road Business Park, Stone Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 6SR

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Inspector

Stacie Sharpe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC443708 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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