Children's home run by St Caspian Care

Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 1 Registered provider: St. Caspian Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children aged between eight and 17 years who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home also supports young people who have turned 18 to move on to semi-independent placements or independent accommodation.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 18 October 2021. There is a registered manager in post. The home added an additional bedroom in September 2023 to allow care to be provided for up to four children.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector spoke to all children.

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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: 18 October 2022

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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: 2637521 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by kind and caring staff. As a result, they are settled in the home. Children say they feel safe and have good relationships with staff. One child said, ‘ It’s good here. The staff are nice, and it feels like at home.’ Another child said, ‘I’ve been in many placements, and I know this one is really good.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are sought regularly, and staff value them. Staff listen to children and support them to have a say in the way they are cared for. For example, children choose their meals and activities. Children provide feedback through key-work sessions, ‘have a say’ reviews and children’s meetings. Children can earn rewards through their incentives plan for achieving set goals, and they plan how to use the money they earn. These things all help children to feel part of the home and that they can make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to take part in a range of activities that interest them. One child said, ‘[Name of manager] goes out of her way to make sure we have everything we need.’ The registered manager is currently planning a holiday abroad for children. Managers have put a lot of thought into how they will manage this. They are working with other professionals to make this a reality for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have well-decorated and well-furnished bedrooms that reflect what they like. Children personalise them with photos and pictures. Two children asked staff for bigger beds, and they are happy with the double beds staff have bought them. One child asked to move to another bedroom because they had personalised the walls of the room they wanted with drawings and writing. Staff acted quickly to move the child’s furniture. This shows children that staff will respond to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s health needs to a high standard and children have access to a range of professionals to meet their needs. Working closely with other professionals ensures that children get the healthcare they need in a timely way.

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

Children are safe because the registered manager and staff understand and use the safeguarding policies and processes, they have in place. There are strong links with the local authority designated officer and other professionals. The registered manager prides herself in doing everything she can to safeguard the children. There are many opportunities for staff to talk about how they will keep children safe. For example, staff support one child when they are out of the home to keep them safe. The child understands why this support is necessary and is accepting of it.

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

Staff understand the risks children can face. There are detailed risk assessments to guide staff on how to support each child. Incidents of missing from home have decreased because of the safeguards staff and other professionals have put in place. Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 4 Children are given opportunities to learn how to stay safe through workshops on issues such as drugs and alcohol misuse, consent, mobile phone safety, bullying, social media and peer pressure.

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

There are processes to ensure the safe recruitment of staff . Managers carry out all necessary checks before new staff start working at the home. However, leaders have not fully considered all additional safeguards that are needed when staff are related, including to the registered manager. Leaders are receptive to adapting their approach to ensure that this is clear for all staff.

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

Concerns and complaints are taken seriously, and managers act on them quickly. Children know who to talk to if they have concerns or need anything. One child said, ‘ I can go to [name of manager] whenever I need something. [Name of responsible individual] is really good too and makes an effort with all of us.’ Where concerns are raised about staff, the registered manager reports these to relevant organisations and keeps a good record of actions taken to deal with them.

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

The registered manager and staff are aware of their responsibilities to ensure that they follow effective health and safety processes in the home and when they are out with the children. This ensures that the home is safe for the children, staff, and visitors.

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

Staff rarely use physical intervention techniques. When this does happen, incidents are well managed. Staff complete detailed records to show what happened and what necessary actions they have taken to safeguard children. Debriefs with staff following physical interventions are used to understand what happened and how the chances of reoccurrence can be reduced. This emphasises the staff’s willingness to learn from their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the home. She understands the needs of the children and is proud of the way staff work together to meet children’s needs. The registered manager is a strong advocate for the children to ensure that they receive good-quality care and make good progress. She and the other staff are proud of the progress all children have made since moving to the home. For example, children have adopted positive ways to cope with distressing situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good processes to support her to continually assess practice. This ensures that staff are doing everything they can to provide a safe and nurturing home for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are happy working at the home. They are positive about their contribution to improving children’s lives. Staff are also pleased about the quality of the training and support they receive from the registered manager and other senior staff. Changes in the staff team have not impacted negatively on the quality of care that children receive, and staff say they work well as a team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 5 Staff receive regular and effective supervision. This is further supported by regular team meetings and workshops. New members of staff feel supported through the induction and probation process. Staff told inspectors that they receive the support they need to develop the knowledge and skills to support the children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have opportunities to identify their own development needs through appraisals and continuous development planning. Senior care staff work towards achieving a level 5 diploma and are given opportunities to develop their leadership and management skills. This supports staff to have the skills to move to leading roles as part of the provider’s succession planning. This forward planning contributes to stability and continuity of care at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment, supervision, and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. In particular, robust safeguards must be in place when employing staff who are family members, including of the registered manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2637521 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St. Caspian Care Limited

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Inspector

Thobekile Bandama, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 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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