Children's home run by Blossomcare NW Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2714454 1 Registered provider: Blossomcare NW Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation and is registered to provide care for one child. The home provides care for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager and home registered with Ofsted on 25 May 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection. The child was spoken to during the inspection.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection for report children’s home: 2714454 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff provide the child with individualised care. The child’s plans are understood and followed by staff. Staff ensure that they listen to the child’s views, wishes and feelings to allow the child choices and to make decisions about their care. This ensures that the child receives consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making progress in education; they have increased their educational attendance from their starting point and are engaging well with the support of the staff and home tutor. This enhances the child’s outcomes and life chances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has aspirations for the future. Staff actively encourage the child to learn informally. They ensure that there are plenty of informal learning opportunities planned into the child’s day, for example visiting museums and developing their independence skills. This supports the child to be equipped for independence in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health and well-being are prioritised by the manager and staff. Consequently, the child is in good health and regularly attends routine health appointments. The manager and staff work effectively with a consultant clinical psychologist to create a tailored care plan to support the child emotionally and to create a nurturing environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has personalised their bedroom, and the home is decorated to a good standard. Positive and caring relationships between the leaders, managers and the child were observed. The child lives in a happy, safe and relaxed home where staff treat them with dignity and respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Previously, a child moved into the home; however, the manager and staff were unable to meet the child’s needs. This resulted in the child moving out of the home with short notice. The information gathered before the child moved into the home did not enable the manager to determine whether the staff were able to fully meet the child’s needs.

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

Risk management plans are current, up to date, understood and followed by staff. The manager and staff speak to the child and educate them about risk-taking behaviours. This has meant that risks have reduced and the child is making progress from their starting point.

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

The safety and welfare of the child are at the centre of staff’s practice. Staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. However, the staff have not needed to physically intervene to keep the child safe. Inspection for report children’s home: 2714454 3 Missing-from-home episodes are rare; on the one occasion this occurred, staff followed protocols, worked with the police and actively searched for the child to ensure their safe return home. The child was offered an independent return home interview to consider any triggers and identify new strategies to manage the risk- taking behaviour.

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

Staff understand and are confident in following procedures to protect the child. Staff complete safeguarding training and additional training about risks such as self-harm, child sexual exploitation, online safety and radicalisation.

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

Incidents are managed well, and all serious incidents have been notified to Ofsted. However, there have been delays in notifications being made, which compromises the timely oversight and scrutiny by the regulator. External professionals who work with the child and staff shared positive feedback about the child’s care and safety.

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

Staff talk to the child to help them understand their thoughts and feelings. They also help them to reflect on any incidents or risk-taking behaviours. The manager takes appropriate action and communicates effectively with other professionals to ensure that the child is safe living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leaders and managers have high aspirations for the child in their care. The manager holds a relevant management qualification and has the experience to manage a children’s home. She is able to balance her management duties with spending time with the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff who were spoken to were very positive about the leadership and management team. One member of staff said, ‘Staff morale is really high. We are all empowering towards one another; that comes from the top. We feel we can ask for support. It is nice to see the people who are new to the job growing and developing and looking forward to starting their qualification.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular reflective supervision and training and have completed a thorough induction. This provides staff with a detailed programme and guidance in their new role. This means the manager can be assured that the staff will continue to meet the needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the service strengths and areas for development. She has a development plan that focuses on improving the care for the child. The manager’s monitoring system helps her to track patterns and progress and address any shortfalls as they arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is subject to independent scrutiny on a monthly basis. The independent person provides a clear overview of the service and any areas for development. The manager is proactive in addressing any recommendations made by the independent person to enhance the practice in the home. Inspection for report children’s home: 2714454 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and through discussions with key professionals in the child’s life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that they have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the regulator. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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 for report children’s home: 2714454 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blossomcare NW Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Carfax Fold, Rochdale OL12 7GH

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Inspector

Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection for report children’s home: 2714454 6 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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