Children's Home run by Heritage Children’s Homes Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children's home: 2634633 1 Registered provider: MJ Residential Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to two children. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2022, when the home opened.

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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 good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2634633 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2634633 3

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outstanding

The child has built long-standing and trusting relationships with a manager and team who place his needs at the centre of everything they do. The child has lived in the home since it was registered. During this time, the excellent progress he has made in many areas of his life is striking.

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outstanding

The child feels secure and safe in his home. These feelings of stability are reinforced because the child knows what his plans are for the future. He is well supported to express his views and wishes and has an advocate who has acted on his behalf. The child’s social worker said, ‘The home has done amazingly well; the child is incredibly settled. He has built up solid relationships and is really happy there.’

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outstanding

Since the previous inspection, and from a starting point of not attending any school before moving into the home, the child has made important steps in his educational progress. The deputy headteacher at his school said the child has made ‘significant progress and improvement’ in his education and emotional well-being. He commended the home on their timely and ‘excellent post-16 planning’. The child has a package of education geared to his needs to support him in reaching his potential and achieving his aspirations.

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outstanding

The child has been helped to develop his interests so that isolation is reduced by him going out, meeting people and gaining confidence. He also now has a realistic career plan. The manager described how the team has supported the child to expand his passion for electronics into a variety of opportunities and new experiences. This includes regularly attending youth theatre groups, and volunteering and gaining work experience. These are incredible achievements when anxiety and the impact of adverse childhood experiences could so easily have prevented this from happening.

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outstanding

Staff recognise the importance of the child maintaining positive relationships with his family and support him to see them regularly. His parents and social worker receive regular written updates about his progress and experiences. The child’s parents recognise that their child is well cared for and how seriously staff take their responsibilities to him, and they value their attentiveness to his needs.

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outstanding

The team works closely with and communicates effectively with other professionals who provide support for the child and staff advocate strongly for him to receive the services he is entitled to and needs.

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

Staff have worked hard to help the child feel safe and well cared for. Boundaries are clear but flexible, in line with his needs. Staff are in tune with the child’s feelings and Inspection report for children's home: 2634633 4 how he may react to certain situations, and plan accordingly. His voice and wishes are taken seriously. As a result, incidents in which the child becomes upset seldom occur. This is also due to the strong relationships the child has with staff, that enable him to confide in them about his feelings and worries before situations escalate.

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

When one incident of concern did occur, staff took appropriate action to ensure that the child received the help he needed. Staff have received relevant training but further in-depth training on neurodiversity, to build on their existing knowledge, would enhance staff’s ability to respond to the child’s needs. Additionally, aspects of risk assessment and care planning documents could be more concise to provide greater written clarity and instruction to support staff in responding consistently as a team.

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

Leaders and managers have improved their recruitment processes to assess effectively whether staff are suitable to work with children. Some small changes could further improve this process, for example, changes to the application form. When staff apply to work in the home, the child participates in the recruitment process in a meaningful and child-friendly way. For example, after the staff interviews, the child, together with staff, meets prospective candidates outside the home so that managers have an additional and valued perspective from the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has high expectations for the quality of personalised care provided, so that the child has every opportunity to achieve their full potential. The manager advocates for the child well, for example, escalating delays of assessments that have taken too long to happen. The manager and the deputy manager are excellent role models, who want the best for the child. Regular team meetings are prioritised so that team members can discuss the child’s experiences and progress. Research is also disseminated to build on and test the team’s knowledge and understanding of how best to meet the child’s complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A plan for new management arrangements is in place while the registered manager is away from the home temporarily. The plan has been carefully thought through so that the child continues to receive consistent care. The responsible individual will have a greater presence in the home during this time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff care for the child on a one-to-one basis, including overnight, which is assessed as being the most suitable plan for the child. The child is happy with this arrangement, but there is not sufficient written risk assessment and detailed planning to show that all eventualities have been considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When staff receive supervision, feedback from the child is central and used well to help staff reflect on relationships and further improve their approach to caring for him. Supervision is robust and child-focused, however, for new staff, it is not held at a frequency that is appropriate to the level of experience and skills of these newer staff members. A greater level of supervision for probationary staff would ensure that this additional oversight identifies any support needs at the earliest opportunity. Inspection report for children's home: 2634633 5 The home is well maintained and is furnished to meet the child’s needs. Although staff are encouraged to spend time with the child outside the office, the office detracts from an otherwise homely environment. The child has additional rooms to pursue his hobbies and store his equipment in, so that his bedroom is uncluttered and is a calming place for him to sleep in. This home is very much the child’s home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children's home: 2634633 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 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements for staff lone working, including risk assessments, plans and agreements for individual staff, are clear and explicitly recorded;

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Requirement Due date

provide more frequent supervision for probationary staff in line with the home’s policy, to ensure that there is sufficient oversight and support for staff;

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Requirement Due date

review recruitment processes and further improve procedures;

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Requirement Due date

consider further training for staff in neurodiversity and review risk assessments and care plans so that they are clear and concise;

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Requirement Due date

consider making the office more homely. 26 February 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2634633 7

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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: 2634633 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: MJ Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Level 1, East Reach House, East Reach, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3EN

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Inspector

Sarah Canto, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2634633 9 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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