Children's home run by Semi-independent House Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1259551 1 Registered provider: Semi-independent House Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private organisation runs this home. It provides care for up to five children who have experienced trauma and have complex needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 6 December 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1259551 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good 06/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1259551 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. Since the last inspection, three children have moved into the home and two children have moved on.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with the children and know them well. Staff provide attentive, nurturing care. They are invested in helping the children to progress. One child said, ‘I love living here. I get to spend time with my favourite key worker.’ Another child said, ‘I cannot think of anything I would change about living here.’ Children feel valued and thrive at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children attend education. They attend specialist provisions that meet their individual needs. One child has completed the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The children have very high levels of attendance at their education provisions and they are all making excellent progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have all been on holiday with staff, which has given them new experiences and memories. One child said, ‘The holiday was brilliant and I cannot wait to go again.’ Children benefit from a variety of activities, including watching live ice hockey games and going swimming and to youth clubs. One child has started going to church and singing in the choir. The children enjoy new and enriching experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend routine medical appointments. They have access to medical professionals. One child has attended therapy with a psychotherapist to help them understand and make sense of their trauma and previous life experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support children to have time with their friends and families. One child said, ‘I get to spend time with my friend at his house and enjoy playing football with him.’ Another child spends time with their friend in the community. Staff have enabled children to enjoy valuable time with people who are important to them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is spacious and welcoming and feels like a family home. There are photos of the children displayed around the home. The children have use of several separate rooms to play games and relax in. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their own tastes. The children are relaxed at the home and benefit from the well- kept environment.

p.3

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

Children are safeguarded and feel safe at the home. The manager has ensured that the staff have the appropriate training and that they understand the safeguarding Inspection report for children’s home: 1259551 4 procedures. Staff are confident and equipped to manage safeguarding incidents, which helps to keep the children safe.

p.3

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

Children’s behaviour plans focus on positive reinforcement. The plans include children’s input on how they want to be supported. The plans guide the staff effectively. Children are developing good coping strategies to manage their feelings and emotions safely. There has been a significant decrease in children’s complex and unwanted behaviours.

p.4

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

Staff have not used physical intervention since the last inspection. Staff use their relationships with the children to encourage positive behaviours.

p.4

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

There have been some missing-from-home incidents since the last inspection. Staff manage these well. The staff work with the police and alert the British transport police. Staff are proactive and look for children when they are missing from home. The children are offered independent return interviews. There has been a notable decrease in these incidents.

p.4

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

Staff have regular one-to-one discussions with children about important topics, such as safe relationships, health and personal safety. They use resources creatively to help children talk openly with staff. Children feel at ease talking to staff and are helped to understand themselves, how to keep themselves safe and the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced registered manager has a relevant level 5 qualification. Staff say that the manager is competent and that he has high expectations of the quality of care provided. Children benefit from a stable and consistent staff team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular and effective supervision sessions. These help with their professional development. The manager is dedicated to helping the staff develop and progress. The staff feel invested in.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and the manager have recently benefited from consultations with a psychologist to discuss the children. The consultations help staff to understand the impact of trauma on children. The consultations look at agreed ways to best meet the children’s needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Two social workers said that they are happy with the care provided for their children and that the staff understand the children’s needs. They said that communication is good and that the manager works well with them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have training in a wide range of topics that are relevant to the children’s individual needs. They have either achieved a relevant level 3 diploma or are working towards the qualification in agreed timescales. However, most of the training is online. Online training does not suit all learning styles and is not Inspection report for children’s home: 1259551 5 interactive. One member of staff has not completed all relevant training, despite it being assigned to them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person’s reports are of good quality and make appropriate recommendations. These help the manager to make improvements to the quality of care that children receive. However, the independent person often visits the home when children are at school. This reduces the opportunity for children to provide feedback about the care provided. The manager’s six-monthly report is generally of good quality. However, feedback from children and parents and professionals is limited. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259551 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

the independent person regularly consults with children and parents;

p.6

Requirement Due date

the manager’s six-monthly report consistently reflects the feedback from children, parents and professionals. 15 March 2024

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, provide training that is interactive and meets all learning styles and that all training provided is completed to good timescales. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) Inspection report for children’s home: 1259551 7

p.6

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: 1259551 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Semi-independent House Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 51 Ploverly, Peterborough PE4 6HZ

p.8

Inspector

Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1259551 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9