Children's home run by Care Perspectives Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2546474 1 Registered provider: Care Perspectives Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children. Children may have mental health, emotional or social difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The same manager has been in post since February 2022. The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022. The manager has an appropriate management qualification.

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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: 27 February 2023

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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: 2546474 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2023 Full Good 18/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2546474 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the same two children have lived in the home. One child has lived there for a year and the other for over two years. Both children are settled and are making good progress from their starting points. Social workers are extremely positive about the nurture and well-planned care that staff give to their children and the progress they have made. They say children feel valued and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are central to the running of the home. Staff consult children in all aspects of their care and support children to take increasing control of decisions that affect them. Daily ‘bothering me’ discussions enable staff to monitor children’s emotions and explore their anxieties. Child-friendly placement plans completed with children enable children to invest in their care and take ownership of their progress. This practice is innovative and worthy of wider dissemination.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and are flexible and adaptable with how they respond. For example, staff ensure that children acquire skills for independent living at a pace that is suitable for each child. Staff encourage children to carry out everyday routines and chores. Children learn budgeting skills by going shopping with staff. Staff also support children to walk to the local shop on their own. Staff tell children they are proud of them for wanting to do more for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is a high priority. Both children attend a school that meets their needs. Staff support children to achieve good attendance. Consequently, both children are progressing in their education. Staff support children with homework in the way a good parent would. They encourage children to be ambitious about their future. This means that children develop aspirations and a sense of hope.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff sensitively support children with their health and well-being. They educate children and support them to eat healthy meals and to take regular exercise. As a result, one child has lost weight, which has increased their self-esteem. Staff work closely with clinicians to understand children’s emotional needs. Staff seek specialist help when necessary. The multi-team approach means that children’s health needs are promoted effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of positive memories for each child’s life story. Children have an individual daily comments book and personalised memory book with photos and comments charting their time at the home. Each child will take these books with them when they move on. Positive memories like these help children to feel loved, to be happy and to be able to thrive physically, emotionally and socially. Inspection report for children’s home: 2546474 4

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

Regular consultation with clinicians is used well and is effective in improving staff practice. This allows staff to understand the reasons behind some behaviours children exhibit and provides an excellent nurturing environment for children. Staff follow the principles of restorative practice. They manage inappropriate behaviour through natural consequences, which helps children to take responsibility and learn from their behaviour. Strong routines and boundaries help children to feel safe and contained.

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

Detailed risk management plans, written with children, guide staff to manage children’s complex behaviours. Incidents are rare and managers’ monitoring is effective in continually improving staff practice. When necessary, additional training with the clinical team is arranged. As a result, staff become more knowledgeable, and children become more able to manage their emotions.

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

Staff work hard to keep children safe. They educate children in planned meetings and ad hoc discussions. Staff use online resources with children to discuss topics such as bullying and online risks. Staff regularly involve children in completing their own risk assessments, so that children understand their own risks and strategies to keep them safe. This approach enhances children’s feelings of safety and security.

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

Unkind behaviour is not tolerated. When children use racist language, staff educate children and explain to them about being tolerant and kind. Children receive incentives for positive behaviour and bullying does not happen. When children say they are being bullied at school, staff immediately inform teachers and agree strategies to protect children. Staff are persistent until the bullying stops. This prompt action means that children feel their concerns are taken seriously and helps them to feel safe.

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

Regular health and safety checks and fire checks ensure that the home is a safe place for children to live. Additionally, the manager assesses risks in the local area and consults widely to ensure that the home is safely located. However, staff do not always follow agreed procedures for the same administration of medication. As a result, on two occasions, children have been administered medication incorrectly. On each occasion, managers have acted quickly to improve monitoring systems and to educate staff to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a registered manager and a deputy manager. The manager has worked at the home for two years and has been a consistent presence in the lives of children. The manager places children at the heart of their practice, and they promote a child-focused culture. The manager and deputy have an open-door policy to ensure that they are available to staff and to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2546474 5 The manager is a strong advocate for children. He is confident in challenging other professionals when he believes that they are not acting in children’s interests or fulfilling their responsibilities to children. Managers work in partnership with other professionals and with parents to ensure that children are reaching their full potential, are happy and are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that team meetings are informative and child-focused. Clinicians attend meetings to discuss children, their development and therapeutic parenting practice. This enables staff to reflect on situations that have arisen and consider alternative approaches.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A blend of good-quality face-to-face training and online training in areas such as complex trauma and autistic spectrum disorder ensures that staff have a comprehensive and fully informed understanding of children’s complex behaviours. As a result, when children show these behaviours, staff are nurturing and empathic in their responses, enabling children to rebuild relationships and move on positively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision and annual appraisals. This helps them with their development and to reflect on their practice. The manager encourages staff to be ambitious and to strive to progress in their careers. Staff are extremely positive about the support they receive from the manager. They say that morale in the team is high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is fully staffed. Three of the 10 staff have the required qualification and six are enrolled. Managers and staff have worked hard to ensure that children have consistent care. Cover staff have been used to cover shortfalls in staffing in a way that minimises disruption to children’s relationships. This means that children build trusted relationships with known adults who care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager takes complaints by children seriously. He keeps children fully informed and ensures that they receive an outcome. Managers quickly address any shortfalls in practice. This means that managers learn from complaints and children feel that their views matter. Inspection report for children’s home: 2546474 6

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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: 2546474 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Perspectives Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Care Perspectives Limited, 36 Frederick Street, Loughborough LE11 3BJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rodrigo Ferreira

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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2546474 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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