Children's Home run by Bristol City Council in Bristol

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034301 1 SC034301 Registered provider: Bristol City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a local authority and is registered to provide care for up to five children. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2021.

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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 outstanding

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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: 16 November 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection: none

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034301 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/11/2022 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Good 13/08/2019 Full Good 20/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC034301 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During this inspection period four children have lived at this home. One child moved on after living at the home for almost five years, staff offered this child good support which enabled them to make significant progress. Another child moved in and on more quickly than planned. The two children currently at the home have lived here for almost four years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff at this home form strong and trusting relationships with children. These relationships contribute to children making good progress over time from sometimes difficult starting points. For example, one child was supported to attend college, develop their independence skills and take driving lessons while they lived in the home. Another child has been well supported by staff to build on and improve their self-care skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child said that they enjoy living at this home and that the staff are the best thing about living there. The child said they feel as though they can talk to staff about things and share any worries that they may have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are child-focused and provide children with nurturing and consistent care. For example, when one child started therapeutic work, a staff member arranged their own working pattern to ensure that they were present to give the child support at each of these sessions over several months.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are aspirational for children and take pride in their achievements. When children are not attending school or college, staff work well with education professionals and provide creative and individualised support to help children return to full-time education as soon as possible. When they are not attending school or college, children are encouraged to maintain appropriate routines and take part in educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, their risks and needs are considered carefully alongside the needs of the children already living there and the skills and experience of the staff team. Moves from the home are well planned as far as possible, with the needs and wishes of the child at the centre of planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was well supported to have a planned move once they turned 18. Staff at the home have remained in contact with them and continue to provide outreach support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Another child’s placement ended prematurely due to staff not being able to manage or reduce the risks posed to them in the community in an effective manner. Despite these difficulties, the child formed positive relationships during their time at the home and reported that they felt cared about by staff. Staff and managers worked Inspection report for children’s home: SC034301 4 well with staff from the new home to share information about the child’s needs and preferences to ensure that the move was as positive as possible for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to stay in touch with family, friends and other important people. Staff have a good understanding of the complexities of some relationships for children and provide them with empathetic support to ensure that visits are a safe and positive experience. Staff speak to children regularly about safe and healthy relationships. This helps children to develop skills to positively manage these relationships for themselves now and in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to access a range of activities, holidays, and trips in line with their individual interests. One child said that staff and managers listen to their ideas when holidays and trips are being planned, which helps make these a positive experience. Staff take photos of children’s holidays and trips, and these are put into memory books when they leave the home. However, more focus could be given to collecting photos and memorabilia for children and collating these more regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers plan to move to a different property in the near future with the current children who reside here. The manager is already considering the potential impact of a move on the children ensuring they are settled prior to planning further children to move in.

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

Staff and managers take a proactive and robust approach to safeguarding children. The positive relationships between staff and children are an important factor in children staying safe at this home. Children feel able to speak with staff openly about their experiences and any worries that they may have. Staff know children well and have a good understanding of their individual needs and risks. This enables staff to recognise when children are feeling upset or worried and provide them with appropriate support.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about the signs of exploitation and demonstrate persistence and professional curiosity when speaking to children about concerns. Age- appropriate safeguards and monitoring are in place on children’s computers and phones and staff regularly speak to them about keeping safe online.

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

For one child, there were significant concerns about risks to them outside of the home and their vulnerability to exploitation. Staff made determined and creative attempts to engage the child and keep them safe, for example planning weekends away and offering activities based on their interests. Appropriate specialist support was in place for the child, and staff and managers worked efficiently with external professionals to share information and better understand and manage risks. Unfortunately, these measures were not effective in reducing levels of risk and the decision was made for the child’s placement to end prematurely. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034301 5 Staff respond appropriately when children go missing by following them, looking for them and reporting them missing. When they return home, children are welcomed back and offered care and nurture.

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

Staff act on any concerns about substance misuse quickly. Medical advice is sought for children as required and staff speak to children about drug and alcohol use and how to keep themselves safe. Incident reports are clear and comprehensive. Learning from incidents is clearly recorded and used to further develop practice and how best to support children.

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

Staff speak to children about sexual health and healthy relationships in an age- appropriate way. When staff have needed support to develop their confidence in this area, the manager has quickly identified this and has sourced additional specialist guidance for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a dedicated, child-focused and inspirational leader. He has worked to establish a strong, positive ethos and culture in the home and leads by example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring systems are highly effective and the manager has an excellent understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Research-based practice is incorporated throughout the home and along with feedback from children, their families and other professionals, is used to develop the quality of care given to children. The manager has a clear vision for the home which is underpinned by the therapeutic model used across the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff were extremely positive about the manager’s support, knowledge and leadership. Staff enjoy working at this home and benefit from a supportive and reflective environment with a focus on learning and improving practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision is of good quality and is used by staff to reflect on their own practice and children’s experiences of living in the home. Team meetings are used effectively as an open space for discussion and learning and to share good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive training that is specific to the needs of the children living in the home. Managers respond quickly to the changing and emerging needs of children and work to source additional support and training for staff as needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a strong advocate for children living in this home. There are multiple examples of him robustly challenging other professionals to ensure that children are provided with appropriate support. When there are concerns about the practice of professionals, the manager is quick to escalate these. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034301 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when the provision moves to a new building, that the impact of changes to the home environment on children currently living in the home are considered carefully before any new child moves in (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that photos and memorabilia of children’s time in the home are collated regularly with children’s input wherever possible. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5).

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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: SC034301 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bristol City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR

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Inspector

Janet Jauregui, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC034301 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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