Children's Home run by Plus One South West Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report children’s home: 2682298 1 Registered provider: Plus One South West Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company which is based in the south-west of England. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2682298 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2682298 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection one child moved to a new home with little preparation, this decision was made in order to promote their welfare and maintain their well-being. Staff remained in contact with the child and supported the move as best they could, providing relevant information to the new provider to support the transition. A new child has subsequently been sensitively welcomed into the home and has been supported to quickly settle in and gain a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The skilled staff have built trusted and secure relationships with the child in a short space of time and have got to know them well. Staff take time to listen to the child and ensure that the child’s voice is heard, and their rights are upheld. For example, the child wishes to be actively involved in all meetings where important decisions are made about their life. Staff know how important this is to the child and make sure this happens. When required staff advocate for the child to ensure that their needs are met, and their welfare is promoted. A parent commented ‘staff have been truly amazing, I can’t thank them enough; they are doing a great job’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat the child with dignity and respect, promote the child’s independence and support their day-to-day needs. Staff provide a consistent routine for the child and appreciate and acknowledge the child’s needs around their privacy and personal space. The child is encouraged to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. The child and staff take it in turns to cook for one another and enjoy evening mealtimes together in the home’s dining room.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built effective relationships with the child’s school and virtual school heads. Staff are in the process of securing a full-time placement in a local mainstream school for the child. The child is currently engaged in a reduced on-line timetable, attendance is high, and they are learning and making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how imperative it is for the child to spend valuable time with their family. Staff work proactively with the child’s family members and do all they can to ensure that the child maintains regular, meaningful, and safe contact with their loved ones. This promotes the child’s emotional wellbeing and helps support the child to develop a sense of their own identity. A relative who lived some distance from the child remarked, how great the staff have been to enable them to see their child and how much they appreciated it.

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

Staff are experienced, skilled and are quick to learn the support individual children need to feel safe and be protected from harm. Staff are aware of the importance of maintaining clear boundaries that promote safety and encourage acceptable behaviour. When adverse incidents occur, staff respond swiftly to protect children and help them to Inspection report children’s home: 2682298 4 learn how to manage their own behaviour safely. Incident records are comprehensively recorded with strong oversight and evaluation by the manager. The manager identifies key information and advice for staff. This enables staff to learn and change their practice to minimise the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future.

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

Staff used restraint as a last resort once to protect the previous child living in the home and those around them from harm. Records of the incident are detailed and offer clear rationale and explanation for the use of physical intervention. The managers review of the use of restraint indicates that it was proportionate in order to keep those involved safe. Any lessons learned were promptly shared with staff to aid their knowledge. A social worker stated that they were impressed with the home and how well staff held the risks associated with this child.

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

The child currently living in the home said that they are happy and feel safe. Staff take a positive risk approach and support the child to take age-appropriate risks and increase their independence time in the community. Staff promote the independent life skills the child has and welcome the support they offer around the home daily in terms of cooking and helping to maintain the property. Staff recognise the importance of this and how it helps the child to develop and promotes their self-esteem. A parent commented that their child was doing really well and knowing their child is safe, helps them in their own journey.

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

Staff are skilled at quickly being able to form good relationships with children. The current child stated that they have staff whom they trust and can share their worries with. Staff have many open conversations with the child, often discussing sensitive and delicate information of concern. Staff conscientiously listen to the child to gain an understanding of their worries then respond appropriately and take prompt action to allay any fears and ensure the child is protected and kept safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works in a very trauma informed way and has set a strong culture within the home that sets high expectations. Staff have embraced the managers approach and ethos for the home and use their skills and training to enable the current child to promptly experience positive outcomes and make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run effectively and efficiently by a permanent, consistent, and competent staff team. Staff receive regular and helpful supervision that focuses on children’s progression and experiences. Staff say they feel valued and love the job they do. They speak with genuine passion about the children they support and are dedicated to making a positive difference to children’s lives and futures. Staff expressed the utmost confidence in the members of the leadership team and praised how supportive they are and how important their own wellbeing is to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers listen to the child, respect their wishes, and involve the child in everything they do and decisions they make. For example, the current child helps write their own Inspection report children’s home: 2682298 5 plans with staff, their voice shines through in the records and the child’s contribution is vast even down to what font and colour is used to write them. The child also keeps a copy of their plans in their room to refer to as they wish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are strong advocates for children. Staff appropriately challenge external agencies and advocate on children’s behalf to help ensure that their needs are met. They proactively liaise with professionals to ensure that children’s voices are heard, and changes are made to reflect what is currently important to them. Children are encouraged to engage in all their reviews and staff empower them to effectively help shape and determine their own futures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been recently decorated and is well maintained. It has a warm and homely feel to it. The current child is proud of their home, especially their bedroom which they chose how it would be decorated to reflect their individual interests. The child, their family and professionals shared positive comments about the manager and staff. One parent shared that staff are fantastic and couldn’t thank them enough stating they are doing a great job and their child is happy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations have been raised at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2682298 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 children’s home: 2682298 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Plus One South West Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Mount, 21 High Street, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 8QT

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Inspector

Gary Turney, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2682298 8 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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