Children's home run by Within Reach Services Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2752094 1 Registered provider: Within Reach Services Limited

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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 provider and is registered to provide care for one child with learning disabilities and/or emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection, having moved here in October 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in October 2023 and has not previously been inspected. A suitably qualified and experienced registered manager oversees the home.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2752094 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living at this home has made good progress from a difficult starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs and how they communicate. This has had a positive impact on the child’s day-to-day life, and they are now more able to make choices and share their feelings, likes and dislikes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the child with a good level of support in developing their independence skills. The child is now regularly cooking with staff and will choose and prepare their own breakfast. The child has contributed to developing a menu for the home and will choose which evening meal they would like to eat.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before moving to this home, the child was not attending education regularly or engaging with their learning. With staff support, they are now attending their education sessions for longer periods and more consistently. They have achieved some qualifications and are also now taking part in educational games and activities outside of formal education time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers understand the child’s health needs and are working to support them to fully access health services. For example, managers have worked effectively with the child’s family, health professionals and social care to plan and prepare in advance for an upcoming hospital appointment. Staff have begun to take the child to visit the hospital to familiarise them with the building and pictorial cues are being used to explain the process to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child can find visits to new places difficult at times, with most trips out of the home being to the same few familiar locations. New activities are planned thoroughly, with managers visiting new locations first to aid in risk assessing and planning. However, at the time of the inspection, limited progress had been made in this area. Staff and managers have a good understanding of the challenges new experiences and places can present for the child and are motivated to continue to work towards supporting them to access and enjoy new activities outside the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s parents were positive about the progress made by their child and the care provided to them. They said the child appears happy and settled and that they are more communicative since living at this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a good standard and is personalised with photos of the child and their family throughout. The garden is well equipped, with a range of play equipment which the child enjoys using on a regular basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Due to the complexity of this child’s needs, deprivation of liberty safeguards are in place. Managers are clear that any restrictions in the home should be at the lowest level Inspection report for children's home: 2752094 3 needed to keep the child safe and that staff will work with the child to reduce restrictions over time wherever possible.

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

Managers and staff sought a wealth of information about the child prior to them moving into the home. They all spent time with the child and their family to gain important information and build relationships prior to them moving in. This helped them to understand their complex needs and risks. Since living at this home, while incidents have occurred, there has been a consistent reduction in the number of incidents and the use of restraint over time.

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

The needs of the child are complex, and staff’s understanding of their needs and how they communicate is a key factor in the reduction of incidents. For example, staff are now using a pictorial ‘pain scale’ with the child, enabling them to show when they are experiencing pain and how severe it is. This has meant that staff have been able to administer pain relief for the child promptly when needed, preventing the child becoming increasingly distressed.

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

Staff provide attuned and consistent care and can anticipate situations the child will find unsettling and take pre-emptive action to address these. Staff are skilled at recognising the signs when the child is becoming upset or angry, and provide them with appropriate support and reassurance to calm before situations escalate.

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

When incidents do take place, staff respond appropriately and support the child using strategies in line with their care and support plans. Restraint is used in appropriate circumstances and to prevent serious harm. Incident reports are detailed and management oversight is clear, although follow-up actions and learning from incidents are not always documented consistently across records. However, this has had no observable impact on the quality of care being provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aspirational and passionate about providing high quality care and has a good knowledge of the needs and risks of the child living here. She has worked to establish a positive ethos and child-focused culture in the home and staff are clear about their roles and the expectations of them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works effectively with external professionals to ensure the child has appropriate support in place. Parents and professionals are positive about the communication from the home manager and the care and support provided to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring systems are in place and the manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Practice is underpinned by detailed care plans and risk assessments that provide staff with clear guidance about how best to support the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2752094 4 Staff receive training specific to the needs of the child living in this home. When there are issues around staff practice, these are identified quickly and addressed with additional training, and support put in place if needed. Team meetings are used effectively as a positive and supportive environment for staff to reflect on practice and to share learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by their colleagues and by visible and approachable managers. Staff enjoy working at this home and are proud of the progress made by the child living here.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One complaint has been received. The manager responded to this appropriately, with concerns being investigated thoroughly and staff being reminded of expectations and good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When concerns are reported about staff practice, managers follow appropriate safeguarding procedures. Investigation reports are completed in a timely manner and follow-up actions and learning identified and applied. One medication error has occurred. Managers took prompt action by investigating and further developing the systems for the recording and auditing of medication. Inspection report for children's home: 2752094 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that following incidents, reviews of practice, follow-up actions and learning are recorded consistently on records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2752094 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Within Reach Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hazlewoods, Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham GL50 3AT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Trevor Ridgewell

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Inspector

Janet Jauregui, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2752094 7 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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