Children's Home run by Clear Water Care Homes Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report children's home: 2614738 1 Registered provider: Clear Water Care Homes 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 privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in June 2021. She is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. Two children have moved out of the home during this inspection period.

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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: 2614738 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2614738 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and has a family atmosphere. Children’s belongings fill the home, their photos and achievements are on display. Books and games are easily accessible and soft furnishings help to create a nurturing environment. Children personalise their bedrooms and this allows them to take a sense of pride in their home and promotes their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they are happy living in the home and speak positively about the adults who care for them. One child said, 'The staff have really helped me to become more confident. They recognise when I have done something good, this is put on the achiever of the month board, this makes me feel good.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive high-quality care that makes them feel valued and secure. The staff demonstrate unwavering commitment to them. Children have built strong relationships with the staff who care for them. Relationships between staff and children are warm and loving. Staff are continually curious about, and reflect on, how they can help children grow in all areas of their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop independence skills at a pace that suits their needs and abilities. Children develop skills, such as being able to budget, travel independently, complete laundry tasks and prepare meals. These opportunities enable children to take on appropriate levels of responsibility to develop life skills for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them such as their families, and staff work with families to ensure that this is a positive experience for children. This practice means that children are able to maintain a sense of belonging within their families, and it promotes their sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff place great emphasis on children making memories and having shared experiences that they can cherish and keep forever. This is evident in the home through a vast range of pictures, memory books and treasures. These books provide children with a valuable record of the time they spent living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two of the children are making good progress with their education and have excellent attendance. The other children are currently not attending any form of education. This has been for a substantial period of time. The manager has worked hard to identify and understand the barriers to learning, has maintained persistent communication with educational professionals and has explored suitable provisions that reflect their learning needs. Although children do have daily routines about the interim plans for completing education in the home, this is not always completed consistently. Children will often spend the majority of their education hours in their bedroom or on free time away from the home. This does not help children to maintain a daily routine that supports their academic needs. Inspection report children's home: 2614738 4

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

Staff physically intervene when children become unsettled and show behaviours which place themselves or others at risk of harm. Staff understand the reasons behind such behaviour and provide good support to children afterwards. This helps children to move on from the incident. The manager provides close scrutiny of all incidents and measures of control to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. Good management oversight and prompt action to address issues means that children are treated fairly and stay safe.

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

Staff are clear about their responsibilities to protect children. Staff understand the child protection policy and know how to report a safeguarding concern. The manager has an effective system for recording, reporting and monitoring safeguarding concerns. Liaison with professionals, such as the designated officer and social workers, is effective. Information is shared swiftly with them to avoid delay and ensure that children are protected from harm. The manager takes guidance from these professionals, and they work together to ensure that children are safe.

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

Staff educate children about risk. Children take part in key-work sessions and engage in conversations to address identified risks and raise their awareness about topics of concern. This direct work includes strategies to manage their anger, missing from home, gangs and county lines, knife crime and anti-bullying. This positive work enhances children’s knowledge of risk and allows them to take the lead in their learning.

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

Incidents of children harming themselves have been managed well. The staff team’s approach to supporting children who harm themselves is nurturing and caring. Staff are comfortable talking to the children and gently challenge them to consider the effect of their risk-taking behaviour. Staff talk openly with children and listen to them effectively about their views on harming themselves. Staff help them to work through their emotions and to talk more openly about their worries. Children who harm themselves are provided alternate strategies to keep themselves safe.

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

When children go missing from care, staff follow the joint protocol effectively. Searches conducted by staff and persistent attempts to make contact show children they are cared about. Proactive collaboration with parents, local authorities and police supports children to return home safely. Missing-from-care incident records are clear, enabling thorough monitoring of these events by the manager.

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

Children take part in regular fire drills and know how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency. A range of health and safety checks are carried out to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose a risk to children. However, the fire risk assessment was out of date. This does not always ensure that the home environment is safe for children to live in. The manager has taken swift action to rectify this. Inspection report children's home: 2614738 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the team, supported by two deputy managers. They form a formidable team. They keep children at the heart of all they do. They are committed to and ambitious for the children and ensures that this ethos spreads through the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good knowledge of children’s starting points and what they have accomplished since living at the home. She is fully involved in children’s lives. She is clear about the progress children are making and has high aspirations for what they can achieve. She is enthusiastic in her efforts to be a trusted person for children. This makes her a good role model for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ monitoring systems are embedded into practice, which ensures that they have a good oversight of the home and take action to address issues as they arise. Oversight of the home is effective. They, therefore, have a good understanding of how well this home is supporting children and the extent to which the aims for each child have been achieved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The majority of the staff hold the required qualification in residential childcare. A small number of staff are currently working to achieve this, and plans are in place to ensure that they complete this within the required timescales. Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets the child’s individual and diverse needs. Team meetings and supervision sessions take place monthly and are used as a place for reflection and learning. Important issues are tracked and discussed, and children are at the centre of all practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong connections with partner agencies. Professionals are positive about the communication with the team and about the care provided for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is good. Staff enjoy working at the home. One staff member said, ‘There is always someone here or on the phone when we need it, one of the reasons why I enjoy coming into work every day.’ Inspection report children's home: 2614738 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child's relevant plans. (Regulation 8(1) (2)(a)(i)(viii)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children who are not currently attending any form of education have consistent routines in place to promote and support education in line with the child’s relevant plans. 07 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. 02 June 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2614738 7 (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the fire risk assessment is reviewed within the necessary timescales.

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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: 2614738 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clear Water Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Elsenwood Crescent, Camberley, Surrey GU15 2BA

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Inspectors

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Caoimhe Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2614738 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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