Children's Home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in Devon

Inspection report children's home: SC403234 1 SC403234 Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare 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

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager has been in post since September 2018.

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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: 28 November 2023

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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: SC403234 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/01/2023 Full Good 10/08/2021 Full Good 17/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC403234 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive and trusted relationships with a consistent staff team who effectively influence them to continue to make the right choices and achieve good progress in all aspects of their lives. Children are supported by staff to have a voice, their views are listened to and considered when decisions are made to positively enhance children’s experiences. Children feel able to share their thoughts, feelings and wishes and when they do compassionate responses help allay their fears and concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children well to attend their educational provision. Staff liaise effectively with the school and virtual school to help ensure children have the best opportunities to succeed, including securing a full-time place at a nearby school for one child who recently moved into the home. Both children have good attendance at their educational provision, enjoy learning and are doing well. Staff have supported one child to recently complete their GCSE exams and apply for a college course in line with their future aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support each child’s individual chosen daily routine. Children’s achievements are appropriately celebrated and rewarded. One child is being supported to learn important independent living skills and enjoys preparing and cooking meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to spend valuable time with their family and previous carers. Staff work positively with children’s loved ones and go out of their way to ensure that children maintain regular, meaningful, and safe contact with the people who are important to them. This helps children to improve their emotional wellbeing and supports them to gain a sense of their own identity. Staff know how imperative it is for children to have continuity of care and support one child to maintain the same contact with their parent that they have always had. A relative who lived some distance from their child remarked, that staff do everything they can to enable them to see their child every other weekend and commented that the staff are great and very caring.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to improve their health. Staff administer children’s medicines as prescribed and promote children’s independence with this, supporting one child to manage most of their prescribed medication themselves. The other child has been supported to have a review of their medicines and as a result, the daily amount they take has been reduced. A family member commented that staff managed to get some of their child’s medication reduced recently which has had a real positive impact on their behaviour.

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

Children express that they are happy and feel safe living in their home. Staff stick to clear boundaries knowing how important this is to help keep children safe and protected from harm. Staff understand the individual support that each child needs and how vital it Inspection report children's home: SC403234 4 is to respect children’s privacy, dignity, and personal space. On the rare occasions when incidents occur in or outside of the home, staff take prompt and effective action to help children manage their emotions safely. Staff reflect on what happened during incidents to continue to develop a better understanding of each child and use this learning to inform and improve their future practice. Neither child has been involved in any serious adverse incident, they have not gone missing from the home and physical restraint has not been used.

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

Staff know the vulnerabilities of the children and quickly gain a good understanding of each child’s risks. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and contain up-to-date information that clearly sets out what action staff need to take to support children to minimise risks. Staff engage children in activities they enjoy, respecting times when children wish to be alone, listen to children and take prompt action to meet children’s needs. Staff take a positive approach when supporting children to take age-appropriate risks.

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

Staff help children to express how they are feeling and provide the support they need when they are feeling upset or angry. The children currently living in the home have a positive and caring relationship with one another and offer each over affection and support.

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

When concerns are raised about staff practice, leaders and managers quickly and effectively take appropriate action to protect children and ensure their safety. There are established relationships with the local authority and their designated officer that helps ensure prompt and efficient decisions are made. When required, thorough investigations take place, children are listened to, believed, and supported throughout. The staff members involved are also supported and have access to an independent person to support their emotional wellbeing.

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

Children are encouraged by staff to take age-appropriate risks to aid their development. One child enjoys spending time with their friends in the community. Friends are also welcomed to the home and occasionally have sleep overs which the child enjoys.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced, manager who has built strong relationships with the children and staff. The home is run effectively and efficiently by a skilled staff team who offer consistency for the children. Staff receive regular and effective supervision and reflective practice that focuses on the children’s progression and experiences. Staff spoke with high praise for the manager and the development opportunities they provide for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed effective relationships with external professionals and understands the importance of working proactively with external agencies. The manager Inspection report children's home: SC403234 5 advocates on behalf of the children to help ensure they have positive outcomes, including securing the right school placement for one child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are clearly written in a child-focused way.. Children contribute to their records and includes information about what is important to them and their aspirations for their futures. Records also highlight and celebrate the achievements children have made and illustrate the good progress both children have made since moving into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard, it has a nice homely and warm feel to it and provides a safe and secure base for children. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and spacious. The lounge has a large canvas on the wall that depicts the children having lots of fun while taking part in activities they enjoy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations have been made at this inspection. Inspection report children's home: SC403234 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: SC403234 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Support Hub, Unit 5, Chinon Court, Lower Moor Way, TIVERTON, Devon EX16 6SS

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Inspector

Gary Turney, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC403234 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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Inspector

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