Children's Home run by Devon County Council in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 1 Registered provider: Devon County Council

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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 owned and managed by a local authority. The home is registered to provide care for three children who may have a physical and/or learning disability and/or sensory impairment. There was one child and one young person living in this home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post, but they have now been appointed to manage another home. A new manager has been appointed for this home and they intend to apply to be registered with Ofsted.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/07/2023 Full Good 28/06/2022 Full Good 28/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There was one child and one young person living in this home at the time of the inspection. The managers and staff are working with the social work team to support the young person’s move on to adult provision. There has been some delay, but the home manager and staff are advocating for the young person, so they are able to move on positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child and young person are making good progress. Their outcomes have improved significantly since living here. They both feel that they belong, and they can trust the adults who are caring for them. They said that they really like living here, they get on well with the adults and they really like their bedrooms. The young person said they wished they could stay living here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child and young person receive good levels of care. They have positive routines and boundaries in place. They are encouraged to make healthy choices around food, and to be more active in the local community. They are learning how to cook for themselves and learning new skills in preparation for independence. The child has enjoyed going out for walks looking for items of interest, and they are being encouraged to join a local gym. This important level of support reassures them that they are loved and cared for. This plays an important part in helping them to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child and young person are both engaging in education. The young person is attending college regularly and has been well supported by staff to travel independently to college. The child is not currently able to attend their school placement but meets regularly with their tutors in the local community. This plan is being well supported by the adults who are caring for them. They are working towards their transition to college in September.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child and young person benefit from having a small staff team who support them consistently. Although there are some agency staff being used, these adults are familiar to the child and young person, and they know them well. They both enjoy access to a wide range of activities. The child has enjoyed recent outings where they were able to look for fossils. The young person has enjoyed a visit to the nearby city, where they were able to go out for dinner, and has also enjoyed visits to watch live music.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are respectful and they value the child’s and young person’s views and their identity. When the child wanted to explore more about their identity, they were supported by the adults in a sensitive way. The child and young person are both involved in discussions about the plans that are made for them, and these views are incorporated into documents that are produced. Staff have supported them both well with their education and developing greater levels of independence. The adults support them to attend meetings that are held about them, and strongly advocate for them when this is needed. This important level of support helps them to feel safe, loved and well cared for. Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 4 The home environment is clean and well maintained. It has a homely feel that enables the child and young person to feel relaxed. They both have access to their own key fobs so they can let themselves in and out of the home. Staff have helped them to make

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

changes to their bedrooms, so they are personalised with things they like.

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

The child and young person said they felt safe in this home. They have good relationships with the adults who care for them. They can talk to them when they are feeling worried or anxious. The manager and staff work hard to tackle any risks that the child and young person are experiencing so that they can learn from them. They provide them both with a high level of support and commitment; this helps to reduce any risks to them.

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

Physical interventions have been used on a small number of occasions; this was done to keep everyone safe. The manager and staff view this intervention as a last resort and will only physically intervene when this is necessary.

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

When medication errors are identified, advice is sought promptly from health professionals. On one occasion, a concern was raised about a child from another home, and information was shared appropriately to ensure this child was safe. When a concern was raised about a member of staff in the home, this was investigated thoroughly.

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

The adults are working hard to identify potential triggers to behaviour and to work with the child and young person using therapeutic parenting approaches. Some staff work positively with the child and young person, getting down on their level to give them positive levels of support and reassurance. For some staff, the use of this approach may need to be further embedded.

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

When safeguarding concerns have been identified, they are usually reported promptly to social workers, and in line with procedures. There is regular communication taking place between staff, social workers and other agencies to ensure the child and young person are safe. However, when the child raised concerns about their previous home during an incident, this needed a greater level of follow-up. Leaders and managers acted on this at the time of the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management of the home have been through some changes. The registered manager has been appointed to manage another home. A new manager has been appointed to this home and they are getting to know the children. They are intending to submit their application to register.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight of the home is good. Monitoring and review systems are in place to make continuous improvements. There are positive levels of reflection and learning Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 5 from leaders and managers. They think carefully about ways to improve practice through training and development. Specific training was provided to staff so they could meet the specific health needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are provided with regular opportunities to meet and talk about practice. This includes monthly team meetings, handovers and regular supervision. There is a small staff team working with the child and young person. This means that the staff get to know them both well and ensures consistent levels of care. The manager acknowledged that having a small team can be challenging for some staff as the level of support needed can feel intensive at times. However, staff said that they feel this approach works well and that they felt well supported by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been a lot of changes in the home with changes of managers, building work being carried out and the transition for the young person into adult provision being delayed. The young person said that they had found having a change in managers challenging, due to the different approaches that they both have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are currently five staff vacancies and managers are trying to recruit new staff. Although agency staff are being used regularly, these are adults who are familiar to the children. Managers recognise what works well in the home and what needs to change. They are thoughtful and reflective about how to improve things. Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 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 for children’s home: 2529648 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Devon County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Chief Executive’s Directorate, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4QD

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Inspector

Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2529648 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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