Children's Home run by Solace for Children Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2651823 1 Registered provider: Solace for Children Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a small private company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties because of their childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home registered and is working towards the required qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, the registered manager was not present. The responsible individual is overseeing the management of the home in the absence of the registered manager.

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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: 2651823 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/06/2023 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2651823 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live at the home. All the children were present during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have been welcomed to the home and three children have moved on from the home. One child returned to their family and another child moved to semi-independent accommodation. Children experience well-planned moves to and from the home. Good planning to move into the home means that children start to establish relationships with the staff and other children before moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. This can be seen in all aspects of their health, education, emotional, social and psychological well-being. Children build trusted relationships with staff who know them well and support them to make progress. One child said, ‘The staff team here are exceptional.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. The staff ensure that children lead healthy and balanced lifestyles. Staff promote this through providing nutritious food and encouraging the children to take part in physical activity. Where needed, the staff support children with their medication needs. For one child, staff supported them with their choice to stop taking medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted. All three children attend mainstream school and make good progress. One child’s needs are being considered as they move to a new school. Another child has recently completed their first year at college and is applying for their second year. Teachers are positive about the relationships with staff and how children are helped to achieve. One teacher said, ‘We work closely with the home and ensure that the child has the same therapeutic approach. As a result, the child has made significant progress and is set to pass their SATs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain relationships with people who matter to them. The staff ensure that they model adult relationships positively. They establish good relationships with family members and help children to spend time with them. One family member said, ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better home and staff team for my child. They supported me to get him home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides children with a warm, welcoming and homely space to live in. The furnishings are of a high standard. Photos of the children enjoying different activities are on display. The children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their individual tastes. The staff take great pride in the upkeep of the home to ensure that the children have a safe and nurturing place to live. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651823 4

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

Children are kept safe by staff who know them well. Each child has an individual personal behaviour support plan and risk assessment that clearly outline the support that staff should provide. This means that staff respond effectively to children and their changing behaviours. For example, the staff responded appropriately when one child went missing on two occasions. Overall, the children are settled. Consequently, there has been no use of physical intervention techniques and minimal use of consequences.

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

Staff help children with their emotional needs. The staff support and encourage children to explore their thoughts and feelings through a therapeutic model of care. This means that children think about their emotions and behaviour and, with support, start to take responsibility for their actions. This is further supported by clear and consistent boundaries and the use of effective incentive and reward systems. However, children’s plans are not child friendly and more needs to be done to involve children in regular house meetings.

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

Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks. For example, children have access to mobile devices and staff monitor and review internet use to help ensure that it is safe.

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

Children are supported to prepare for adulthood and to develop their independence skills. Staff support children to budget, shop for food and to prepare their own meals. Children use public transport and make their own appointments. This means that children are well prepared when they move on from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been away from work since April 2024. The responsible individual is supporting senior staff who are managing the home effectively in the manager’s absence. The team of staff have worked together well to support each other and ensure that the change in management arrangements has not impacted the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been staff changes. However, there is a stable team of core staff who know the children well. New staff receive an induction and training to help them understand their role. There is access to ongoing training and specific training that reflects the needs of the children. Staff development is reviewed through regular and reflective supervision and annual staff appraisals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, there is good management oversight of the operation of the home. The responsible individual carries out regular audits which highlight areas of strength and development. However, a concern about a child was not reported as required. In addition, the home’s statement of purpose has not been sent to Ofsted since January 2024, despite changes. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651823 5 There is good partnership working. Professionals are complimentary of the collaborate working between different agencies and the staff. As a result, the children receive a clear and consistent message from all adults looking after them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651823 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, The 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 21 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(i)(ii)(e)) 28 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2651823 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: 2651823 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solace for Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tadcaster House, Kempton Road, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 2TA

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Inspector

Stacie Sharpe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2651823 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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