Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256771 1 Registered provider: Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited

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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. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that it provides care for children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

A newly appointed manager is in post. They applied for registration with Ofsted and was recently interviewed.

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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: 23 October 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 for children’s home: 1256771 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/01/2023 Full Good 05/10/2021 Full Outstanding 10/12/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1256771 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has recently been supported to move to a new home as they progress towards adulthood. The move was meticulously planned to meet the child’s desires and staff were flexible and made several adaptations to the plan as the child’s expressed wishes changed. Staff spent time teaching the child the required independence skills to promote their welfare and maintain their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff remain in contact with the child, providing an outreach service to support the move and help ensure the transition is a success. On the final day of staff’s involvement with the child, a party is planned that will be attended by past and present carers and professionals to celebrate the child’s achievements. The child’s social worker commented that staff provided excellent support and added that the child has come on leaps and bounds while being in their care and is unrecognisable from the child who first moved into the home, saying that they never thought they would see the child doing so well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Only one child remains living in the home currently and staff treat them with the utmost respect. Staff promote the child’s independence and support their day-to-day needs by providing a consistent routine. Staff understand and acknowledge the child’s needs regarding their privacy and personal space, and they place trust in the child that they are carrying out the important daily tasks they need to complete to maintain their health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are sensitive and respectful in supporting children with their identity needs. Staff are well informed and able to provide clear information effectively to answer any exploratory questions children ask. Staff are creative in their thinking and use carefully planned activities to encourage engagement from children and have delicate conversations to assist children in developing a positive sense of their own identity and build emotional resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The caring staff understand the importance each child places on spending meaningful time with their loved ones. Staff are aware of the positive and negative impact this can have on children’s emotional well-being. Staff work sensitively with children and their families to help ensure they enjoy valuable time together. Staff have advocated for one child when they expressed a desire to spend more time with their family. This was successfully challenged with the local authority and time was increased to respect the child’s wishes. One family member commented that staff are nurturing and do all they can to facilitate them spending time with their child.

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

Staff know the individual support children need to help keep them safe and protected from harm. Staff maintain clear and important boundaries that encourage acceptable behaviour and promote safety. When incidents do occur, staff respond swiftly and effectively to protect children and support them to manage their own emotions safely. Incident records are detailed; management oversight is robust and used to highlight information that enables staff Inspection report for children’s home: 1256771 4 to further understand children’s needs. This helps to minimise the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future. Physical intervention has not had to be used to manage the behaviour of the child currently living in the home, nor the child who recently moved on, which is positive, and neither child has gone missing from the home.

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

Staff have developed good interpersonal skills that support children to be able to form trusting relationships with them quickly. This helps children to settle in the home, feel safe and develop a good sense of permanence and belonging. Children have staff they can share their worries and fears with, and staff sensitively work with children to allay them and promote their emotional well-being. Staff use these conversations to enhance their learning, which helps to ensure that children experience positive outcomes and make progress in many aspects of their lives. Children’s achievements are praised and celebrated with pride.

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

Staff work hard to improve children’s health and well-being. Staff know the importance of supporting one child’s particular healthcare need. Staff ensure the child attends local healthcare services when required and have developed good relationships with healthcare professionals to promote good health and keep the child safe.

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

Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development and learn skills to help keep themselves safe. The child currently living in the home enjoys spending free time with other children in the community without any unnecessary restrictions. Staff promote this and encourage the child to continue to progress in this area and take more opportunities to spend increased time out with their friends.

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

Staff understand children’s individual risks. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly so they reflect children’s current vulnerabilities. Clear guidance supports staff to know what action to take and when, to minimise the risk to each child and protect them from harm. Families and professionals confirm that their child/ren are being kept safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager, who is new to the home, has had an immediate positive impact and provided staff with the structure and support that had previously been lacking. Staff said they welcomed and value this and are happy and content in their roles. The manager has set out their clear aims for the home and has been influential in quickly creating a culture of meeting children’s aspirations and helping them to make progress. Staff have embraced this ethos in their practice and are supporting children to experience positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively with external agencies and has developed positive, effective relationships with professionals. The manager and staff are strong advocates for children, which helps ensure that positive outcomes are achieved. A manager from a child’s college said that staff are very supportive of the child and have gone above and beyond to maintain the child’s placement in college.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children’s voice shines through in the records, which are child-focused. Staff work together to provide stability for children, recognising how fundamental having a stable base is Inspection report for children’s home: 1256771 5 for children to be able to succeed and flourish. Records positively reflect children’s achievements. The progress one child made before leaving the home and that the child currently living there is making shows the positive impact living at the home is having for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported to develop and receive bespoke training to meet the specific needs of the children in their care. The manager sought help from a bespoke local community trust project to train the staff and help staff to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills they require to meet the individual needs of the child currently living in the home effectively. The trust also helped support the child by undertaking important one-to-one work with the child to support their emotional needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that the physical environment is maintained to a high standard. Damage to the property is promptly repaired to ensure that a safe and secure home is provided for children. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and spacious.

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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: 1256771 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited

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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 for children’s home: 1256771 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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