Children's Home run by Idem Living Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children's home: 2572552 1 Registered provider: Idem Living Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for one child who may have needs associated with social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager at the home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2572552 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2023 Full Good 20/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/06/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2572552 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection. One child has moved in and remains living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and the child’s bedroom is well presented. The child has been involved in purchasing items for her room and has been consulted on how the room is painted. They are supported to keep her room clean and to take responsibility for this. The homely feel to the home is somewhat impacted by a door alarm and by window restrictors and window alarms around the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children are supported to develop good relationships with staff, and engage in fun activities inside and outside the home. The child has recently had a holiday with staff and was encouraged to try new and exciting activities. Staff support children well to spend time with their families, and children are encouraged to play an active role in their education. When education provision falls below expectations, this is challenged and escalated with external agencies.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s views are regularly sought about activities and the variety of meals that are cooked in the home. The child living in the home said staff listen to her and that she has good relationships with most of the team.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child who previously lived in the home made good progress, and this was evident through a reduction in her risk-taking behaviours, her increased engagement with education and the quality of relationships that staff developed with her.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home has made some progress. She is engaging with boundaries and has built positive relationships with staff. She has also been encouraged to learn basic cooking, laundry and self-care skills in preparation for her move to semi- independent living. However, her progress in recent weeks has stalled and she is regularly spending long periods alone in her bedroom. Staff have not been guided well enough by leaders and managers to help ensure the support provided meet the child’s emotional needs.

p.3

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

Missing-from-home incidents are managed well. Staff follow and search for the child and work well with other professionals and the child’s network to ensure that the child is found and can be brought back to the home as soon as possible. Discussions with the child could be more reflective to help them gain the understanding needed to keep themselves safe. Inspection report for children's home: 2572552 4 When a child made an allegation about their previous placement, this was communicated to the relevant professionals. When leaders and managers did not receive a response that they deemed to be adequate, this has been appropriately escalated.

p.3

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

Staff understand the risks in relation to children in the home and take action to mitigate these, such as carrying out direct work with children and making referrals to external agencies. For both children who have lived in the home in the last year, behaviours such as going missing, being exposed to exploitation and substance misuse have all reduced. The child says she now feels safer because of living in the home and having the opportunity to reflect on some of her past behaviours.

p.4

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

Some boundaries in the home are clear and consistent. Children’s phone use is monitored and reviewed in response to their behaviour, and appropriate checks are carried out.

p.4

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

The child living in the home has raised informal and formal concerns about staff. The responses she has had to these concerns have been variable. When a formal complaint has been made by the child, this has been carefully considered by staff, and appropriate feedback was provided to the child. However, when the child has raised concerns about staff informally, records of these concerns indicate that they may not always have been fully explored before being considered false allegations. This means that incidents of harm or abuse could be missed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers are not always ambitious in terms of what children are able to achieve and have not set high expectations of staff to implement structure and routine for children on a day-to-day basis. This has impacted the progress that the child living in the home has been able to make.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff supervisions are not always regular. Leaders and managers have identified these shortfalls and taken action to address them. When supervisions do take place, there is at times little reflection on practice issues and how staff can adapt their practice to meet the changing needs of children in the home. There was one supervision record when it was identified that a risk assessment may be needed, and this had not been communicated to the relevant manager.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers understand the home’s strengths and weaknesses and have plans in place to address some vulnerabilities in practice, there are plan in place to mitigate the impact of these issues on the child. Leaders and managers consider the training needs of the staff team and ensure that when new children move into the home, staff have completed relevant training to meet their needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are held regularly. They include some discussion around changes to staff practice and changes to the way that staff work with children, for example, checking phones. There is, however, little reflection on the issues that children are facing and how Inspection report for children's home: 2572552 5 staff can adapt their practice, for example to encourage children to have a positive routine.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home works well with the placing authority and other professionals to keep them up to date with the progress that the child is making. External professionals say that staff advocate well for children when needed.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a stable staff team in place, with sufficient staff, and managers work hard to ensure that agency staff are not regularly used. Staff spoke positively of working in the home and working alongside other members of staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2572552 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that —

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should strive for all children in the home to have good routines and that strategies to achieve this are reviewed. Additionally, managers should identify areas for improvement in relation to staff skills when children’s needs are not being met. The registered person should also review how concerns raised by children are recorded, to avoid these being described as allegations before they are investigated. 1 September 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. 1 September 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2572552 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff provide children with opportunities for socialisation and learning inside and outside of the home. Additionally, managers should ensure that children have positive routines and

p.7

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: 2572552 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Stable Court Business Centre, Water Lane, Tarbock Green, Prescot L35 1RD

p.8

Inspectors

Min Sims, Social Care Inspector Paula Lahey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2572552 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.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9