Children's Home run by Phoenix Childcare Ltd in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: SC408149 1 SC408149 Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for two children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in 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 outstanding

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC408149 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2024 Full Good 01/02/2023 Full Good 23/06/2021 Full Outstanding 08/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC408149 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff at this home care deeply about the child they look after. They have built trusted and secure relationships with the child. They invest time in the child, understand what they like, how they communicate and how to support them to make steady progress. The staff provide the child with a range of experiences that are in line with the child’s interests. The child can express their individuality and explore new interests in a safe and supported environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s education plan is up to date. A wide range of educational activities are provided. The staff support the child to develop key life skills alongside the education provision they attend. The child has made good progress and is consistently supported to try new things. Their achievements are celebrated throughout the home. This has seen the child’s confidence and self-esteem in all areas of their life improve.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All health appointments are up to date and the child has access to required medication in a safe and monitored way. The home identified the need for access to specialist assessments for the child’s health. The home has successfully advocated for timely health assessments for the child, to ensure that the right support and care is in place to impact on the care the child receives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is treated with respect and given the freedom to explore their identity as they grow and develop. Staff respond to the child’s development in a non-judgemental and open way. Staff promote open and honest discussions about a range of things that the child may want to talk about. The child is being supported to have a positive self-view in a supportive and safe environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is starting to be given the tools to develop skills needed to live independently. This has included budgeting, cooking meals and laundry. The staff have supported the child to understand these aspects of living independently in a slow and measured way to ensure that the child is not overwhelmed and can become confident in targeted areas, before moving on to a new task. There is no written or illustrated plan around the child’s development, and they would benefit from having a clear visual aid in moving towards independence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been supported to maintain relationships with important people in their life. The staff work well with the child’s family to support and promote ongoing relationships. Regular time between the child and significant family members is well planned so that the child knows when and where the next contact will be.

p.3

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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC408149 4 Staff work consistently with the child to support the child to manage their emotions. New strategies to help the child understand their emotions, express them, and then know how to deal with them is ongoing. Staff have been creative in responding to the emotional needs of the child. They have worked hard to understand the child’s behaviour and respond consistently to it. The child has started to identity their emotions and ask for the support they need when feelings become overwhelming.

p.4

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

Restraint has been used by staff to manage significant incidents. The restraint was used as a last resort and was used to protect both the child and staff. All incidents have been recorded and have been reviewed by the manager. Debriefs take place with the child. One example of debrief practice was good in supporting the child. A specific tool was used to help them reflect on how they felt, how others may have felt and what happened. This reflective and restorative practice increased positive relationships in the home. Some records do not accurately reflect what holds were used and some language in the records is judgemental without clear meaning.

p.4

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

The team recognised the use of restraint was not effective and worked together to develop alternative ways to resolve incidents and support the child. Since the new interventions around behaviour management have been introduced, there have been no further incidents or restraints.

p.4

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

The home has effective working relationships with the police and other external agencies to ensure that the child’s welfare is promoted. Staff advocate for the child’s well-being and support the child if they need to be involved in any outside agencies for their own protection.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager of the home has created a culture of high expectations for the child in their care. They manage with confidence and are instrumental in influencing positive change for the child. They advocate strongly for what the child needs and are committed to developing effective plans to sustain a high quality of care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager leads by example, cultivating a home where the child feels loved and trusts the staff. All staff understand their roles and are led by effective planning and monitoring. The staff speak highly of their manager, they understand her vision for the home and the care they need to provide to the child. New ideas are developed to respond to the child and any shortfalls are quickly identified.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The child’s views on their care and day-to-day life are listened to. The manager acts on this feedback and practice is monitored to sustain positive impact. There is a clear drive to effect positive change for the child. The manager works closely with other professionals. When needed, the manager will challenge effectively to secure timely outcomes for the child in her care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC408149 5 Supervision is regular and recorded effectively. Supervisions allow staff to focus on their role within the child’s life, how they can improve their practice, resilience and impact in the home. The manager uses supervision to inspire the staff in the home, supporting them to feel part of the work they do.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings are used to reflect on the work that has been done and how it can be improved. Different areas of safeguarding are looked at during each meeting. This ensures that all staff remain aware of a wide range of possible safeguarding concerns, not just those impacting on the child in their care. Individual staff members are encouraged and supported to lead on areas of expertise in team meetings to increase staff learning and share knowledge. Inspection report for children’s home: SC408149 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a clear plan for the child’s independence to support an individualised and effective transition out of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17 and 18, paragraphs 3.27 and 3.28)  The registered person should ensure that all restraint records are accurately recorded to reflect the incident that took place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that the language used to record incidents is non-judgemental to the child, careful and objective, with language the child can understand. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.6

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: SC408149 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Hannah Spencer-Townesend, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC408149 8 regulates and inspects to 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.7

Inspector

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8