Children's Home run by 1848 Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 1 Registered provider: 1848 Ltd

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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 provides care for up to two children. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. A second child lived at the home between November 2022 and moved out days prior to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since September 2023. They were absent at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 3

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improvement to be good

Children have made good progress in some areas. However, managers have not given sufficient scrutiny to the quality of care being provided. As a result, children’s experiences have been impacted by sometimes inconsistent care and responses from staff. Staff and managers support children well with their education. One child attended college regularly did well academically. Staff communicated effectively with the child’s education provider to ensure they receive continuity of support between home and college with their learning. When delays occurred for another child who was out of education, staff and managers had regular communication and meetings with relevant professionals. They advocated for the child submitting a formal complaint. As a result, the child is due to start education in September 2024. While the child has been out of full-time education, staff have supported them to maintain an appropriate routine and regularly attend a specialist educational provision

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improvement to be good

Planning for children to move from the home is child-focused and well managed. For one child, staff worked collaboratively with other professionals and the staff from the child’s new home to ensure a positive transition for them. Managers are providing ongoing support and information to the new staff team on a short-term basis to ensure the child is given the best opportunity to settle in their new home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support and encourage children to keep active and take part in different activities. For example, one child regularly attended the gym and joined a local sports club. Another child has developed an interest in golf, which staff take them to play several times a week.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is well presented and welcoming. Children decorate and personalise their bedrooms, and artwork completed by some of the children is displayed on the walls in communal areas of the home.

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improvement to be good

Children living at this home reported mixed experiences of how well they are helped and protected. One child said that they feel safe and happy living here and that staff talk to them about making positive choices and keeping themselves safe. However, another child felt that when they were struggling with their emotional well-being, not all staff understood how best to help them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 4 When children self-harm, some staff respond appropriately and provide them with good- quality, nurturing and empathetic care. For the most serious incidents, staff generally follow guidance and seek medical advice for children appropriately. However, during some incidents, staff have not had the confidence or skills to de-escalate incidents effectively and prevent children from harming themselves.

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improvement to be good

Conversations take place with children following incidents. Some conversations demonstrate positive and supportive relationships between staff and children. However, there have also been missed opportunities for staff to appropriately support children to explore their feelings and experiences and learn from these.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff generally follow the strategies set out in the children’s care and support plans. They look for the children and report them missing. However, on several occasions children went missing together, and there were concerns about the impact of their behaviour on each other. Staff and managers have not taken robust enough action to ensure children are kept safe and provided with clear boundaries. As a result, incidents of missing from home increased significantly at one point.

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improvement to be good

Episodes of children going missing from the home have since reduced, and one child has recently moved out of the home. The responsible individual is clear that the needs of any child moving into the home in future will be carefully considered alongside the needs and risks of the child already living there and the skills and experience of the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to stay in contact with friends, family and other important people. For children who are at risk of exploitation, their care and support plans offer clear guidance to staff to ensure the time children spend out of the home is safe and positive. However, this guidance has not been followed, and when children spend time out of the home, staff do not always display sufficient curiosity about who they are with. For example, when one child told staff they were staying out overnight with unknown individuals, staff did not intervene to stop this or challenge this sufficiently. Managers have not taken prompt action to address the shortfalls in staff practice in this area.

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improvement to be good

Multi-agency working is used well, and staff and managers share information effectively with other professionals. When there are concerns about the practice of external professionals, the manager is quick to escalate these to ensure children receive appropriate support and responses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not established a strong, positive ethos and reflective culture at the home. Supervision has not taken place consistently, and staff have not been provided with adequate opportunity to reflect on their own practice following incidents. This negatively impacts on the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 5 Management oversight of the home is not sufficiently robust. Although significant practice concerns are addressed appropriately, the manager has not identified or addressed lower-level practice issues with staff effectively. This has meant that staff have not clearly understood expectations of them, which has resulted in inconsistent responses to children across the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are generally positive about working at this home and are proud of the achievements and progress made by the children who live here. However, some staff have felt unsupported by managers. Leaders have not identified or addressed this through their monitoring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

At the time of the inspection, the registered manager had been off work for several weeks. In the manager’s absence, the responsible individual has been providing an increased level of oversight and support to the home. Staff are positive about her leadership and the guidance and clarity she has provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual uses effective monitoring and governance systems. She has a good understanding of the home’s areas for development and has taken action to address some of the shortfalls identified. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 3 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should ensure that review and oversight of significant incidents are accurate and suitably robust and that learning from these is identified and used to develop staff practice and improve the consistency of care given to children.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should ensure that staff understand and consistently follow guidance on how best to support children and keep them safe. 31 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— 31 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 8 mutual respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should ensure that staff have the skills, confidence and understanding needed to build positive and appropriate relationships with children. Managers should also ensure that staff support children effectively to develop their understanding of potentially dangerous or exploitative relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 9 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 03 October 2024

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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: 2650345 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Old Bank Buildings, East Street, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0AJ

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Inspectors

Janet Jauregui, Social Care Inspector Ashley Arkless, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2650345 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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