Children's home run by Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2709631 1 Registered provider: Flourish Gloucestershire Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to four children who have learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted. They are working towards a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: 2709631 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2709631 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and two children have moved in. At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager fully considers the needs of children moving into the home. They also ensure that the admissions process is child-focused. This practice means that children rarely move on quickly or in an unplanned way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were spoken to during the inspection. Children said that they are happy living at the home and feel well supported by the manager and staff team. They spoke about activities they have participated in, such as swimming, horse riding and going on holiday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use tools and resources to support children’s development according to their individual needs. This supports them in their social, emotional and behavioural development. Children are supported to gain independence and increase their confidence in self-care tasks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from external professionals and parents was very complimentary about the care children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school. They are well supported by staff to maintain good attendance. As a result, they are learning and making progress. The manager and staff regularly consult with schools and there is effective communication, which promotes consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are healthy and are supported to manage their health conditions. Their needs are often complex, and staff ensure children are supported to attend all health appointments. The manager recently worked with a team of professionals to support a child as part of a plan to reduce medication. This resulted in them no longer taking medication.

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

Children do not go missing from the home; however, staff have sufficient knowledge of missing-from-home risks and know how to keep the children safe.

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

Children’s plans identify all known risks and behaviours and include strategies for staff to use to support children to reduce risks. This means that children are helped, and results in their risks reducing. Staff are well informed about children’s risks and understand what works well for children.

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

One child has been a victim of exploitation. There was a robust response to this to ensure their immediate safety. Targeted work was carried out by the placing authority. Inspection report for children's home: 2709631 4 However, staff did not deliver additional work to the child to further support their understanding of the risks. This is a missed opportunity to further educate children about relevant risks.

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

There have been some medication errors, however, the impact on children was minimal. Advice was sought promptly and significant changes to the way medication is administered and recorded were made. Since then, there have not been any further errors.

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

When restraint is used, this is always a last resort after alternative behaviour management techniques have first been used. All incidents are recorded and reviewed by the manager, and the child is always spoken to following an incident.

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

If children make allegations or complaints, they are listened to and their concerns are acted on promptly. The manager ensures that action is taken, and they support staff to follow the correct procedures. Children are well supported and always receive an outcome to their complaint or allegation.

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

Investigations into whistle-blowing concerns are shared with appropriate agencies and are comprehensive. Learning is taken from incidents and this promotes a culture where staff know concerns about children are treated seriously.

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

Occasionally, door alarms are used to ensure children are safe. Consent is obtained from those with parental responsibility. However, children are not always supported to understand why door alarms may be used.

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

Safer recruitment practices are followed when new staff are employed to work at the home. This means that adults caring for children are suitably vetted and safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager has been in post since April 2024. Although they are not yet registered, they have suitable experience and skills and are child-focused. They have forged positive and trusting relationships with the children and know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is suitably staffed to ensure children’s needs are met. Staff enjoy working at the home and as a result there is good team morale. Staff spoke positively about the impact of the home’s new manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has appropriate monitoring tools in place to review the quality of care. The manager’s monitoring has identified shortfalls and they have acted promptly to address these shortfalls. Learning has been taken to improve the experiences and care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s plans are regularly reviewed and updated. Some plans are written to the child to support them to understand their needs and behaviours. Inspection report for children's home: 2709631 5 The manager advocates on behalf of children. They also collaborate well with partner agencies. Children’s individual local authority care plans are always followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision to support their progress and review the progress of the children. Team meetings take place regularly and significant events are discussed in practice workshops. Staff are encouraged to reflect, and these opportunities promote staff’s professional development. Inspection report for children's home: 2709631 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. Following incidents where children have been at risk of harm, staff should carry out targeted work with the child to help them understand risks and keep safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should ensure that children are consulted with regularly about their views of the care provided in the home. This specifically relates to the use of surveillance devices such as door alarms and ensuring children know that these are in place and are consulted about their use. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the 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: 2709631 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Flourish Gloucestershire Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 27 Westend Office Suites, Westend, Stonehouse GL10 3FA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Summers

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Inspector

Charlotte Love, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2709631 8 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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