Children's Home run by South West Childcare Services in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 1 Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

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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 four children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since November 2021.

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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: 31 October 2023

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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: 2509684 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2023 Full Good 16/11/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good 27/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and cosy, with a range of soft furnishings and framed photos of children displayed on the walls. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and decorated to a high standard, in line with their interests. Children have chosen their own bedroom features to reflect their individual styles. The welcoming home gives children a sense of belonging and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in education and enjoy time at school. Staff support children to develop positive friendships and spend time with their friends. Children experience new opportunities, such as learning to swim and scuba dive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s health and well-being needs because they support them to attend a range of appointments and engage with external professionals. Professional feedback is positive and highlights the significant progress that children have made and that children are happy and doing well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel settled at the home and have built positive relationships with staff, who support them to engage in regular activities within the community. Children enjoy going to the cinema with staff and visiting the beach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Observations of staff interacting with children demonstrate that their relationships are warm and friendly. Staff speak to children in a kind and caring manner, and there is laughter and fun, revealing the positive relationships that staff have built with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said they are happy and safe at the home and that staff are supportive and help them with anything they need. Children said the care that staff provide is good and they love living at the home as it is a ‘big family’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children enjoy quality family time as staff support them to spend time with people that are important to them, so they can celebrate special and festive occasions.

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

Safeguarding concerns have significantly reduced for children in the home, although staff continue to consider any potential risks and have measures in place to address these. The registered manager reports all children have developed open relationships with staff enabling them to discuss their worries and concerns.

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

Staff help to keep children safe when they go missing from home, and they search for them and work to return them safely to the home. Staff follow protocol and take effective action so they can manage behaviour effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 4 Staff previously used restraint regularly in the home; however, there have been no incidents. The staff are a stable and compassionate team that provides children with a therapeutic and nurturing environment. Staff use natural consequences and incentives to help children understand positive behaviour and learning using a nurturing approach.

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

Children have access to a range of devices, including phones and consoles, have regular use of social media platforms and spend extended periods of time in their bedrooms, which potentially poses a risk. Staff check children’s mobile phones regularly, and there are strict internet usage times and robust filtering systems in place. However, staff have not taught children how to keep safe online so they understand and recognise risk.

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

Children complete ad hoc independent tasks, but there is insufficient care planning to help them learn and prepare for their transition into the community and adulthood. Managers said they have arranged for staff to complete independence training so they can support children, but this is not in place.

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

Staff engage children in a range of important conversations to support children’s emotional well-being and help them understand positive and meaningful relationships, healthy eating and keeping safe in the community.

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

Documents reflect children’s behaviours and help staff understand how to respond to any risk or harm. Strategies are clear so staff can keep up to date and informed. However, documents do not always reflect the positive steps that staff have taken to help children keep safe.

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

The registered manager has addressed previous medication recording errors so records are robust and clear. Staff have completed additional training to ensure competency when administering and recording medication. Each child has a personalised record, and if they need remedies, staff seek advice from a pharmacist.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a consistent staff team that is committed and dedicated to children. Staff have built positive and supportive relationships with children, which provides them with a settled, stable and secure home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and say that leaders and managers support them well. Staff feel proud of the safe home environment they provide to children, and they give examples of the significant progression that children have made in education, self-care, confidence and emotional well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have completed mandatory and specialist training in line with children’s needs, and staff receive regular supervision and appraisals. Staff have personal development plans and attend workshops to keep up to date with learning and improving their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 5 Leaders and managers identify areas of weaknesses and learn from discussions and reflection. They recognise that improvements will benefit children, and leaders have implemented plans to address these so there is a better standard of practice. When there are concerns regarding staff, leaders and managers address these effectively and take immediate and appropriate action, seeking satisfactory outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager seeks advice and guidance from specialists to widen the knowledge and expertise of the team when there are challenges,. The team engages in regular discussions with experts so staff can address the changing needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager spoke with enthusiasm about the staff team and the nurturing home it provides to children. She demonstrated a good understanding of children. The manager is a good advocate for children and escalates concerns when necessary, highlighting to professionals where action is needed and where risks need addressing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children are supported to understand how to recognise and understand online risks and how to keep safe. 15 October

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they support children to prepare for a move away from the home so they can live independently. This includes helping children to develop social and emotional skills so they can cope without support and learn practical skills that include housework, cooking, budgeting and self-care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that all records are up to date and detail all individual incidents and include what support and actions have been implemented to address concerns. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31) Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 7

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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: 2509684 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Emma Fryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 9 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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