Children's home run by St Caspian Care

Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 1 Registered provider: St. Caspian Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children aged between eight and 17 years who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home also supports young people who have turned 18 to move on to semi-independent placements or independent accommodation.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 18 October 2021. The new manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. The inspector spoke to all three children.

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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: 12 December 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: 2637521 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2023 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s well-being, development and relationships are at the heart of the home’s ethos. The staff build meaningful, warm relationships that enable children to trust their carers, helping them to make good progress. Children talk positively about the care they receive. They are comfortable talking to staff and feel safe in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and has been personalised to reflect the views of children living in the home. Children participate in decisions on the decor of the home and garden. They are also encouraged and supported to decorate and furnish their bedrooms to their own particular tastes. This helps children to feel comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children talk with enthusiasm about their key workers and the creative sessions they have undertaken with them. Children recognise the progress they have made. They are proud of their achievements, which are celebrated by staff and leaders. Children are encouraged to be involved in decisions about their day-to-day care. Children engage in menu planning and are supported by staff to prepare meals. This supports children in developing their independence skills. While children’s individual views are regularly sought and responded to, this could be strengthened by having regular children’s meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are not in full-time education, there is a focus on supporting them into school while providing alternative learning opportunities. This has included supporting a child to become a qualified lash technician, staff devising and delivering fun lesson plans and arranging for tutors to provide lessons in the home. Children’s education plans are not consistently linked to children’s future career aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional and physical health needs are understood and appropriately met. Staff work closely with health professionals to ensure that children receive the right support in a timely manner. Staff work tenaciously to support children to attend various health appointments and support children to understand their health needs, so that they can engage with their healthcare plans and make positive progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of hobbies and activities which they undertake with staff on both an individual and group basis. Children are not always encouraged to attend community- based social activities such as youth group and clubs.

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

Children told the inspector that they feel safe in their home and that they have a trusted person in the home to talk to if they have concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 4 Managers and staff have an in-depth understanding of safeguarding and whistle- blowing. Their knowledge is further informed through extensive training, team meetings and supervision. In addition to this, staff receive additional training pertinent to individual children’s safeguarding needs.

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

Children’s risks inside and outside of the home are reduced through thorough risk assessments, behaviour management plans and care plans. These are completed alongside the child and include the views of key professionals and family members. Plans include guidance for staff on recognising triggers and practical measures for dealing with traumatised children who may self-harm. Key-work sessions are clearly aligned with children’s plans and focus on children’s individual specific needs, with the view to helping them to learn to keep themselves safe.

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

Managers thoroughly assess the needs of new children coming into the home and any impact this change may have on children who are already living in the home.

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

Missing from home incidents have reduced for all children since they have come to live in the home. On the few occasions that children do go missing, staff follow set protocols to ensure that children return home quickly and safely.

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

All managers and staff are trained in de-escalation techniques and seek to reduce any form of physical restraints. On the few occasions that restraints are used, these are clearly recorded, reviewed by the manager and include a debrief with the child.

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

Safer recruitment practices for staff are thorough, ensuring that only suitable people are employed to work with children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager is aspirational for all the children living in the home. She knows the service well and has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the home. Leaders and managers demonstrate an ambitious vision, have high expectations for the care of all children and ensure high standards of individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recent staff changes have impacted on the stability of the home. Nine staff have left the home since the last inspection and seven new starters recently recruited. A core group of remaining staff have helped mitigate the immediate impact of this, through their established relationships with the children and willingness to work additional hours to avoid the need for agency workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are not routinely following the home’s disciplinary policy and procedures. This means that staff are not clear about expectations of standards of performance in their probationary period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which is routinely recorded on the staff member’s electronic record. However, the effectiveness is limited through the monthly change in Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 5 supervisors, meaning there is not the opportunity for staff to build a trusting supervisory relationship with their supervisor. Supervision records show that the impact of the workers’ intervention for a child is not always considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records are sensitively written and to a high quality. The daily logs are written to the child and reflect the child’s everyday life, experiences, views and voice. When children read these later in life, they will serve as a reminder that they were cared for, loved and valued in the home. The manager is planning for all children’s records and documents to be written in this style.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and children is overwhelmingly positive and emphasises the successful progress made by children who have experienced disruption and trauma in their earlier lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, that the home’s disciplinary procedures are followed and that all staff receive effective supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2637521 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St. Caspian Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post Vacant – new manager in post since March 2024 has applied to register.

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Inspector

Jenny-ellen Scotland, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2637521 8 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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