Children's home run by Evolve Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2623790 1 Registered provider: Evolve Childcare Ltd

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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 owned by a private provider and offers care for up to four children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2022.

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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: 11 September 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: 2623790 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/09/2023 Full Good 04/05/2022 Full Good 24/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2623790 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the past adverse experiences of children, which helps them to provide personalised care. Children have warm relationships with staff and humour is used to help children feel at ease. The children did not share any concerns about the care they receive. They said living at the home is ‘fun’ and that staff ‘spoil’ them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are comprehensive and provide a strong overview of their past experiences and individual needs. Managers ensure that plans include clear actions to help staff respond to children’s behaviours and provide consistent care. However, not all children’s plans include guidance on how social media use is monitored by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements and outcomes are clearly recorded, which helps staff to track children’s progress. Children receive practical and emotional help to see their families. However, there was no appropriate assessment before one child went to stay overnight at a friend’s house, to ensure it is fully safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high aspirations for children and provide tutors to help children when needed. Staff support children to find jobs when appropriate. Children have made progress from their starting points with their education. One child has been reintegrated back into mainstream education and another child is in full-time education, and has received many awards for their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are focused on the wishes and feelings of children. They use feedback from children to improve their day-to-day lives. Children choose activities and are supported to enjoy a multitude of hobbies and interests. Children select the food they enjoy as part of the weekly shop and regularly select their favourite restaurants to visit and takeaways to enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported effectively with their physical and mental health through healthy eating, exercise and access to counselling, which is provided by the organisation to help children with their anxiety and self-harming behaviours. Staff also ensure children access dental healthcare to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from regular meaningful conversations with staff to help them express their thoughts and feelings. Staff assist children to understand and learn from their behaviours. They reassure and support children when they are struggling with their emotions and provide reassurance to remind children that they are cared for.

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

Children feel able to raise concerns with staff and feel able to talk to them. Since the last inspection, children have raised some complaints about their care and made allegations about staff practice, mostly after the use of restraint. Staff ensure these are heard and Inspection report for children's home: 2623790 4 responded to appropriately including investigations into staff practice. Children are written to by managers, which helps them understand that their concerns are taken seriously.

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

There is little use of physical restraint and it is only used when children are at risk of seriously hurting themselves or others. Managers have close oversight of the use of restraint to ensure it is necessary, and consistently speak with children afterwards to prioritise their welfare.

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

Staff take the right action when children are missing from home and follow children’s safety plans. Staff actively search for children and encourage their swift and safe return. Managers ensure that return home interviews are requested for children and talk to children to understand their feelings on their return. This in turn helps staff to understand the risks for children and find ways to prevent them going missing again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they enjoy working at the home and speak positively about children’s attributes. Staff are skilled and experienced; they are positively focused on the wishes and feelings of children. Staff are positive about the levels of support they receive from managers and the development opportunities they are given. The registered manager and responsible individual work closely to ensure children’s needs are met. Managers prioritise children having lots of new opportunities and fun in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that recruitment processes are robust, to help protect children. They scrutinise past employment histories and request references from all previous employers. The responsible individual also closely assesses the checks for new staff to ensure they are suitable to work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training around understanding behaviour, self-harm and children’s mental health in order to help them to meet children’s needs. Managers receive training in advanced safeguarding and trauma- informed models of care to strengthen their skills. There are plans for all staff to receive additional training in trauma-informed models of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers strongly challenge external professionals when they believe it is in the best interests of children. Staff receive regular reflective supervision that is thoroughly recorded. Staff are helped to understand their practice and performance to better help children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held frequently and are used as opportunities to focus on children’s achievements, as well as changes in their behaviour. They provide opportunities for discussion and manager direction, and the minutes are well recorded. Inspection report for children's home: 2623790 5

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure an assessment is completed before a child stays away from the home with friends. 13 September 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure children feel safe and are safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. This is in relation to ensuring that children’s plans contain guidance for staff about the monitoring of social media. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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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: 2623790 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evolve Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite B, Blackdown House, Blackbrook Park Avenue, Taunton, Somerset TA1 2PX

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Inspectors

Anna Gravelle, His Majesty’s Inspector Helen Cushnie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2623790 7 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

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

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