Children's Home run by Heritage Children’s Homes Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 1 Registered provider: MJ Residential Services Limited 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 company. It is registered to provide care for up to two children. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2022, since February 2024, she has been on a period of leave. An interim manager has been in post for over 90 days but they have not submitted an application to register.

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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: 17 January 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2024 Full Outstanding 05/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have worked hard to support the child to overcome difficulties they experienced surrounding mental health, social anxiety and isolation. They have supported the child to develop their confidence so that they can engage in community activities, develop their identity and build positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported the child to make progress and increase the time spent in education. Education attendance has significantly improved, and plans are in place that focus on a specialist career pathway.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said that they love living at the home and feel safe. They spoke with enthusiasm about the relationship they have developed with the manager. The child said that they enjoy regular quality time with their family with the support of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff interactions with the child are kind and caring. The child enjoys spending time with staff and feels relaxed and comfortable in their presence. The child spends most of their free time in the home with staff, which demonstrates the positive relationships they have built with the child. The child has enjoyed a recent city break and also a theatre trip.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals say that staff work as a strong team and show commitment and support to the child so that they can succeed. They say that the child has made progress during their time at the home, socially, emotionally and with their learning. This has been made possible with consistent and supportive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is tired in some areas, inside and outside, and requires updating to make it feel welcoming and homely. Staff have painted some areas of the home, but further improvements would raise the standard of the presentation. Some rooms are untidy and cluttered, which detracts from the homely feel.

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

Staff support the child’s use of technology and their understanding of how to keep safe online. Regular discussions around internet safety take place, and there are robust filtering systems in place to monitor the child’s use of devices and what they have access to.

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

Safeguarding concerns have significantly reduced. When concerns arise, staff have a good understanding of safeguarding processes and protocols and work closely with the child to help them keep safe.

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

The child meets regularly with an advocate, who they have built a positive relationship with. The advocate, alongside the manager, recently supported the child through an external complaints process. Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 4 Healthy relationships are promoted and supported by staff, and boundaries are implemented, so the child can learn and understand what they are comfortable with and how they would like to be treated by others. If there are any difficulties, staff support the child to reflect on these and consider measures to help keep safe.

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

The manager is an excellent advocate for the child and understands when it is important to challenge professionals in the best interests of the child to ensure that their needs are addressed. He highlights areas of concern that need attention, so the child can have access to appropriate support services.

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

Staff understand any potential risk to the child and how best to support them to promote positive behaviour. Strategies are clear so staff can keep up to date and informed. This helps the child to make good progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good oversight of the quality of care. The registered manager took a planned period of absence handing over to an interim manager ensuring there were no management gaps. However, the interim manager has not applied to register despite being in post since February 2024.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager and staff have a good understanding of the child and speak with enthusiasm about the care provided. They described the child’s likes, dislikes, hobbies and interests and gave positive examples of progress. Parents receive regular updates about the child’s progress and experiences. The child benefits from having a stable and consistent team of staff who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring and review systems are in place. Each month, leaders and managers carry out an internal quality assurance process so that they can evaluate all aspects of the child’s support and needs. This process tracks and considers outcomes and what needs implementing to address any shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers instil reflective practice to consider any incidents, learn from them and determine areas for improvement. They share this learning with staff in team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers take appropriate and immediate action to address complaints against staff. Internal and external protocols are followed in the best interests of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff receive regular supervision. However, there are no records in place to demonstrate that new staff in probation have a higher level of supervision, as expected for new staff in line with the organisation policies. Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 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 registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that an application is made to register the manager leading the home as an interim manager. 5 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

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)) 5 October 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home environment feels homely for the child and is not cluttered and untidy. Additionally, the registered person should ensure that the home is presented to an acceptable standard in all areas. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 6 Unique reference number: 2634633

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: MJ Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Level 1, East Reach House, East Reach, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3EN

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Inspector

Emma Fryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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