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Inspection report for children’s home: SC480705 1 SC480705

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Registered provider: Arc-HD Services Ltd

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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 three children with social, emotional and/or mental health difficulties. The accommodation is set in three individual living areas, with a shared communal space.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection, and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC480705 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2024 Full Outstanding 28/03/2023 Full Outstanding 15/02/2022 Full Outstanding 10/09/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC480705 3

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outstanding

All of the children have made excellent progress at the home. The quality of support provided by the team is invaluable. The children have complex emotional and psychological needs, and the team has worked diligently with each child to understand and meet their individual needs. The staff have enhanced their skills through external training to support and help the children to discover who they are and to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Staff are very thoughtful and considerate in every area of the child’s life, which encourages them to establish a sense of security and belonging.

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outstanding

The children are involved in all aspects of their plans, and the staff are committed to ensuring that they succeed in their agreed goals for the month. Children’s achievements are celebrated and recorded with pictures in memory books.

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outstanding

The team is highly skilled in establishing a secure and trusting relationship with parents, which, in turn, has helped enhance the children’s relationship with their families. One child who has been there for a long time is due to return to her parents’ care. Staff are working closely with parents and the therapeutic team to ensure the move back home is successful and her relationship with her parents is positive and secure. Another child was supported to rebuild relationships with family and is now able to have overnight stays with her parent. Feedback from parents and external agencies reports that the team is ‘always on the children’s side’, prioritising what is in the best interest of the children.

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outstanding

Children participate in the local community and are routinely encouraged to attend activities. One child was struggling to go out into the community initially, and she is now a cubs leader, where she is excelling in organising activities and leading the group confidently.

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outstanding

All the children are supported to establish independence skills, and through consultation with the children, the team has produced an easy and quick cookery book for them to use. The children have contributed to the type of recipes they wanted in the book. Through consultation with the children, staff have started to record a video on how to clean bathrooms and change light bulbs, for example. This helpful instruction enables children to gain the skills and confidence they will need as adults.

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outstanding

Staff strongly promote children’s education; all the children enjoy school and are making good progress. One child is interested in art, and she is supported to go to art galleries locally and the team is transforming the outbuilding in the garden to an art room for the child to experiment with different materials and paint. The team has Inspection report for children’s home: SC480705 4 also set up part of the garage into a gym and yoga area, and children are encouraged to use the equipment to enhance their emotional and physical wellness.

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outstanding

Children’s health is paramount for the staff, and they strongly advocate on behalf of the children with external health professionals to make sure they receive the right help. Children also benefit from support of the provider’s mental health nurse and psychiatrist. Staff benefit from regular consultation with the organisation’s mental health nurse and psychiatrist. This ensures that the individual care and support provided to children are well informed and sensitive to their needs.

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outstanding

Staff are proactive and are well informed of the vulnerabilities of each child and have clear strategies to keep them safe. Staff are highly skilled and model reparative parenting through reward and celebrating positive behaviour. Children’s risk assessments and safety plans are individualised and recorded clearly in their care plans.

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outstanding

Children’s vulnerabilities are understood by putting emphasis on their lived experiences and by understanding how this has affected their emotional and psychological well-being. By understanding the children’s lived experiences, staff are able to develop strategies to help children recover and thrive.

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outstanding

When children feel distressed, staff are skilled in helping them to keep safe. They are trained and use strategies to de-escalate the situation effectively without ever having to use physical restraints. The space in the home allows for children to get personal space and individual attention in times of crisis.

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outstanding

The consistent staff team supports the children to feel safe, loved and secure. Staff treat each child with dignity, kindness and respect, preserving positive relationships with each child. Children understand that staff genuinely care for them, and they respond positively. For example, since the last inspection, there have not been any incidents of children going missing from home, bullying or self-harm, and children have been protected from being at risk of exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and the responsible individual have high aspirations for the children, and these aspirations are passed on to the staff. The manager is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his team, and when a new child was introduced to the home, he arranged for his staff team to be trained further in specific areas through external agencies. This ensured that staff were able to meet the needs of the child to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager knows the children well and has keen oversight of care practice. He makes good use of monitoring systems and external reports to maintain high Inspection report for children’s home: SC480705 5 standards of care. This ensures that the well-being and safety of children are always a priority for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is involved in all aspects of the children’s care, and he is a strong advocate for the children. He works effectively with the professional network to ensure that the children’s best interests are always at the heart of decisions about their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children benefit from a stable and experienced staff team. Staff turnover is extremely low, and they are invested in their roles and are always looking to improve their skills through internal and external training. Staff benefit from regular reflective supervision. They use this to reflect on practice, explore the emotional impact of their work and to promote their learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff report that their views are valued and respected in developing the service. They work well as a team, and this ensures that the lived experiences of children remain central to service development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers ensure that when children move into the home, there are carefully planned introductions to the home, ensuring that this is arranged at the child’s pace. Similarly, when children move from the home to parents’ care or to another placement, it is done with care and consideration to the child’s emotional well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC480705 6

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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: SC480705 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Arc-HD Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Arc HD Services, Wessex House, Upper Market Street, Eastleigh SO50 9FD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Katherine Openshaw

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Paul Collins-Painter

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Inspector

Shaheda Dhandia, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC480705 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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Inspector

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