Children's home run by Solace for Children Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2503710 1 Registered provider: Solace for Children Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children aged between seven and 17 who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022 and is suitably qualified.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Three children live at the home and two were spoken to by the inspector.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2503710 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/08/2023 Full Good 18/01/2023 Full Good 14/02/2022 Full Good 08/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2503710 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned moves to the home. Since the last inspection, two children have been welcomed to the home and have benefited from thorough introductions. Two children have moved on from the home. These moves were not planned. However, appropriate decisions were made and staff ensured that children received beautifully presented memory books.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. All three children are making progress from their starting points. This includes social skills, progress with family time, education, independence and varying opportunities and experiences. Progress is well captured in individualised in- house placement plans and children are encouraged to participate in their care planning and progress tracking.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted. All three children attend education and do well with their attendance and attainment. The children that have moved from the home did well in their exams. Where needed, children are supported with alternative learning and staff work closely with schools to ensure that children make progress. One child has represented their school in sport and music.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family connections are prioritised. Managers and staff work hard to build and maintain positive relationships with families. They promote family time and advocate on behalf of children to increase the time spent with those that matter to them. As a result, children enjoy more time with their siblings and, where appropriate, this extends to unsupervised time and overnight stays.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged and supported to engage in a wide range of activities and to have new experiences, including joining clubs and enjoying regular hobbies. Collectively, the children have enjoyed a summer and Christmas party at the house. Children are also supported to have an annual summer holiday.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a warm, comfortable, homely home which provides ample communal and private space, along with a large well-kempt garden. There are lots of pictures of the children on display and personal touches throughout. The children enjoy individualised bedrooms that have been decorated to reflect their different tastes.

p.3

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

Children are safe. This is because staff know the children well and have clear policies and procedures in place that they follow to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively. Furthermore, there is consistent response from staff, which gives children clear boundaries and expectations. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503710 4 The children have individualised behaviour support plans and risk assessments. These are under regular review and involve the children where possible. This means that children have a voice in influencing how staff respond to their changing behaviours.

p.3

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

There was a high number of missing from home incidents for one child who no longer lives in the home. The frequency and length of these episodes became a significant concern, despite the best efforts of managers and staff, who responded appropriately and escalated concerns.

p.4

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

There have been two incidents of physical intervention for a child who no longer lives at the home. Records and reporting are good and include debriefs with the child and additional direct work.

p.4

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

There have been no complaints or allegations since the last inspection.

p.4

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

Children are supported to take balanced risk. The staff support children to have time in the community and with friends and family unsupervised. They also support children to use electronic devices and access the internet safely. Direct work is done with children to understand and identify risk. When needed, the staff work with other agencies effectively to respond to risk.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is skilled and experienced. She leads by example, having high expectations of herself and the staff team to ensure that children receive good care and have positive outcomes.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has positive relationships with the children. This is because she has an open-door policy and ensures that she is visible during important times such as before and after school. The inspector observed how children enjoy the welcome they receive from the manager and staff when returning from school.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a lot of change to the staff team. This has not had an impact on the children, and the management team has seen this as a positive opportunity to mould and develop the staff team to have the same shared vision for the home and progress for children. New staff are fully supported with an induction, regular supervision and probation review.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff development is prioritised. The registered manager has good insight into the strengths and areas of development of her staff team. Staff have regular supervision, annual appraisals and clear development plans. Staff benefit from weekly team meetings and a focus on staff well-being. As a result, staff speak positively about the management team and the support they receive both professionally and personally.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager strives to have positive and effective working relationships with professionals and partner agencies. This can be seen in the positive feedback received. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503710 5 Relationships with children’s families are prioritised. This role models positive adult relationships for the children and a joined-up approach to parenting.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are effective. The registered manager uses tools developed by the provider as well as her own systems to ensure that she has good oversight of all aspects of the home and children’s care. She utilises supervision well and welcomes feedback from others. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503710 6

p.5

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: 2503710 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solace for Children Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tadcaster House, Kempton Road, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 2TA

p.7

Inspector

Stacie Sharpe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2503710 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 2503710 9

p.8