Children's Home run by Core Children Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2730741 1 Registered provider: Core Children Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a suitable qualification and is registered with Ofsted in February 2024. He is also registered to manage another children’s home in the same organisation.

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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 outstanding

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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: 23 January 2024

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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: 2730741 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2730741 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, four children have moved into the home, and three children have moved on. Their progress and experiences have been mixed. One child moved on in a planned way. Although two children moved on earlier than their plans would have anticipated and in difficult circumstances, managers and staff did their best to support the children to move on in as planned a way as possible. The home then had a period when no children lived at the home while new staff were recruited and trained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s individual needs are met by staff, who consult with them to understand their views, wishes and feelings. When the child’s requests cannot be met, staff sensitively explain the reasons why to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s health needs are met. They are registered with the relevant health services and attend routine appointments. Staff help the child to seek health advice when they feel unwell and to understand more about their health needs. This good support enables the child to understand the importance of taking their medication regularly. The child accesses specialist support from an external service to help their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted well. When there is a barrier to the child attending education, the registered manager works well with professionals to review their plan and find an alternative education provision that can meet their needs. When the child is not attending education, staff ensure that they maintain good daily routines that reflect an educational day. The child participates in activities that promote learning and help them to develop new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing and patient; they are passionate about caring for children and are motivated to support them. The child benefits from staff participating in activities with them that they enjoy. These opportunities help children to develop positive relationships with staff who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child likes living in a modern home that is decorated and furnished well. They take pride in their bedroom by keeping it clean, tidy and well organised.

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

The registered manager and staff know the child’s risk and behaviours. They can identify when the child needs additional support to regulate their emotions. They use strategies identified in the child’s individual support plan to mitigate risk and respond to behaviours that cause concern. As a result, there has been a reduction in the child harming themselves and going missing from home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2730741 4 Staff help children to understand how to raise concerns. Two children who used to live at the home raised complaints about or allegations against staff. Leaders and the registered manager take such concerns seriously. Information is shared with the relevant people, who work together to investigate concerns and share the outcomes with the child. This practice helps to keep children safe and ensure that they feel listened to.

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

Staff follow agreed strategies in the child’s plans to prevent them from going missing from home. When children are not where they are expected to be, staff search for them and work well with external services until they are found.

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

When children are upset and distressed, staff communicate effectively with them. They use their knowledge and skills gained from training in understanding trauma, self-harm and first aid to effectively respond to situations when children harm themselves. Room searches are carried out sensitively when there are concerns that a child might have something they could use to harm themselves.

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

Incentive systems are used to promote positive behaviours, enabling the child to make progress. They encourage the child to make positive decisions that keep them safe and promote their well-being. For example, the child has targets to aim for that discourage vaping. Staff also speak with the child about the dangers of vaping and offer them support to access services that help reduce nicotine addictions.

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

Restraint is occasionally used, and it is effectively and proportionately used by staff to prevent a person from being harmed or significant damage to property. All incidents are reviewed by a manager or leader who was not involved in the incident. Detailed records of incidents are kept by staff and shared with relevant people.

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

New staff are subject to safe recruitment practices. This reduces the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable individuals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and leaders work exceptionally well with professionals. They are aspirational and have high expectations for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Reflective practice is strong. The registered manager creates safe spaces for staff to share ideas and speak openly about their experiences of working with children who present behaviours that they find challenging. This practice helps the registered manager to understand the team’s strengths and provide additional support, training and guidance that ensures that children receive good care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Regular team meetings and supervision contribute to staff feeling supported by the registered manager. Staff feel able to approach the registered manager for support and guidance during normal working hours. He is also available to staff outside of these hours for on-call advice if needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2730741 5 There are effective monitoring systems in place. The registered manager and leaders review and evaluate incidents. Information gathered is used to inform the child’s plans and support staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff undertake training that enables them to develop their knowledge and skills required to fulfil their job role. This helps them to meet the child’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2730741 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: 2730741 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Glades, Festival Way, Festival Park, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire ST1 5SQ

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Inspector

Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2730741 8 regulates 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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