Children's Home run by White Orchid Care Limited in Milton Keynes

Inspection report for children’s home: SC465588 1 SC465588 Registered provider: White Orchid Care 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 and operated by a small private organisation that also has one other home. It provides care for a maximum of four children aged up to 18 years who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2017.

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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

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2023

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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: SC465588 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2023 Full Outstanding 21/02/2023 Full Good 07/02/2022 Full Outstanding 08/04/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC465588 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Living in this home enhances children’s life chances because they develop a strong sense of belonging, which has a positive impact on their identity and emotional well-being. Many children have experienced multiple placement breakdowns before moving into this home. At this home, due to the skilled and dedicated staff team, children find a place of stability that enables them to thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children build trusting relationships with staff due to the established and knowledgeable staff team. Each child benefits from being looked after by a team of familiar adults who know them well. Staff are aspirational for children and are highly effective at planning their care. This means that there is significant evidence of sustained positive change for children over the time they live in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making positive progress in school. Staff provide a range of extra-curricular activities and targeted work to support children’s understanding of the developing world, including diversity and difference. Strong advocacy by the manager enabled one child to benefit from a change of school placement. Since then, this child has made exceptional progress and will now take their formal qualifications.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s health needs are well supported, and staff ensure that children can access health services in accordance with their individual needs. Some children benefit from direct therapeutic support, and this is available without delay for all children if required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide children with a range of positive opportunities and experiences, including daily activities, holidays, community development activities and support for charities. As a result, children develop a strong sense of pride and personal responsibility. Staff make important connections for children through these activities and encourage them to sustain this sense of achievement throughout their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children move to the home in a sensitive and well-planned manner and quickly settle. The registered manager develops a comprehensive understanding of children before they move into the home and carefully ensures that their needs are compatible with children already living in the home to minimise any disruption they may experience. Despite significant challenges, the high level of commitment demonstrated to one child moving on from the home meant that they had a planned and positive ending.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff make sure that children are included in all decisions about their lives. Children’s wishes and feelings are clearly understood, and staff are proactive in ensuring that their voices are heard. All children benefit from an external advocate who visits the home each month and shares children’s views with the management team. The management team is committed to improving children’s records to embed children’s direct views and enable an organic and ever-growing approach to recording children’s lives. Inspection report for children’s home: SC465588 4

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

Staff respond effectively when safeguarding concerns arise and ensure that children receive the support that they require. Due to a strong sense of belonging and stability, children do not go missing from the home. Effective communication between the established staff team ensures a consistent approach to promoting children’s well-being.

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

Staff ensure that children are supported to understand their journey through care, and they recognise the importance of enabling children to explore this at their own pace. Staff promote family relationships in accordance with children’s plans.

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

Children benefit from a homely and nurturing environment that promotes a sense of belonging for them. All children’s bedrooms have been personalised in line with their wishes and there are photos of children throughout the home. Staff celebrate all achievements, great and small, and children benefit from the positive praise and recognition they receive.

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

Therapeutic consultation and support for staff provide opportunities for staff reflection and help staff to have a deeper understanding of children’s behavioural needs. This promotes positive relationships between children and staff. One external professional said:

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

‘For our child, this is the best home they have had. They are opening up, and this is a huge step. This has been possible by the joint approach we have, and we can see the difference the home has had on their well-being.’

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

All children feel safe and can identify trusted adults to support them. Excellent planning and forward thinking mean that children benefit from a coordinated and individualised approach to their care. Staff create opportunities for children to grow and develop by identifying how they can best support them. They consistently implement well-informed strategies and carefully review the impact on children. All staff are invested in this approach and can demonstrate the positive impact this has on children.

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

Staff have developed excellent working relationships with statutory agencies, and external professionals are overwhelmingly complimentary of the care and support children receive. One external professional said:

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

‘For the first time, [name of child] has made real trusting relationships and secure attachments. The changes they have made have been remarkable and they are achieving in all aspects of their life.’

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

All staff who join the home are suitably vetted, which ensures that safe adults are working with children. Staff benefit from a comprehensive range of mandatory and specialist training that helps them to ensure that children are kept safe. The turnover of staff is very low, which promotes stability and consistency for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC465588 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a child-centred and experienced registered manager. Staff are highly complimentary of the support that they receive from the registered manager. There is an established and dedicated team of staff who have a strong sense of shared responsibility about the impact they can have on children’s lives. One staff member said, ‘The manager makes the house a home for the children, and we all work together to give them a safe, secure and happy place to live.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has an excellent understanding of the home’s strengths and demonstrates a strong desire to continually improve the service that children receive. In particular, the registered manager recognises the importance of ensuring that children’s lives are captured in a sensitive manner, using language that cares. For example, staff create high-quality memory books, and children regularly contribute to the information that staff hold about them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff receive regular supervision and benefit from direct support from a therapist who provides additional group supervision and professional consultation. Staff value the opportunities this provides to enable them to reflect on their care of children. As a result, staff are more attuned to children’s needs and have a greater sense of belief about the positive influence they can have on children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from regular training, and most of the staff have completed their mandatory qualification. As a result, the staff team is highly skilled and knowledgeable. Staff also benefit from additional specialist training and research-informed practice, which supports them to provide excellent care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a wall in the home that has been dedicated to the children and staff and represents a family tree, which is a symbolic example of the strong and mutual sense of belonging that all staff and, importantly, children feel about the home. This culture is embedded across the entire home, and professionals who visit children recognise the positive impact this has. One child’s social worker said:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

‘When I visited [name of child] before she moved to the home, they would always get very anxious when I left and would want to come with me. Since moving to the home, they don’t do this, which is really reassuring.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Since the last inspection, one staff member has changed roles and now carries out thematic audits, peer mentoring and quality assurance tasks. This has helped to further develop the insight that the team of staff have into the support they provide children, promote positive record-keeping and complement the existing oversight from the manager. In addition, it provides opportunities to consider patterns and themes, which enables staff to adapt their approach in accordance with children’s ever-changing needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC465588 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: SC465588 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: White Orchid Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Chiltern Business Centre, 63 to 65 Woodside Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP6 6AA

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Inspector

Ashley Edwards, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC465588 8 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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