Children's home run by Phoenix Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2573614 1 Registered provider: Phoenix Learning and Care Holdings Limited

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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 is operated by a private provider of education and social care. The home was registered in March 2020, and provides 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 has been in post since June 2023 and has been registered since December 2023.

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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: 11 October 2023

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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: 2573614 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2023 Full Good 13/04/2022 Full Good 29/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2573614 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has created a positive environment where the children feel supported and loved. They are encouraged to reach their potential in a safe and nurturing manner. This is reinforced by the adults in the home, who model healthy relationships. They create a sense of security and stability through playful empathy. The chid enjoys playing jokes on the adults. Boundaries are enforced in a way that enables children to feel included in setting them. They are reviewed regularly to ensure that they are relevant to the children, allowing their growth and independence to flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults provide care for children that is based on their individual needs and children are involved in decision-making about their lives. The children in the home approach the adults to share their worries. The children are encouraged to participate in the local community. This has included fundraising efforts and building relationships with their neighbours by sharing home baked brownies. The manager liaises with the local Guides groups to ensure the children’s needs are understood when they’re away from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults understand the children’s health needs. They work to support children to access relevant agencies and to make healthy choices, such as in relation to meals. Adults are clear on the importance of supporting children to identify and express their emotions in a productive way. The manager has identified the importance of adults also understanding their own emotional responses to children and how this can impact on their relationships with them. Children’s views are considered, and they are involved in decision-making around family time, activities, meals, their bedrooms and the decoration in the home. Children have access to a variety of activities and participate in panning these. Children are also encouraged to develop independence skills in the planning, considering, for example, transport and budgets for activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s daily experiences are mostly positive. One child talked with enthusiasm about a nerf gun game that included adults, the manager and the Responsible Individual. The children enjoy spending time with the adults. When there have been incidents, these have been managed appropriately and the impact of these on children has been explored with them afterwards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults support children when they move into the home and provide personal touches to help reduce any anxieties children may have. Adults record important memories for children in photobooks, which are given to children when they leave the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment in the home is bright, welcoming and homely. The manager has worked hard to improve the overall feel of the home and made improvements to each room over the last year. Inspection report for children’s home: 2573614 4

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

Adults and the manager understand the risks related to the children and how to manage these to help reduce any potential concerns. Adults work with children to support them to understand the risks in respect of social media and mobile phone use, and this enables children to make positive, safe choices about what they access. There is good oversight of internet in the home and appropriate safeguards in place.

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

Adults respond appropriately when children go missing, and work to disrupt incidents to reduce the chance of them re-occurring. The manager is working with adults to begin to widen their understanding of why children behave in certain ways and how this may be linked to previous trauma.

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

Adults’ response to behaviour is mostly consistent. The manager has identified when there have been patterns of increased incidents of physical intervention and taken steps to address this. Adults use curiosity and empathy when supporting children’s behaviour, which has supported an overall reduction in incidents of physical intervention. This is an ongoing area of development for the team.

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

Adults have facilitated trusting relationships with children, which have resulted in them sharing important information with them. This has acted as a safeguard and prevented potentially risky situations occurring.

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

The safeguarding arrangements that are in place are effective in protecting children. The manager makes appropriate referrals when safeguarding concerns are identified. Adults understand the safeguarding processes and no what to do when needed, for example, when children make disclosures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is extremely ambitious for the children in the home. This has resulted in the development of a team who is as dedicated to children’s progress as the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses research to support the development of the children and underpin the ethos of the home. For example, to deepen the understanding of behaviours she has used theories of motivation such as Maslow’s hierarchy of need. The manager has used this in a child friendly way to help children’ understand themselves more fully.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is confident in actively promoting an understanding of diversity and celebrating individual differences. This supports children in feeling confident and safe to fully express themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has prioritised recruiting adults who are aspirational for the children and can demonstrate enthusiasm and dedication. The manager provides an open and supportive environment that encourages learning and honest conversations between the adults. She role models this approach and in turn the adults role model for the children, Inspection report for children’s home: 2573614 5 for example by completing their NVQ work alongside the children when they are completing their homework.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision involves reflection, which supports the professional development of the team. This has resulted in a stable team who are dedicated to improving their skills and knowledge through an ambitious training program. Training for the team is effective in helping them to care for the children who live in the home. Staff report that they feel proud to work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is fully aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and has made effective changes to practice when concerns have been identified. The manager shares learning with the team and is focused on upskilling them in areas to make sure they are confident in their approach to managing dynamic risk, such as the risks related to gaming, social media and mobile phone use.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is tenacious in advocating on behalf of children and has been persistent in challenging external professionals in respect of children’s education. The manager uses effective challenge and escalation when there are concerns about the response of services outside of the home. Where one child was out education for an extended period, the manager raised her concerns with a variety of partner agencies until a provision was secured. Inspection report for children’s home: 2573614 6

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3) (b)) 1 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2573614 7

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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: 2573614 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Learning and Care Holdings Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Support Hub, Unit 5, Chinon Court, Lower Moor Way, TIVERTON, Devon EX16 6SS

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Inspectors

Sally Shakespeare, Social Care Inspector Helen Cushnie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2573614 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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