Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in New Forest

Inspection report for children's home: SC480502 1 SC480502 Registered provider: New Forest Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to four children with complex social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child came to live at the home and three children have left. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection. The child spoke to the inspector as part of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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

Date of last inspection: 22 November 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC480502 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2023 Full Good 31/01/2023 Full Good 25/10/2022 Full Inadequate 19/01/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC480502 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with the staff who care for them. They are able to start conversations about subjects that are sensitive or that are causing them concern. Staff know the children well and take time to listen to them and help them work through their feelings and concerns. One child said that they liked living at the home because the staff cared about them and treated them in the way that they should be treated. The child said that it was a place where they wanted to be. Staff spoke highly of the children. It is evident that their well-being is at the centre of their practice.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Generally, children live at the home until they are ready to move into a placement that meets the next stage of their lives. One child has moved into supported accommodation and was supported to develop skills through undertaking tasks that are required for them to live more independently. Two children moved from the home in a less planned way. This was unavoidable as their needs were no longer able to be met and risks could not be managed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in activities that they enjoy, even if they are short- lived. However, this does not deter staff from seeking alternatives, and they persevere to ensure that children are actively engaged in activities of their choice. One child was taken to the European Football Championships to watch their favourite player.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children have had educational placements, although attendance and engagement have not always been consistent. For the child currently living in the home, engagement in education is improving as the home becomes more settled.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make a complaint and have been supported to make complaints outside of the home environment. This is important to children so that they feel that their voices are heard, and their concerns are listened to.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health is supported, with attendance at medical and dental appointments as required. Medication is under review for the child, and support from relevant health professionals has been secured to assist in ensuring that medication is necessary and proportionate.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Experiences for some children have not been positive, but support has been put in place to try to manage children’s emerging behaviours and risks. When this has not been successful, decisions have been made quickly when children’s needs can no longer be met, and the negative effect that this has had on other children and on staff has been recognised.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Recommendations from the previous inspection have been actioned. Inspection report for children's home: SC480502 4

p.3

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

One child has seen a reduction in incidents since living at the home. Their needs and behaviours are understood, and the number of times the child has needed to be held has been reduced. Staff respond well to managing their risks and identifying and responding to new risks when they occur. Risk management plans are quickly revised, and appropriate safeguards are put in place.

p.4

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

When incidents occur, the staff know the child well and take steps to de-escalate the situation quickly. Relationships are quickly repaired, and routines and boundaries are restored.

p.4

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

Children are able to take age-appropriate risks and are encouraged to do so. They are supported to take part in activities and spend their free time with friends. They are encouraged to talk about potential risks so that they develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe and to learn when things do not go to plan.

p.4

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

There has been a high number of incidents of holding children during a short period of time. These have been proportionate, necessary and appropriately reviewed. The number of incidents of holding children has now been reduced. Staff are trained to hold children safely.

p.4

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

Staff are recruited using safer recruitment principles. Central processes support the manager to ensure that staff working in the home are suitable to care for children.

p.4

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

Since the last inspection, there have been two allegations regarding staff. Both have been appropriately referred to the relevant agencies and investigated by the provider. Outcomes have been shared with the local authority designated officer, and action taken has ensured that the concerns have been addressed.

p.4

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

One child came to the home with known risks that were identified through placement plans and discussions with previous carers. However, those risks quickly escalated, and additional support was sought from the provider’s clinical team. Staff were equipped with strategies to support the child, but it quickly became evident that the danger to staff and other children as a result of the seriousness of injuries received meant that the child’s needs could not be met. The difficult decision was made to end the child’s placement without further delay. This meant that the child did not have a positive ending, but it was necessary, taking into account the safety of other children living in the home.

p.4

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

Staff identified signs of criminal exploitation for one child who had been living in the home for a long period of time. Risk management plans were updated, and key-work sessions were completed with the child to try to reduce those risks. The manager sought additional specialist support from the police, who were able to educate the managers and staff on the risks associated with being exploited. The managers and staff were able to share information with the relevant agencies to identify steps to manage these concerns. Generally, responses to the child being away from the home were in accordance with their agreed plans. On one occasion, the response to an incident of Inspection report for children's home: SC480502 5 missing from home was not clearly recorded, and the action taken was not consistent with previous responses. Although this had no effect on whether the child would be located, it was not as per the child’s agreed plan. A requirement and recommendation

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an effective management team led by a registered and qualified manager. All staff speak very highly of the managers and feel that they are well supported to care for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been a number of changes in the staff team, which has resulted in a loss of experience. However, the team is almost up to full complement, and there are more than enough staff to care for the child currently in the home. Induction of new staff has been comprehensive, and staff say that they have received the training they need to care for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The inspector was able to speak with one professional who said that communication with staff at the home has been positive. Managing relationships between children and their families was seen to be a strength.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is regular and of good quality. Records demonstrate that staff well-being is highly regarded and that incidents are reflected on so that learning is identified to improve the care being offered to children. Staff said that they found supervision sessions helpful and that they could speak to managers whenever they needed.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team members work together well. They understand the needs of the children, but they also understand each other’s needs. This helps them to demonstrate a consistent approach when implementing boundaries and strategies to reduce risks to children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have systems in place to review themes or areas of concern. These are used to identify shortfalls in learning or where there may be action needed to meet the quality standards. These reviews also consider more strategic aspects of the home’s operation, such as improving staff retention. This is an area of good practice worthy of wider dissemination to other homes in the group.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring of the home has not identified when there have been shortfalls in the care being provided. No challenge has been provided by the independent person through their visits. This has not helped the manager to identify areas for improvement. A recommendation has been made.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have updated their review of the premises. However, the document needs further review as it contains risks that no longer apply to the home. Measures have been implemented to mitigate risk, but there is no consideration of whether these measures are effective, as the level of risk is not reviewed following the measure. A recommendation has been made. Inspection report for children's home: SC480502 6

p.5

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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff follow children’s agreed plans to manage risks when they are missing from the home. 31 March 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC480502 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home are reviewed at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the

p.7

Recommendations

welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

p.7

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: SC480502 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

p.8

Inspector

Mark Broomhead, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC480502 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9