Children's Home run by Fresh Start Care Group Ltd in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2730402 1 Registered provider: Fresh Start Care Group Ltd

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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 managed by a private provider. The home provides care for two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since February 2021.

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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 good

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good

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

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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: 2730402 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2730402 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said that they are happy most of the time living in the home and that they feel safe. The adults have created a nurturing environment, which is important for children’s well-being. They enjoy many different activities depending on their interests, such as horse riding, trampolining, gaming and escape rooms. Additionally, they are encouraged to join local community groups to make friends and enhance their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large and modern, offering a clean, warm and cosy environment. Children have high-quality, personalised bedrooms that reflect their individual personalities. The walls are adorned with photos of the children and adults enjoying activities together, as well as the children’s artwork. Events, such as children and staff’s birthdays and Halloween, are celebrated with parties, barbecues in the garden, cake and presents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have trusting relationships with the children, supporting their identities with sensitivity and treating them with dignity and respect. Each child has their own memory book, with photos, drawings and written text to capture the memories and fun times they have experienced. Interactions between staff and children are caring, friendly and filled with good humour. Staff provide reassuring warmth and affection to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who once struggled with attending school are now doing so regularly. Structured learning opportunities are offered to boost their confidence in educational settings. One child is currently receiving home tutoring, engaging in creative arts projects and looking forward to starting a college course. Both children currently have a 100% attendance. The registered manager advocates for the children and works alongside the local authority and virtual school to ensure another child receives the appropriate educational provision to meet her needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before moving into the home, children are provided with opportunities to visit and meet with the staff and other children. However, there has been one occasion, when a child moved in without visiting first and this had an impact on the child already living there.

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

Care and support plans outline the specific needs and goals of each child, providing staff with strategies to help children in reaching their targets. Regular reviews ensure the plans remain effective, with the children's progress consistently documented and highlighted. Additionally, input from the home’s psychology service, offers staff valuable support to be able to respond effectively and support the children’s needs, by helping them manage their emotions in a safe and constructive way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2730402 4 Restraint has been used with one child in the home. When restraint is used, it is necessary and proportional to the risk of harm and used to keep children and others safe. The registered manager evaluates the use of each restraint and supports staff and children to reflect on what could be done differently in the future. However, one child not involved in the restraint has expressed feeling unsupported during these

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

incidents, as staff had not checked to see if they were okay.

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

There has been one missing-from-home episode since the previous inspection. Staff are aware of the risks children face when they go missing and take clear steps to reduce the risk of harm, ensuring the child’s safe return. The registered manager has been tenacious in trying to chase the local authority to ensure that missing-from- home interviews are completed.

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

The presence of door alarms on children’s bedrooms, a locked office and utility room and staff carrying keys around the home can make it feel more institutionalised rather than a family home. The registered manager is reviewing the use of locks and alarms to ensure they are necessary and proportionate to the children who live there.

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

Online safety and healthy relationship work is regularly completed with the children to help them protect themselves. The outcomes and actions from these sessions are incorporated into the children’s plans so that staff understand how to keep children safe. However, the language used in key documents is not always child focused, and these plans are not completed with the children’s input.

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

There have been several concerns raised about staff, since the last inspection. These concerns were all taken seriously, reported to the relevant external professionals and investigated robustly. The registered manager acted appropriately to keep the child safe and ensure they were supported, even though this was a recurring pattern of behaviour that was being seen.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is enthusiastic and demonstrates a strong understanding of the children in their care. They are recognised as a capable and effective leader, with staff expressing that they feel heard, appreciated, and that their opinions are valued. However, staff have noted that communication within the team members requires improvement to establish a more consistent approach to parenting the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals value the support provided by the registered manager and feel that the home is a good advocate for the children and that they are making progress from their starting point. A professional and parent both commented that the manager keeps them updated on a regular basis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Several new members of staff have joined the team ensuring there is sufficient staff to meet the needs of the children. Staff receive a robust induction and information about the children to support them in building relationships and understanding their Inspection report for children’s home: 2730402 5 needs. Safer recruitment practices are followed and are robust to ensure that newly recruited staff are assessed for their suitability to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers actively support staff training, ensuring it remains current and comprehensive. In addition to mandatory training, staff are encouraged to pursue specialist courses, such as play therapy and life-story work, to better address the specific needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are held regularly, offering valuable insights into children’s needs and their progress. However, appraisals have not taken place over the past year, leaving staff without formal assessments of their performance and suitability for their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses research and practice to improve the lives of the children they care for. An example is their research on bedtime routines, which has now been put into practice and is having a positive impact. The registered manager is aware of the strengths of the home and those of their staff team, as well as areas that need development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2730402 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that they review the use of locks and alarms to ensure they are necessary and proportionate. Children’s homes should seek to maintain as far as possible a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2730402 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fresh Start Care Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Oak House, Bridgwater Road, Worcester, Worcestershire WR4 9FP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Whitworth

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Austin Sutton-Jennings

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Inspector

Karen Hallam, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2730402 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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