Children's home run by Vesta Children's Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2728263 1 Registered provider: VESTA CHILDREN’S SERVICES 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 organisation. It is registered to provide care for one child who experiences emotional, behavioural and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been a change of registered manager since the last inspection.

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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: 6 February 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2728263 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2728263 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child has successfully moved out into semi-independent living. Children make excellent progress and benefit from exceptionally well-planned, individualised care that effectively meets their needs. Staff are highly committed to providing children with a caring and nurturing home environment where they can thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff take an approach that is individual to every child. With the help of the staff, children make sustained progress. Children benefit from regular access to an in-house clinician. The clinician also helps staff to reflect on the care they provide to children. This provides research-informed learning for staff and helps them to provide consistent, therapeutic care and support to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children feel safe and build supportive relationships with staff who they trust. Staff work hard to ensure that children’s cultural and religious needs are well met, with children’s identities being accepted without question. When children are exploring their needs in these areas, this is embraced and supported by staff. Staff also help children to understand different cultures and religions, which help children to develop a more knowledgeable world view.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff actively support children to achieve in their education and this has resulted in children making excellent progress in this area. The manager consistently promotes the importance of children’s education and advocates for children when their educational plans do not meet their needs. Children engage well in their learning. When this is not school based, staff engage children in a wide range of educational activities, including work experience and learning independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide high levels of support to meet the children’s health needs. Children flourish and make progress physically, emotionally and socially. Children’s needs are assessed quickly when they arrive at the home. The organisation’s therapist supports children with their emotional needs and well-being. The manager and staff also use relevant research and age-appropriate resources to teach children about staying healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Moves for children are planned thoroughly. One child was provided with exceptionally high levels of care and support when they moved out. The manager worked closely with external professionals to ensure that the right support was in place for the child. Staff have remained in contact with the child, who still calls regularly to speak to them. The manager has an open-door policy for all children who move on from the home, providing advice and support to help them to lead healthy lives into adulthood. Before children move in, staff visit them and an assessment is carried out to consider the children’s needs alongside the skills of the staff. This ensures that children’s needs are well understood at the point they move in, and that staff are able to meet them to a high standard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728263 4 Children are treated with dignity and respect and know how to complain or voice their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

opinions. Children are confident and comfortable in expressing their views about the staff and their home. Their views are taken seriously and always responded to. This helps children to know that they are listened to and strengthens their relationships with staff.

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

The manager has an exceptional understanding of how to protect children and maintains clear oversight of safeguarding incidents. She takes a proactive approach in sharing knowledge with the team, using incidents as opportunities for staff to improve the care provided to children. Following any incidents, leaders and managers conduct thorough reviews and debriefs to identify underlying causes and use these as opportunities for staff development.

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

Staff manage children’s behaviours extremely well and are consistent in their approach. De-escalation techniques are effective. Staff use creative strategies to help children at times of upset, which prevent behavioural incidents escalating. Staff provide children with clear boundaries, communicating with them well. This helps children to safely manage conflict or difficult feelings. The manager also ensures that positive behaviour is promoted, recognised and rewarded consistently.

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

Risk management plans are clear, easy to follow and effective at helping staff to keep children safe. Children have individual risk assessment plans, which are reviewed regularly. Risks are well understood, and staff respond appropriately and swiftly to emerging concerns. This excellent understanding and management of risks has led to them significantly reducing and children becoming safer.

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

Staff have an excellent understanding of trauma that children have experienced. They use research to develop their understanding of incidents and risks that children face, such as child sexual exploitation and internet safety. Staff have regular meetings with the home’s therapist where children’s progress and the care being provided to them is reviewed. Staff having a high level of understanding of children’s needs helps children to feel secure and able to share information about their past traumatic experiences.

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

There have been some incidents of children being missing from home. Staff take suitable action to find and return children home, attempting to keep in contact with them throughout the incident. Records of incidents are clear and contain the precise details of all the actions taken and who is informed.

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

Staff are proactive in supporting children when they feel overwhelmed by their feelings. They ensure that children receive suitable support in response to all episodes of heightened anxieties, and responses are individual to the child and the situation. Children are encouraged to learn from incidents when things do not go to plan, and they are helped with how to deal with things differently in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728263 5 Children who have made disclosures about past harm have been sensitively supported by staff. Staff recognise that children need to feel safe and secure. This nurturing environment allows children to manage their feelings safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

An inspirational manager leads this home. She is ambitious and knows the children who come to live in the home extremely well. She has ambitious goals for their progress and achievements. The manager and staff are working towards the current child being able to have less restrictions in their life, in a safe and measured way and with the support of external professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and her deputy consistently monitor the quality of care provided to children. The manager has established effective systems to maintain oversight of the home, allowing her to identify strengths and weaknesses. She has a hands-on approach and leads by example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses handovers, staff meetings and observations of practice to ensure that children’s routines and responses to children from staff are consistent. This reduces risks and helps children to feel safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent relationships with partner agencies. The staff build effective connections with parents and partner agencies, which foster open communication and cooperation with all those involved in children’s care. These strong links ensure that children receive the support they need in all areas of their lives. The manager asks questions and challenges appropriately when they feel a decision may not be in the child’s best interests. A social worker referred to the manager and her staff team as ‘often going above and beyond to improve the outcomes for children in their care’ and added that the manager is ‘exceptional’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive highly adaptable support to deliver the highest quality of care to the children. The managers ensure that care is individualised to the children, with a wide range of training, including courses that are specific to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are provided with regular and meaningful supervision. This includes discussion of children’s needs and theories that help to develop staff’s knowledge and improve their practice. Staff also participate in regular group supervision and team meetings and work with an in-house therapist. During all supervision sessions, behaviours and practices are thoroughly examined and actionable steps agreed to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A strength of the staff team is the promotion of equality and diversity. This ensures that children’s cultural and individual needs are well met. Children can talk to staff about whatever issues are worrying them, including sensitive issues around identity. Children know that the staff will listen to them and be supportive of and responsive to their views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has changed the way that records are written. Records are now written to children, and staff focus on children’s experiences. This means that records are child Inspection report for children’s home: 2728263 6 friendly and accessible. Every month, following the child’s monthly feedback, the manager writes the child a letter in response to what they have raised and all the positives that have been achieved in that period of time. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728263 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: 2728263 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: VESTA CHILDREN’S SERVICES LTD

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: A B C Tools & Fasteners, Unit 4, Emma Court, Dewsbury Road, Fenton Industrial Estate, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2TH

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Inspector

Nicola Jeffery, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2728263 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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