Children's home run by Cedarways Residential Child Care Larkhill House Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2577151 1 Registered provider: Cedarways Residential Child Care Larkhill House 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 run by a privately owned limited company. It provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is yet to register with Ofsted.

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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: 2577151 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/01/2024 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good 21/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2577151 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children were living at the home at the time of the inspection and were spoken with as part of this inspection. Since the previous inspection, three children have moved into the home and two children have moved out of the home. Moves into the home are well planned. Staff meet with children and provide them with information about the home before they move in. Children are also offered opportunities to visit the home. Children feel less anxious about moving into the home, which supports them with settling in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. Children seek out staff frequently to spend time with them and share information about their day or for support with challenges they are experiencing. Children experience positive and nurturing relationships with staff. Children feel cared for and supported by adults whom they trust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise gathering children’s views, wishes and feelings to inform decision-making. Children attend weekly house meetings, where they can plan activities and meals and discuss any other issues they have. Children also take part in one-to-one sessions with staff to share their views and can also complete an ‘opinions questionnaire’ about what it is like to live in the home. Staff act on the information children share with them and advise them of the outcome of any requests promptly. Children feel heard and involved in decisions being made that impact on their day-to-day lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making positive progress in all aspects of their lives, considering their starting points. Staff support children to attend education consistently, which is particularly positive for two children who previously struggled with attending school. Staff spend time with children supporting them in understanding the risks around their behaviours and how to be safe. Two children no longer go missing from the home, when previously going missing from home was a common occurrence. Children feel a sense of pride and self-worth in light of the progress they have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer children a variety of activities and experiences in line with their interests. Children have been on holiday to Spain and attend Scouts and go horse riding and swimming regularly. Staff are planning a holiday to Paris for one child’s birthday. Children are able to enjoy new experiences, develop hobbies and also enhance their social skills. Children feel worthy and valued while having fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a welcoming and calm feeling throughout. Children are given the opportunity to personalise their bedroom to their own taste. Children’s achievements are displayed, and photos of the children are on view in communal areas around the home. This provides children with the understanding that they are important and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Window restrictors are used throughout the home as well as bedroom door alarms without valid reasons to do so. As a result, some elements of the home environment are unnecessarily restrictive. This takes away from the homely feel that has been created. Inspection report for children’s home: 2577151 4

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

Staff have a clear understanding of the risks for each child and manage them well. Robust risk assessments are regularly updated and staff have a good understanding of protocols to keep children safe. One child is at high risk of harm due to their self- harming behaviours. Staff work closely with the child and their professional network to assess any changes to their level of risk and reflect this in the child’s risk assessment, which is updated weekly. Children feel cared for and supported to manage behaviours that pose a risk to them.

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

Staff understand and action the correct protocols when children go missing from home. Staff work closely with other professionals to share information and locate children swiftly. Children are provided opportunities to reflect on incidents and understand the risks they are exposed to when they go missing.

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

Physical interventions were used frequently for a short period due to the needs of a child who was living at the home. In general, physical interventions are rarely used and when used are proportionate and managed well. Staff are skilled in de-escalating situations to minimise the need for physical intervention. Children are supported by staff to manage challenging emotions.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour consistently. Children are engaged in using positive behaviour charts and a rewards token jar to earn activities and special items of their choice. This supports children in feeling valued and appreciated.

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

Children are provided with clear routines, boundaries and guidance. One child has developed positive daily routines, which was previously challenging for them. Another child has developed numerous independence skills in preparation for adulthood, which they were unable to do before living at the home. Children feels supported to make positive changes to their lives.

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

A serious safeguarding incident related to a child self-harming and needing to attend hospital was not reported to Ofsted in line with Regulation 40. Although this is concerning, due to staff following the correct procedures and offering the child the correct support, there was no direct impact on the child by the notification not being made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective and committed to ensuring that children in the home have the best possible outcomes. She has a gentle nature, and children speak very positively of her. The manager is proactive in spending time with children and is actively involved in their day-to-day care, while also providing leadership within the home. The manager is supported by a very experienced responsible individual who has extremely good insight into the functioning of the home and each child’s individual needs and journey while at Inspection report for children’s home: 2577151 5 the home. Together, the leadership team is strong, which ensures that children receive care that is in tune with their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good monitoring systems in place. A comprehensive range of audits and reports help her to assess the care being provided to children. When practice issue are identified, she is quick to address these with staff through supervision sessions and additional training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders actively challenge other professionals when they feel they are not acting in the best interests of children. The responsible individual challenged hospital staff in relation to a child experiencing mental health difficulties being discharged home without an adequate multi-agency safety plan in place. Children have adults who will advocate for them and ensure their safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and speak positively of the management team. Staff said that they feel able to talk to managers about anything and they find supervision sessions to be useful. One member of staff said that ‘Supervision is always supportive and collaborative,’ and that ‘The managers are able to adapt their management style for different members of staff to be able to get the best out of us.’ Staff enjoy coming to work and feel very much a part of a family at the home. Children are cared for by staff who are happy to be working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from all professionals and family has been extremely positive. A parent said: ‘There is nothing I would change about the home. The staff are amazing and I think very highly of them.’ A teacher said: ‘The staff are very supportive of children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a vast amount of training. Staff feel well equipped to meet the needs of children in their care. However, one member of staff has been lone working with a child who has a high risk of self-harm. This is despite the member of staff not completing training in relation to safeguarding children and self-harm. This was not picked up through the management monitoring systems. Inspection report for children’s home: 2577151 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, training and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff undertaking training to provide them with the skills and knowledge to respond to children’s risks and meet their needs. 16 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that Ofsted is informed of any incidents that involve children coming to harm or that are deemed serious by the manager. 16 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2577151 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children. The home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression, specifically in relation to window restrictors and door alarms. (‘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: 2577151 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cedarways Residential Child Care Larkhill House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 33 Stapenhill Road, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire DE15 9AE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Karmen Buckerfield

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Inspector

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2577151 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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