Children's Home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: SC403234 1 SC403234 Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to three children who 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 in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since September 2018.

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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: SC403234 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/06/2024 Full Good 28/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/01/2023 Full Good 10/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC403234 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have built trusted relationships with the staff who care for them. Staff listen to children, invest time in them and know them well. Both children have been supported in developing a sense of belonging. They have both lived in the home for over a year and are making positive progress in many aspects of their lives. Throughout the inspection, staff and children were interacting in a caring and fun-filled manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child enjoys school, maintains very good attendance and is doing well. Staff members and professionals are taking the necessary steps to fulfil the child’s wish to progress to a mainstream school. The other child is not currently engaging in education, despite several attempts to find the right college course or apprenticeship to meet their needs. However, they have secured a job they enjoy, are learning to drive, and have received adult support in learning all the life skills they will need as they enter adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health, and staff encourage both children to attend their healthcare appointments. Where possible, staff encourage children to independently take care of their health needs. For example, one child books appointments when they need them. Medication is stored correctly and administered safely to help manage lifelong conditions effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff set clear and consistent boundaries and have positive relationships with children. Both children get along well and receive support to safely manage their conflicts and feelings. Staff praise and encourage positive behaviour. However, they do not always challenge poor behaviour to help children understand what is appropriate and support the home’s ethos and culture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children spending quality time with their family. Staff work proactively with parents to promote continuity and ensure that meaningful and safe family time takes place, which promotes children’s identity and well-being. Staff are flexible and adapt their practice to facilitate children’s expressed needs. They respect children’s views about who they wish to contact and how often they may want to see their loved ones.

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

Both children said they feel safe living in their home and are happy. A mix of new and experienced staff adhere to established boundaries to help keep children safe. Staff treat children with dignity and respect. Staff understand when they need to respect children’s privacy and personal space and when children need support. Incidents rarely occur. However, when they do, the staff respond appropriately and effectively to help children manage their own behaviours safely. Effective managerial oversight ensures that lessons learned are shared to help prevent similar incidents occurring in the future.

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

Staff have developed an in-depth understanding of each child’s needs and know how to manage and support these effectively on a day-to-day basis to help children feel protected. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403234 4 Risk assessments are comprehensive and regularly reviewed, and they show clear progress for each child in terms of their individual risks.

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

Staff support children by encouraging them to take age-appropriate risks, increase their independence and learn new skills. This includes activities such as cooking, budgeting, cleaning, gardening, and building furniture for use around the home. Staff recognise the importance of such involvement and how it fosters children’s development and self-esteem.

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

Staff have built trusting relationships with the children, and the children can identify staff they can approach to express their worries and concerns. Staff have open conversations with children, often discussing sensitive information in a child-friendly manner. Staff listen carefully to children to understand their concerns so that they can respond appropriately and take prompt action to alleviate any fears and ensure that children feel protected and safe. Records are written with compassion and warmth.

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

The home is fully staffed. The manager has not experienced any difficulties with the recruitment of new staff and has made several successful appointments since the last inspection. When new staff join the team, thorough safer recruitment checks are carried out to help the registered manager determine that they are suitable to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well managed by an experienced and caring manager, who has high aspirations for the home and celebrates the achievements children are supported to make. They understand the importance of positively working closely with external professionals to help them achieve their vision and ensure that children make progress. The staff share the manager’s vision and ethos for the home and put children at the heart of everything they do, with a focus on them having positive experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use learning from significant events to identify lessons learned and continually improve. Each child’s voice is consistently sought, and the manager ensures that the child’s perspective is valued and understood to inform staff practice. The in-house therapy team is proactively used to help address areas for improvement. Staff also receive additional training and reflective practice sessions to enhance their skills and the care and support they provide to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are happy and enjoy their roles. They said that training is good and enables them to carry out their roles effectively. Staff feel well supported and receive formal and informal supervision. Staff know the children well and how to keep them safe. Staff speak with passion about the roles they play in improving children’s lives and can explain clearly what the focus is for each child to meet their needs and ensure that they experience positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from family and professionals about the manager and staff is very positive. One independent reviewing officer commented that the staff are inclusive. In reference to one child they said, ‘They are enabled to live and be themself and just enjoy life. Overall, I couldn’t wish for a better place for them to be.’ A placing social worker commented that their child has made ‘massive progress’, and they could not be happier. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403234 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should maintain high expectations for the behaviour of all staff and children in the home. This specifically relates to staff challenging poor behaviour and promoting positive behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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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: SC403234 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC403234 7 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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