Children's Home run by Heritage Children’s Homes Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 1 Registered provider: MJ Residential Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to two children with emotional and social difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. However, since the last inspection, another child has also lived in the home, so there were two children to consider during the inspection. Therefore, parts of this report will refer to more than one child.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been managing the home for over a year and was registered with Ofsted in December 2024.

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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

Date of last inspection: 3 September 2024

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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: 2634633 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2024 Full Good 17/01/2024 Full Outstanding 05/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said they feel safe and like living at the home. They have lived there for three years and have positive relationships with staff, whom they trust. The child said they can express their wishes and feelings and feel listened to by staff. The child said they like all the staff and have a very close relationship with the manager, who included them in the plans when the new child moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is thriving in education and is preparing for the next stage in their career. Education professionals said that the child’s confidence has grown and that they are showing progression in socialising and supporting other young people with projects.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support the child to engage in regular activities. The child enjoys watching movies at the cinema and going shopping and out for lunch. Family time is promoted by staff, who support the child to maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before children move into the home, they are given a guide that contains photos and useful information so they understand what it will be like living at the new home. There are robust and structured plans, to help children prepare to move in. Staff visit children and arrange for them to view the home, have dinner and meet the other child. Children complete activities together, so they spend time with each other before a new child moves in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is well-presented, welcoming and cosy for the child, as improvements have been made since the last inspection. There are soft furnishings and pictures on the wall, so it feels homely. However, staff carry a bunch of keys to unlock doors, which can make the home feel institutionalised and detract from the homely feel. There are also window restrictors in place that are not related to an assessed need or risk.

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

Staff know how to support children to keep safe. They understand missing-from-home processes, search for children and work with external professionals to return children safely to the home. They speak with children to help them understand risk. Staff build positive relationships with children and use a nurturing approach. As a result, restraint is not used in the home.

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

The child is approaching adulthood and has an independence plan in place. Despite this, staff have not taken effective steps to ensure that the child has the practical skills needed to prepare them for independent living. Staff do not support the child to complete practical tasks, so they learn how to look themself, instead staff do these for the child. For example, they do the child’s washing, cooking and tidy their bedroom. Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 4 Leaders and managers take effective and timely action to address any concerns about staff practice. They seek advice from external professionals and complete thorough and robust internal investigations. The registered manager takes appropriate action to ensure children are safe and that they feel listened to.

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

The home’s location assessment is comprehensive and supports staff to recognise and understand risks in the local area while considering the needs of the child in the home. It provides an overview of resources and services in the area and includes consultation with external agencies and professionals to help give an informed view of the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides a nurturing environment for children and plans to build and develop a resilient team that can provide a high level of care. He understands that children must feel safe to be able to flourish and reach their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a good advocate for children. He challenges professionals when necessary and seeks additional support to ensure children’s needs are met. He attends all meetings and communicates regularly with external professionals. He is receptive to critical feedback and any suggestions for improvements he can make to ensure the home is at a high standard. He engages well with leaders and other managers, who offer him quality support and valuable insight so he can widen his expertise and skills and support staff to improve their practice for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have a good understanding of the home and are aware of areas of strength and development. They consider all incidents and reflect on and evaluate these to help their learning and consider how things could be done differently. There is also support from a clinical team that offers guidance and advice to staff four times a year so they can talk through any difficulties or challenges and seek advice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said they like working at the home and feeling supported by leaders and managers, who they have close working relationships with. Training is comprehensive and in line with the statement of purpose. The registered manager has arranged additional and specialist training to ensure that staff can meet children’s specific needs. This includes training to address health and identity needs. All staff have relevant qualifications or are working towards obtaining them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring and review systems are in place. The registered manager completes an internal quality assurance process each month so he can evaluate all aspects of the child’s support needs. He completes recruitment checks; however, this does not always include a check of employment history and an explanation of gaps in employment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 5

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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, 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they help the child learn practical skills to prepare them for adulthood and independence, for example cooking, cleaning, shopping and using a washing machine, as well as budgeting and using public transport. 1 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 1 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 6 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that thorough and robust recruitment checks are made for all new staff, including a full employment history and explanations for any gaps, so that safer recruitment procedures are followed.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home environment is nurturing and does not feel institutional. In particular, this relates to consideration of the impact of staff carrying bunches of keys around the house and the use of window restrictors when not necessary. (‘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: 2634633 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: MJ Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Level 1, East Reach House, East Reach, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 3EN

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Inspector

Emma Fryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2634633 8 regulates 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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Inspector

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