Children's Home run by SW Education & Care Ltd in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2578677 1 Registered provider: SW Education & Care 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 operated by a private provider of social care and was registered with Ofsted on 9 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. The manager was present throughout the inspection.

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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: 2578677 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Good 22/01/2024 Full Good 11/01/2023 Full Good 07/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2578677 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out of the home during this inspection period. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. They spoke to the inspector at length with staff present.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live in the home make progress. Staff have supported one child to move to semi-independence. The secure relationships staff have built with another child have led to them responding to, and respecting boundaries. Three professionals and one parent said that the child is settled, calmer, happier and taking fewer risks. They attributed this progress to the care that staff provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to engage with their tutor and attend educational activities. They have listened to the child’s wishes in relation to re-engaging with school and advocate for them during meetings. The child said that staff take them out on a daily basis, providing them with stimulation and routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff acknowledge the importance of relationships for children. Children are encouraged to make and maintain positive friendships. Staff value input from a child’s parent. They share essential information between them, which supports joint decision-making. They respect children’s wishes to have relationships with their parents. This has led to a parent and family pets staying overnight at the home. When risks are identified within family relationships, staff talk to children to enhance their understanding and encourage them to make safe decisions. Staff work collaboratively with other professionals to devise and implement safety planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health needs of children are understood by staff. They have open conversations about sexual health and safe sex. Staff work with a psychiatrist to implement a trauma- informed approach and consider children’s mental health needs and how they may impact on their behaviours and their decision-making. When a need for specialist assessments is identified, staff are proactive in consulting other professionals and requesting funding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the benefits of providing children with routine and stability. They communicate effectively to ensure that practice is replicated throughout the team, ensuring consistency of care. Staff explain the reasons for the decisions that are made to the child to support their understanding. This has contributed to the formation of the trusting relationships that formed between staff and the child who is living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show patience and understanding with children. When they interact with them, they consider the impact of their past experiences and trauma. They adapt their communication style to the circumstances and the child’s needs and behaviours at that time. This has led to children choosing to talk to staff about their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2578677 4 Staff complete bright memory books for children. Photos of children’s experiences provide a narrative of their time in the home. Staff speak to children to gain their views about their care, their future and the experiences that they would like to have. This informs care planning and ensures that the child’s interests are nurtured.

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

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the risks that children may experience. Guidance on the measures that staff should take to support children and reduce risks, such as developing and maintaining healthy relationships, risks of vaping and personal safety, is clear. Staff approach sensitive topics and discussions about risk in an open and child-centred way, providing guidance, knowledge and advice. Incentives are created with input from the child and consequences for negative behaviour are natural and proportionate.

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

The child told the inspector that they feel safe and are supported to know the boundaries that are in place. They said that they feel respected and listened to by staff. Four professionals and one parent were very positive about staff’s approach to safeguarding. Staff work closely with other professionals, valuing their knowledge and expertise. They are proactive in requesting meetings, sharing information and requesting information. One professional said that staff were ‘the driving force for risk management’. By building positive relationships with the child, the child has felt able to disclose important information about risk to staff which has informed risk management.

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

There have been limited instances of children going missing from home. One child went missing frequently before moving to the home. This has significantly reduced. The protocol for staff to follow if the child is missing is clear and informative. Episodes of the child being absent from home are managed well. Actions taken by staff to find the child and how they work and communicate with other professionals is well documented. However, one report detailing an episode of going missing does not contain antecedents. This could prevent a full analysis of triggers for the incident to improve future care- planning.

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

When children return home after being missing or absent from care, staff have thorough, reflective conversations with them. They are curious about the child’s experiences and educate them about the consequences of their behaviours and associated risk. The depth of these conversations has supported children to reflect on the reasons for the incidents and how further incidents can be avoided. The child said that they no longer want to go missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Other professionals speak positively about the responsive, close-knit leadership and management team. The home benefits from an experienced and reflective manager. His presence and his style of working allow him to build positive relationships with children Inspection report for children’s home: 2578677 5 and staff. He knows what goes on in the home and he leads a committed and enthusiastic team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home and said that they feel listened to by leaders and managers. Children benefit from a long-term, stable staff team whose members receive regular, focused and reflective support from managers. Supervision sessions and team meetings focus on the needs of the child, practice development and safeguarding. They show a collective approach to caring for children and the running of the home. However, discussions about safeguarding are not fully documented in written recordings of supervision sessions. This prevents staff from being able to further reflect on their actions and any learning taken from these valuable discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is present on documents about the child. It is reflective and gives clear guidance and actions for staff to follow. The manager regularly reviews the progress of the child. However, there is no analysis and evaluation of how the team has supported the child to make progress or how practice could be improved. This limits the learning opportunities for staff in relation to their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some language used in documents about children is institutional.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Planning for a child to move into the home was of good quality. Staff took time to gather essential information from those who knew the child. They spent time with the child before they moved in, gaining firsthand information about their needs, likes and dislikes. Consideration was given to the skill set of the team in relation to the child’s care needs and how risks could be mitigated. Planning for a child to move out of the home was robust. Staff worked closely with other professionals to secure the right accommodation and the right level of ongoing support for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2578677 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all information is recorded and considered when a child has been at risk; in particular, documenting information and events that precede incidents and documenting discussions about safeguarding during supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  The registered person should ensure that carers understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, carefully consider the appropriateness of language used in recordings and reports about children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children receive a high quality of care while living in the home. They should play a key role is shaping the care that children

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Recommendations

receive and have high aspirations. In particular, they should review and evaluate the quality of care provided to children to consider areas of good and effective practice and areas where practice can be improved. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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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: 2578677 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SW Education & Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Higher Barn, Pound Lane, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton TA4 3DN

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Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2578677 8 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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