Children's Home run by Autonomy Plus Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1263124 1 Registered provider: Autonomy Plus 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 owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to five children with learning disabilities and additional needs. At the time of the inspection, five children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since December 2022.

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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: 1263124 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/05/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 06/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/05/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 1263124 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said they like and love living at the home. Throughout the inspection, children showed how much they love, care for and trust the staff who look after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good to very good progress. Of note is the huge improvement in some children’s communication, which is enabling them not only to express themselves but also make choices. This work is supported by the effective use of augmented communication systems, which are enhanced by staff knowledge and understanding of the children they care for. Children’s independence skills have also grown, which will help them with their next steps. When talking about children’s progress, staff are proud, excited and emotional about how much the children have achieved. Staff provide children with good-quality care. They are very child focused and speak about the children with great warmth, affection and love.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a great range of activities with their peers and their families with staff support. Children really enjoy spending time together. Staff support co-operative and caring play between children. Staff have a can-do attitude regarding activities and explore how children can have the same experiences as their peers in a safe way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a relaxed, happy atmosphere at the home. Improvements to the environment are currently underway, with the home undergoing redecoration and refurbishment. Children’s views, ideas and wishes have been sought, especially with regard to their bedrooms. The recruitment of a new maintenance person means repairs and improvements in the home are happening in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have created a lovely memory book for each child. They have created these with care and the books are colourful, using some of the children’s favourite characters to illustrate these books. These capture all the different things the children get to do, including celebrations, activities, holidays, and playing at local parks as well as in the house and in the garden. There are also pictures of the children’s families when they have visited or gone out on day trips with their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of children’s plans has improved. They are of a good quality, being frequently reviewed and updated to ensure they meet the child’s current needs as well as demonstrating the progress the child has made. The plans also provide effective guidance for staff, which supports continuity of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from parents and social workers is very positive. They feel their children are well looked after by the staff. They talk about the home as being lovely, with brilliant and caring staff. They also note the progress the children are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are in full-time education. When needed, staff will advocate for children to ensure they are receiving the support and care they need at school. Inspection report for children's home: 1263124 4 Children’s health needs are well met. Staff support children effectively with these, including using social stories to prepare them for visits and appointments. This helps to reduce children’s anxiety.

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

Children feel and are safe at the home. The strong, supportive relationships they have with staff form the basis of this. Staff have a detailed understanding of the additional vulnerabilities of the children they care for.

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

Safeguarding arrangements are clear and understood by staff. Any concerns are supported by clear records. Allegations management is appropriate and links to children’s safety plans, which have been developed in consultation with children’s social workers. There has been a decrease in the allegations made by one child. Investigations carried out by leaders and managers have improved in quality and lessons learned from these are used to improve practice.

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

Children’s behaviour is managed effectively. Only one restraint has been used and this was proportional and to keep a child safe. Staff know children well and understand that behaviours are forms of communication. The development in children’s communication skills has led to a decrease in incidents as children are able to express themselves in other ways.

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

Staff are not risk averse and risk management is part of each child’s safety plan. Staff are working effectively with the children to develop their understanding of risk. As a result, children’s risks are reducing.

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

Staff recruitment is in line with safer recruitment practice, which helps to protect children. However, leaders and managers do not consider agency staff’s childcare experience so as to assess effectively their suitability to care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has an experienced registered manager who understands the strengths and areas for development. The registered manager and responsible individual recognise the progress children make and the developments in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been a number of changes in the staff team since the last inspection, with some staff leaving and new staff being recruited. Leaders and managers understand that staff retention remains a work in progress. They feel that the new staff have settled in, doing well and are an asset to the home. There are ample staff to support the children and meet their needs. When needed, leaders and managers use a small pool of agency staff to cover for staff vacancies and recruitment remains ongoing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is good. Staff, including leaders and managers, speak positively about their peers. All feel they work well together as a team. Staff are very positive about working Inspection report for children's home: 1263124 5 at the home, and about the support from managers. They find them very approachable and supportive not only with work issues but also personal issues including staff health and well-being. When needed leaders and managers devise risk assessments to support staff in their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and trained for their role. Staff receive good-quality training. There is effective oversight of training to ensure that updates take place. In addition, the deputy reviews the quality of all training to ensure that it is of a good standard and meets the needs not only of the children but of the staff as well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of staff supervision has improved, and sessions are supported by good- quality supervision records. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that staff see supervision as an essential part of their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Complaints are appropriately managed. Records of these evidence staff supporting children to make a complaint. Once investigated, meaningful conversations are held with the child and staff involved and work is undertaken to repair any affected relationships. Inspection report for children's home: 1263124 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the profiles they maintain on agency staff consistently include the agency workers’ experience of working in childcare. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that all staff understand the importance of staff supervision sessions, and that these are essential, not an optional, part of their role as they support their development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 1263124 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Autonomy Plus Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 67 Roundpond, Melksham, Wiltshire SN12 8EB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Faulkner-Elliott

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1263124 8 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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