Atkinson Unit

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC046276 1 Atkinson Unit Devon County Council The Atkinson Centre, Atkinson Close, Beacon Lane, EXETER EX4 8NA

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this secure children’s home

This home is managed by a local authority and is approved by the Secretary of State to restrict children’s liberty. The home can accommodate up to eight children aged between 10 and 17 years under Section 25 of the Children Act 1989. Admission of any child under 13 years of age requires the approval of the Secretary of State.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The commissioning of health services in this home is the statutory responsibility of NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Education is provided on site in dedicated facilities.

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Information about this secure children’s home

At the time of this inspection, five children were living in the home.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2022.

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Information about this secure children’s home

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2024

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Information about this secure children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC046276 2 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC046276 3

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children receive considerate and thoughtful care from staff. Staff are positive about their work with children and demonstrate enthusiasm about children’s progress. Staff understand, and pre-empt, children’s needs because of the close relationships they have with them. Children say that this makes them feel reassured.

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Findings from the inspection

Children trust the complaints process, and their feedback is taken seriously. Staff practise with candour and transparency, helping children understand the actions staff may take and the reasons behind them. This level of accountability further supports the trusting relationships children have with them.

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Findings from the inspection

The home environment caters well to the needs of the children. There are plenty of spaces for outdoor pursuits and activities, such as gardening, sports, relaxation and games. A therapeutic garden has been recently opened, and training has been provided to staff so that they can support children to self-regulate using the equipment there. Improvements to the décor and maintenance of the home are well underway, and there is a clear plan for the remaining work to be completed.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff team has been restructured to create clearer structure and stability. Managers have focused on upskilling the existing staff group through development and learning opportunities, in order to motivate and retain experienced staff. Children are also actively involved in interviews for new staff, which further demonstrates how children’s feedback is responded to meaningfully.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s safety and well-being are prioritised. Safety support plans are specific, detailed and therapeutically minded. These plans offer guidance to staff about the most appropriate measures to use in order to de-escalate situations and reduce the likelihood of harm. They also consider the suitability and impact of restrictive measures according to the child’s individual needs. This means that children are safeguarded when displaying behaviours such as self-harm.

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Findings from the inspection

Measures of control, such as restricting children to their rooms and physical restraint, are used proportionately and only if deemed necessary. Where anti- ligature clothing is required, there is a high level of review and oversight, as well as careful thought about how to reduce reliance on this as a protective measure for children.

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Findings from the inspection

Supervision sessions for staff are child centred and focus on maintaining a positive culture in the home. New starters have good quality and frequent support so they can learn, develop and understand their strengths. Managerial oversight has helped to improve the quality of supervision session records and ensures that they are practice focused. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC046276 4 Managerial oversight and quality assurance processes have been strengthened. In the main, this oversight is effective at identifying learning or additional actions required to improve care for children. On one occasion seen during this visit, the quality assurance of a physical restraint identified a query that was not followed up. As part of the learning, the manager was able to demonstrate a new system to prevent such oversight from occurring in the future, but this was not fully implemented at the time of the inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The statement of purpose has not been subject to meaningful review since 2023. There have been changes made within the home that are not currently reflected within this document. While this is not having a significant impact on children, the updates would provide placing authorities and Ofsted with a clearer picture of the home’s current offer.

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager has a clear plan for driving improvement in the home. She leads the home in using reflection and partnership working as the basis of making changes that are meaningful and positively impactful for children.

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Findings from the inspection

The requirements from the previous inspection have been met and two further recommendations were made at this visit. The recommendation pertaining to education was not reviewed at this visit and will be explored at the next full inspection. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC046276 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Good 12/09/2023 Full Outstanding 07/06/2022 Full Good 09/02/2022 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC046276 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that across all courses (in particular in mathematics, science and English), children develop high levels of new knowledge and skills, and, where appropriate, gain accredited qualifications. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)  The registered person should ensure that they respond promptly and consistently to any lessons learned from internal monitoring and quality assurance mechanisms, particularly in relation to restraint practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s Statement of Purpose is kept under review and submitted to the regulator. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC046276 7

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider: Devon County Council

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider address: Devon County Council, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon EX2 4QD

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Inspector

Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC046276 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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Inspector

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