Children's Home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2642842 1 Registered provider: Five Rivers 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 run by a national private organisation and may provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. One child has lived there since December 2022 and was present at the last inspection, and the other child moved into the home in March 2025. In addition, a child moved out of the home in January 2025 to a home run by the same provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2023.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2642842 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2642842 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living in the home are experiencing a range of positive opportunities and are making meaningful progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities, including trips to local beaches and attractions and the cinema. These experiences reflect both individual and shared interests, as well as the children’s age and development. One child’s passion for football motivated a trip to watch a match in another city. The staff and the manager support children to create lasting memories with personalised memory books, containing proud notes and joyful photos of both children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have given sensitive and responsive support to one child in light of recent changes within the home, recognising the impact of a previously challenging peer relationship. These actions have helped both children to start forming healthy peer relationships within a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment has recently been updated and offers a beautifully decorated, cosy and welcoming space for the children. There is a vast garden providing ample space for any activities the children choose, with equipment that helps with play and fun. Each child’s bedroom has been thoughtfully personalised in line with their own choices and interests, promoting a strong sense of ownership and belonging. The staff bedroom was an uninviting and unsuitable space for sleep and relaxation. While action was taken to improve the room, managers had not identified and addressed this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff respond effectively to each child’s individual health needs, ensuring that they receive appropriate care and guidance. Children are encouraged to engage in physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle and are supported in developing balanced eating habits through access to nutritious meals and snacks. The weekly shopping routine and the decision to not top up unhealthy treats helps the children to experience consequences and take responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff demonstrate high ambition and aspiration for the children’s education. They actively engage with wider partners to support this, championing and facilitating full-time school attendance. One child’s personal commitment and motivation to complete their final exams are discussed and championed with pride to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are actively supported to build and maintain safe, meaningful relationships with their family members. The home’s inclusive ethos supports well-planned and safe family visits. Beyond supporting existing connections, the manager and staff take a proactive approach in exploring potential lost relationships. Collaborating with relevant professionals, they have successfully challenged and advocated for formal life-story work for one child, recognising that personal history and identity are connected to trauma-informed care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642842 4

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

The actions of the manager and staff have ensured that children remain safe and receive the support they need. This is despite a challenging period when two children with a difficult peer relationship and different needs continued to live together. During this time, a higher number of physical interventions were used to maintain safety, and staff appropriately raised concerns about the children’s emotional well-being.

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

A child was, after a short delay, supported to move to another home run by the provider, allowing continuity of care by familiar staff for a period. Decisions were guided by a sincere commitment to both children and were made in collaboration with senior managers.

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

The managers have applied learning from past experiences, as demonstrated in a recent move into the home for one child. The manager carefully assessed the needs of both children, the capacity of the staff team to provide therapeutic support and any requirements for additional training or resources. Transition planning included visits, overnight stays and shared meals with staff, the manager and the child already living in the home. These thoughtful steps helped reduce anxiety, foster engagement and support the early development of positive peer relationships.

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

Since the changes within the household, one child has had no incidents involving physical restraint, and the use of restraint with another child has significantly decreased. When physical intervention is required, all incidents are thoroughly reviewed by both the manager and the responsible individual, ensuring clear oversight and accountability.

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

There has been one incident of a child going missing from the home, which was managed appropriately and in accordance with statutory guidance and agreed protocols. Clear plans were in place to guide staff’s actions, ensuring a swift and coordinated response that prioritised the child’s safety.

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

Complaints made by children are taken seriously and responded to in a timely and transparent manner, with each receiving a written response. The managers also demonstrate strong advocacy for children’s rights by actively using the formal complaints process on their behalf when appropriate. This includes referring matters to external agencies such as the Children’s Commissioner to ensure that each child’s voice is heard and that their rights are upheld.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates passionate, empathetic and nurturing leadership, supported by a collaborative and reflective approach. They show a clear understanding of the home’s strengths as well as the areas requiring further development. The experienced responsible individual has strengthened strategic oversight and provided valuable Inspection report for children’s home: 2642842 5 mentoring to the manager, contributing to a more robust and dynamic leadership structure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures recruited staff benefit from a comprehensive induction and training programme. Staff feel this is effective in helping them to gain the skills and knowledge for the role. This is important given the absence of related sector experience for some staff. The probation period is used effectively to identify the learning and support needs of staff. Staff receive regular supervision, overseeing practice and well- being effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling well supported by managers, and describe the open, inclusive culture fostered through regular team meetings and day-to-day interactions. Additionally, staff attribute their understanding of therapeutic care to training and the support in weekly reflective sessions led by the therapeutic clinician. Staff are able to explore practice from a therapeutic lens, process experiences and tailor the approach to each child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides staff with plans that support them to practise therapeutically. They set out risk with trauma-informed strategies to support the children. The children’s contribution is also captured, with their thoughts and wishes documented on how to support them in tricky moments.. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642842 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they have systems to identify and address issues promptly. In particular, this refers to the unsuitable sleeping accommodation for staff in the home, where actions should have been taken sooner given the manager’s observation that improvements were required rather than following external oversight and monitoring. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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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: 2642842 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspectors

Ashley Arkless, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2642842 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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