Children's Home run by Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2775075 1 Registered provider: Flourish Gloucestershire 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 provider and offers care for up to three children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager were registered with Ofsted in April 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 outstanding

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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: 2775075 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2775075 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children living at the home were present during the inspection and seen or spoken to by the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children said they like living at the home. One child said that staff have supported them to rebuild their relationship with their dad, and that staff always listen if they need help. The other child said that they have fun playing with staff. Interactions between staff and children are warm and nurturing. There are pleasant conversations, laughter and fun, revealing the positive relationships that staff have built with children. Staff help children maintain positive relationships and enjoy quality time with family members and people that are important to them. Children attend a range of activities like going to the park, going on day trips and going fishing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Younger children maintain good school attendance and enjoy engaging in education. One school said that since one child moved into the home, they have attended school ‘consistently well’. When children are not attending education, staff encourage them to engage in learning activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly express their views, wishes and feelings. These can be natural and open conversations with staff within the home or during activities, or in formal sessions. Staff support children to understand a range of topics in a child-friendly and meaningful way. However, not all children are engaged with independent advocacy services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to meet their health and well-being needs. Children are taken to regular appointments. When additional resources are needed, staff ensure that children engage with wider support services. Children have a varied and balanced diet, and they help staff choose their meals each week and eat a range of fruit and vegetables. Older children learn practical skills in preparation for independence. Staff have helped them learn to budget, plan meals, go shopping and prepare food.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, staff ensure that they are prepared for the move. Children receive information that is age appropriate, which helps alleviate any anxiety and makes them feel welcome. Professionals said staff manage moving ‘incredibly well’. They also commented that communication is good, and they receive regular updates.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move on from the home, the registered manager ensures that the process is well managed. Moving-on plans help children feel prepared and comfortable. Staff plan positive endings and keep in touch with children after they have left the home.

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

Staff help children to be safe. Children’s plans help staff understand how to respond to any risk or harm. Strategies are clear so that staff can keep up to date and informed and Inspection report for children’s home: 2775075 4 ensure they meet children’s needs. Children use devices with internet access, but there are robust filtering systems in place. Staff have supported children to understand how to keep themselves safe online and have compiled a range of age-appropriate resources to help keep children up to date with online safety issues.

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

Restraint is not used in the home, although there have been incidents where children needed protection. When staff use physical techniques to guide children away from danger, they are proportionate and only used as a final measure to ensure children’s safety.

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

When children go missing, staff follow protocol and consult with external professionals to keep children safe and return them to the home. The registered manager has implemented safety measures to reduce the risk to children.

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

Leaders and managers take immediate and effective action to address concerns about staff practice. They seek advice from external professionals and complete robust and thorough investigations to ensure that children are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is committed to children living in a settled and thriving home environment. She works exceptionally hard to ensure that children feel loved, safe and welcomed in their home and is confident that staff are dedicated and have the skills to meet children’s needs. One parent said that staff are ‘amazing’ and gave their child ‘everything they need.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are enthusiastic about working at the home and spending time with children. They understand the progress that children have made with their support. This is because of the positive relationships they have built with children and their commitment to using a therapeutic and nurturing approach. Staff say there is an open culture in the home, as they all communicate very well together and work with transparency. They said that the registered manager is approachable and provides a very high level of support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is an excellent advocate for children. When children do not have their needs met by external professionals, she ensures that additional resources are available and challenges appropriately in the best interests of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders maintain high quality oversight of the home and support the registered manager to ensure there is a high standard of care within the home. They complete regular quality assurance audits to monitor and address any shortfalls and identify resources to upskill staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is highly reflective, learning from incidents that have occurred to improve practice standards. She has extensive oversight of the home and has developed a risk management tool, which has significantly improved the quality of care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775075 5 Other managers within the wider organisation have sought advice from the registered manager and learned from her risk management skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff training is comprehensive and in line with the statement of purpose. All staff have relevant qualifications or are working towards obtaining them. Staff receive purposeful supervision and can engage in clinical sessions if they need advice and guidance to meet children’s needs effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775075 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support. In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children know and understand that they are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16).

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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: 2775075 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Flourish Gloucestershire Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 27 Westend Office Suites, Westend, Stonehouse GL10 3FA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Summers

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Inspector

Emma Fryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2775075 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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