Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 1 SC463431 Registered provider: Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings 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 provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 18 November 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/11/2024 Full Good 14/02/2024 Full Outstanding 21/03/2023 Full Outstanding 25/05/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 3

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improvement to be good

The child currently living in the home was present during the inspection and spent time talking to the inspector. The child said that they were happy living in the home and liked the staff. The child described the activities they enjoy with staff, which include playing football and darts. Staff support the child to see their favourite football teams play. The child has had the opportunity to create positive memories of their time in the home; many of these are captured in photos. The child has made some good progress overall. They have completed their refereeing qualification, regularly refereeing at matches locally. The child also volunteers as a marshal for community running events. The child attends a local youth club independently each week with their friends. Over recent months, the child has shown less interest in doing activities with staff, choosing to spend more time with friends.

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improvement to be good

The staff in the home are committed to the child and talk about them with care and affection. They form trusting and positive relationships, which enables the child to seek their support and guidance at times when they need this. With support from staff the child gets up and ready to leave on time for school. However, there are challenges in the evening due to the child regularly arriving home late from seeing friends, resulting in their bedtime routine being inconsistent. Conversations around the child’s social and emotional wellbeing do not provide sufficient support, despite concerns regarding the child’s diet, recent vaping, and healthy relationships. There is a lack of professional curiosity about the vulnerability of the child.

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improvement to be good

The child attends school full time and has high levels of attendance. Staff support the child with home learning. This enabled them to prepare for their recent mathematics exam, which they reported went well. Feedback from school is positive; school staff talk highly of the support provided by the home and feel this contributes to the child’s positive experiences of education.

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improvement to be good

The child attends all key health appointments. However, the child has a poor routine around their eating and an unhealthy diet. The child frequently skips meals and is eating sugary snacks; there is not a clear plan in place to address this. Staff have raised concerns about financial constraints to healthy food being available in the home. There have been significant delays in some health concerns being addressed. For example, there were delays in seeking medical guidance for the child’s knee pain, despite an impact on their physical activity.

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improvement to be good

The child can independently do daily tasks, such as making breakfast and doing their own washing. Money management has not been supported by staff and there are concerns about what the child is spending their money on. Guidance from the internal therapies team offers clear strategies for staff to support the child to develop Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 4 independence skills further in a therapeutic manner. However, this has not yet translated into their day-to-day care.

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improvement to be good

Some risks are understood well by the staff and plans offer clear guidance on how to respond to these risks. However, there is a lack of guidance for staff in relation to new and emerging risks. There has recently been an increase in incidents for the child relating to risk in the local community. Staff record incidents clearly, however management oversight and analysis of these incidents is lacking and does not recognise the increase in risk or consider any patterns and trends. There are minimal actions to follow up and therefore an absence of key learning for the team. Support plans do not reflect these incidents or offer guidance to staff on strategies to support the child to reduce the risk.

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improvement to be good

The child has friendships in the local area with older peers; these have been a cause of concern for staff over recent months. Staff have made efforts to maintain links with friends and their family members, however the child is also spending time with unknown peers. The child spends long periods of time out of the home, often not returning until late in the evening. Although staff check in with the child, there has been a lack of meaningful engagement. The risk assessments in relation to this are not clear and the staff’s interpretation of these risk assessments was not consistent. In addition, staff do not demonstrate professional curiosity about the child’s intimate relationship with another child. While staff have had some conversations with the child to support their understanding around this relationship, these are in their infancy.

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improvement to be good

The child has use of a non-internet mobile phone after breaking their smartphone. There have been unnecessary delays in providing the child with a replacement phone. A lack of support around online safety linked to previously identified concerns means that the child has limited understanding of the risks associated with online use in preparation for getting a new phone.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has had periods of absence from the home for personal reasons. Leaders have not arranged adequate cover for these periods. Gaps in the home’s management have had a negative impact on the staff team and the care provided in the home. Senior leaders are aware of this but acknowledge that the wider plan to support the home is not yet in place. Staff enjoy working at the home and feel supported by the manager. However, they do raise concerns about the lack of leadership and direction.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has completed a review of the quality of care that clearly identifies the home’s strengths and areas of development. However, management oversight is not Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 5 robust, meaning key opportunities to identify areas to improve the care provided to the child are often missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Plans for the child are not regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the progress they make to meet their long-term objectives. There are delays in clarifying information contained in historical reports by other professionals. Further assessments necessary to better understand the child’s needs are also significantly delayed and there is a lack of timely follow-up or further escalation of these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The child’s social worker for the child feels that the quality of care in the home is the best the child has received throughout their care journey.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have regular supervision sessions and are given the opportunity to reflect on their role. However, these do not always contain clear actions or review of previous actions set. Where staff have raised concerns relating to the consistency of care provided to the child and lack of clear support from managers, there is no evidence of responses to this. Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. Discussions regarding the child are detailed. However, identified actions to support the child are not always completed in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager ensures that the staff complete all relevant training to be able to work in the home. The members of the staff team are all fully qualified and have worked in the home for lengthy periods of time, offering the child a stable home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that delays in relation to the absence of information or assessment of need are appropriately challenged and where necessary escalated to ensure there is a clear understanding of how best to support the child. 10 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to— 10 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 7 achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children should be supported to have a healthy diet and take regular exercise.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure the child is offered ongoing support, advice and guidance to supplement that provided by school through PSHE education.

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Requirement Due date

Any referrals to other agencies to support children’s health and well-being should be made in a timely way and followed up quickly.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated in line with presenting risks. 10 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 8 In addition, ensure that staff receive guidance in how to manage presenting risks and strategies to support the child to minimise the impact of these.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure staff receive support to have informed discussions with the child to help develop their understanding of safe sexual health and healthy friendships and relationships.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure the child is provided with continual guidance, support and knowledge about how to remain safe when using online gaming platforms and social media, now and for their future protection.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have effective oversight of the home. In addition, leaders should ensure that there is identified support for the home when the registered manager is absent. 10 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 9

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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: SC463431 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Support Hub, Unit 5, Chinon Court, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6SS

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Inspector

Carly Parry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC463431 11 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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