Children's home run by Collaborative Care Services Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2793863 1 Registered provider: Collaborative Care Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private provider and was registered with Ofsted on 24 June 2024. The home provides care for one child with emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection one child was living in the home. The inspector met with the child.

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Information about this children's home

The new manager has applied to be registered with Ofsted and holds a level 5 qualification.

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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: 3 December 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2793863 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2793863 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the child left the home and at their own request was supported to move back to live in the home once again. The child has settled well and made positive progress in many aspects of their life. However, the safeguarding arrangements and leadership and management systems in the home require improvement. Consequently, this has had some negative impact on the child’s overall experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote and encourage the child to do well in education. Staff supported the child to sit their GCSE examinations, apply for a college course and explore an apprenticeship in the child’s chosen vocation. The child has also been supported to write their curriculum vitae and use it to apply for part-time work in the local area. This has helped the child to feel a sense of accomplishment and boosts their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of supporting the child’s physical and mental health needs. Staff work closely with external health and wellbeing professionals and support the child to attend their weekly appointments. This helps to ensure that the child receives consistent and regular therapeutic support that positively aids their emotional wellbeing and improves their health.

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improvement to be good

The child has formed positive relationships with the staff and they trust them. Staff take time to listen to the child and have delicate conversations with them around some very emotional and sensitive topics. Staff offer reassurance to the child, allay any concerns and help the child feel respected and valued. The child said that staff are non- judgemental, are very forgiving and that they feel staff really do care about them.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance the child places on spending meaningful time with their family and friends. Staff are aware of the positive and negative impact this can have on the child’s well-being. Staff work with professionals and relatives to help ensure that the child continues to enjoy valuable safe time with their loved ones.

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improvement to be good

The child said they feel safe living in their home, that they can share their worries with staff and staff help them. Staff know the child well and can identify when the child may need support quickly to help manage their emotions safely and try to prevent situations escalating to a point where the child could be at risk. When this has been unsuccessful and incidents have occurred, staff have not always taken appropriate action to keep the child or others safe and protected from harm. Instead, staff call the police to help manage the child’s behaviour. This places the child at risk of criminalisation. While records do thoroughly detail the incident, the managerial oversight is not always Inspection report children's home: 2793863 4 effective, staff debriefs rarely take place to check their wellbeing and reflect on practice and the child is not always spoken with about the event.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the child’s individual vulnerabilities and have a good understanding of the risks associated with each of them. Staff work proactively with a substance misuse worker who visits the home, and this has been effective in helping the child to significantly reduce their substance misuse. Risk assessments are thoroughly recorded and regularly reviewed. This ensures that information is up to date and clearly sets out exactly what action staff need to take to address the child’s current risks and help keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of the significant risk the child is exposed to when they go missing from the home. Staff promptly follow a clear protocol to minimise the risk of harm and help ensure the child returns home safely. The incident reports are detailed and child focused. However, the manager does not always review each incident to ensure any lessons learned are shared, whether any additional training is required or to identify if staff practice needs to be changed to help better protect the child in the future.

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improvement to be good

When concerns are raised by the child about staff, leaders and managers act promptly to protect the child and keep them safe. Staff have effective links with the local authority and their designated officer and alert them when any allegations are made. The child is listened to, believed, and their voice used to inform the thorough investigation that takes place. Leaders and mangers ensure action is taken to ensure safety until a conclusion is reached.

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

Management oversight of the home is not always effective. The manager has not always taken sufficient action to identify, understand and address shortfalls in staff practice that could have a significant adverse impact on the child.

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

The home development plan includes some actions to improve the life of the child they support. The child has a say in how they are cared for and improvements made within the home. The child said the manager is very caring, talks to them constantly, checks how they are and listens to their point of view.

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

The manager ensures that plans for the child identify the child’s needs and how staff can best support them. Plans reflect the local authority placement plan and are regularly updated to consider any changes that occur. The child centred plans clearly detail their achievements and highlight the progress the child is making alongside plans for their future aspirations.

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

The home is fully staffed, providing consistency to the child and helping to meet their needs. Staff receive regular and effective supervision sessions that focus on the child’s progression alongside their own wellbeing. There has been an emphasis on providing additional training to help staff develop their knowledge and skills. Inspection report children's home: 2793863 5 The manager has built effective positive working relationships with external agencies. Leaders and managers advocate for the child to ensure that everyone is focused on keeping the child safe and supporting them to continue to make progress and experience positive outcomes. Professionals are positive about the home. A social work manager remarked that communication is a real strength of the home, and the staff are quick to get in touch and keep them informed and updated when incidents occur. Inspection report children's home: 2793863 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

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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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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

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 should ensure that robust monitoring systems are in place that support them to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the care and support that is provided to children. 9 October 2025

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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 Inspection report children's home: 2793863 7 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 children's home: 2793863 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Collaborative Care Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 25 Pure Offices, Kembrey Park, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 8BW

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Inspector

Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2793863 9 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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