Children's home run by Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Cornwall

Inspection report for children’s home: SC428956 1 SC428956 Registered provider: Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is managed by an NHS Foundation Trust. It offers short breaks for up to two children with complex health needs and learning and/or physical disabilities. Some children have life-limiting conditions that affect their activities and daily living.

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Information about this children’s home

Seven children are having regular stays at this home. Two children were seen and spoken to during the inspection. At the time of the inspection, one child was having an overnight stay at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2013.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC428956 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2024 Full Good 11/07/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Good 26/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC428956 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in various activities inside and outside the home. They have days out to music festivals, the beach or park, and they enjoy visiting places of interest. Children benefit from having new experiences and meeting new people. The short breaks enable children to spend time with other children and make new friends. One parent said their child loved staying in this home and it was a wonderful experience. Another parent described it as ‘absolutely amazing’. They said that there has been a lovely introduction to the staff, and their child really loves their stays. The communication is fantastic, and staff have been great at staying connected with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make timely progress in this home and are provided with positive routines and boundaries. They are cared for by a stable team of staff who know them well. During their stays, children have made progress with their development. They have developed their communication skills and are becoming more confident in using devices or tools to support them. Staff have helped one child to practice sitting at the table for their meals, and they are now confident going out to restaurants with the staff. Another child is more tolerant of staff cleaning their teeth and has been encouraged to visit the dentist. Staff’s strong level of support helps parents feel more confident when taking their children out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming, clean and comfortable. There has been a real drive to redecorate the home and make it feel more homely. There are photos on the walls of children smiling and having fun. The ‘wow’ board helps to capture children’s achievements. Children benefit from having spacious areas to play and comfortable sofas to sit on. Children’s bedrooms are personalised in preparation for their stays, which helps them relax and feel at ease. There is a large garden with a trampoline and bucket swing for children to play on, which they thoroughly enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have detailed care plans that provide staff with essential information about their needs. Staff communicate well with parents, so they fully understand any changes to children’s medication or health needs. Social stories have been used to help prepare a child for each stay. Regular feedback is provided to parents and social workers, which includes photos of activities that children have enjoyed.

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

Safeguarding is managed well in the home. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and place their individual needs at the centre of their practice. There have been no significant incidents, no physical interventions and no medication errors identified.

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

There have been several occasions when children have had accidents during their stays. Staff have taken appropriate action to seek medical advice when this has happened and thought creatively about how they can reduce the impact of any medical interventions needed on children. On one occasion, a positive plan was implemented for paramedics to Inspection report for children’s home: SC428956 4 attend the home to treat a child’s injury. This plan was agreed in consultation with the child’s parents and was much better than visiting a hospital, which would have caused the child significant distress. When one child slipped during the wet weather, action was taken to widen the garden path and make it safer for children to navigate.

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

Staff take positive action to reduce and try and prevent children’s behaviour that may hurt others such as scratching or pulling hair. Managers have encouraged staff to reflect on incidents and learn from these events to improve practice.

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

Staff advocate strongly for children and their families. When one family was struggling, this information was shared with the social work team, and stronger levels of support were put in place for the family.

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

Staff regularly monitor children’s presentation to observe whether they have sustained any bruising or injuries, and they are curious about how they could have occurred. When safeguarding concerns are identified, staff take prompt action and share information effectively with family members and professionals. This proactive approach helps keep children safe.

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

Managers act on all concerns about staff practice. During the inspection, there were concerns that staff had used their personal mobile phones to take photos of the children. Managers promptly addressed this issue. The photos were downloaded and removed from the mobile phone. Steps are being taken to learn from this event, and a business mobile phone is available to enable staff to take photos safely in the future.

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

There have been some weaknesses identified in relation to the management of the home since the last inspection. There is an experienced manager who has provided some oversight of the care in the home. However, there are gaps in her knowledge about the children. The manager is well supported by a senior support worker, who has a good understanding of the children’s needs. Staff said they feel well supported by the senior support worker, but they have limited contact with the manager. They said that the manager does not regularly visit the home and usually works from another home.

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

Thorough plans are developed with parents and social workers to support children moving into the home. Information is gathered about children’s health needs, and there is careful consideration given as to whether they can have stays with other children. Children can visit the home with their parents or social workers, and children gradually increase the length of time they spend in the home. Children have access to personalised bedding and items for their bedrooms, which helps them settle. This has all worked well in enabling children and parents to become more confident about children’s stays.

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

Staff have access to regular training, which they find helpful. Team meetings are held regularly, and they are well attended. Safeguarding is discussed as part of team meetings, but the discussions are not recorded in a detailed and robust manner. There Inspection report for children’s home: SC428956 5 are some gaps identified in staff supervision sessions, and not all staff have received regular supervision from their manager. Some newer members of staff have not received supervision within the appropriate timescales. This impacts on the managers understanding of staff skill and practice in the home.

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

Some concerns were raised about staff practice during the inspection. The manager has not observed staff working in the home regularly and has therefore not been in a position to identify any concerns in relation to staff practice. The manager has been reflective about her presence in the home and is taking steps to ensure that she visits more frequently. The manager has not had oversight of the references or recruitment information for a new member of staff. This member of staff has not received supervision since they started working in the home. As a result, the manager has not assured themselves that this member of staff is safe and suitable to work in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428956 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills to meet the needs of each child and are provided with regular supervision.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that they are sufficiently present in the home to understand the impact of staff practice on the quality of care, and have oversight of staff practice. 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC428956 7 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must assure themselves that all staff are safe to work in the home. 29 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 29 August 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 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: SC428956 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Trust Head Office, Carew House, Beacon Technology Park, Dunmere Road, Bodmin PL31 2QN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Sebastian De Gange

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Inspector

Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC428956 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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