Children's home run by Central and Southern Homes Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2696711 1 Registered provider: Central and Southern Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home may provide care to one child who has social or emotional difficulties. There was one child living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 17 September 2024

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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: 2696711 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2024 Full Good 15/01/2024 Full Good 23/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2696711 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke with the child who currently lives in the home. They told them about a recent visit to a theme park, where they enjoyed going on all the rides, even ones that go upside down. The child enjoys the food they eat in their home; macaroni and cheese is their favourite.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child in this home is loved by the staff who care for them. Staff have committed to providing them with stability and this has resulted in the child building trusting and secure relationships. Staff have invested time in getting to know the child. The child has made progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are supportive of the child making educational progress in line with their starting point. Having entered the home without any education in place, staff have supported the child to work with a tutor. This is now being built on, with aspirations for the child to complete functional skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff know the child well and support them to engage in activities inside and outside of the home to build social skills, understand how to communicate with others and maintain relationships. Staff have provided the child with a wide range of activities, including a holiday, trips to the beach, zoos, gardens, adventure parks and escape rooms and going banger racing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are key in helping the child to develop personal self-care skills and have appropriately identified where the child may need additional support. The child has access to local health services should they need them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent care to the child. They approach the child’s care in line with the home’s model of care, and the child has benefitted from this. The child has been supported to develop skills to manage big feelings. All staff treat the child with dignity and respect. Staff approach the child’s behaviour with curiosity in a non-judgmental way. Staff know that the child needs to build a positive self-view and a positive view of others. They are completing work with the child to help overcome previous experiences in childhood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child spends time with their family. This has been carefully assessed with the placing authority and is supervised by the staff at the home. The staff have worked positively with the child’s parents to promote meaningful and safe family time in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection and one child has moved in. The plan for the child to move in was at a pace which considered the needs of the child. The manager ensured that she gathered as much information as possible prior to Inspection report for children’s home: 2696711 4 the child moving in and also included the whole staff team in the transition for the child. The child who left the home experienced a positive ending that was planned.

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

There is a proactive response from all those working with the child to reduce the risk of harm. The response includes consistent communication and planning with the child’s social worker. The risks and vulnerabilities to the child are known and well understood by the staff. There are up-to-date risk assessments to address these known vulnerabilities, and staff know what they need to do to reduce harm.

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

The child can speak to the adults in the home about any matters of concern. These concerns or difficult feelings are taken seriously by staff, and they seek to understand the child so they can help them.

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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. There is a well- coordinated response to reduce the risk of harm to the child while they are missing. There is a plan in place that is followed. Staff look for the child when they are missing. The plans are adapted to address risks. The child was spoken with by their placing authority and the home to learn and understand their motivations for going missing and to prevent them happening in the future.

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

Staff have received specialised support to understand and manage specific behaviour. Staff therefore respond to the child with appropriate boundaries, are clear about what is safe and acceptable and seek to understand what the trigger behind this behaviour is. The approach is non-blaming it is open and curious.

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

Restraint has been used in the home. The single incident was recorded clearly and was reviewed by managers. The child’s views were sought after the incident. There was reparative work carried out with the staff involved to maintain relationships.

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

There are physical restraints in the home in the form of window restrictions and door alarms on external doors. These are turned on and used only at night. The child has been spoken with about them. Their views on them have been recorded and permission from the placing authority was sought. The least-restrictive measures possible have been implemented at each level of intervention needed. The restrictions have been in place for a short time; the manager has a plan to review them and to include the child in the reviews.

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

Staff have spent time understanding what risks and vulnerabilities present for the child in their care. They are acutely aware that they need to ensure steady and purposeful intervention strategies that do not overwhelm the child. They have developed strategies to help the child learn how to keep themselves and others safe. They are delivering this work in line with the child’s abilities and needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2696711 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a qualified registered manager. The manager has a recording system which prompts management oversight across the home. Her oversight has been seen on daily records, chats with the child and safeguarding incidents and she is able to speak at length about what is happening in her home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although the internal monitoring systems enhance staff practice and care, the independent visitor conducts their monthly visits on the same day as those on the other two homes on site, managed by the manager. This has led to short visits and reports that lack detail and analysis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has consistently identified areas of need for the child and has been proactive in securing the right external interventions to meet the child’s needs and increase staff’s practice knowledge. This has improved the experience of the child in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed a way to monitor progress for the child in their home. They have demonstrated that they have made a positive impact on the child’s life and that the child has made progress from their starting point. The manager has modelled proactive and positive working with other agencies and professionals. They have built effective working relationships to secure good outcomes for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are motivated to do their job and work consistently to provide stability for the child in the home. They all aspire for the child in their care. Staff say that they are well led and managed and that they feel supported and safe to discuss anything with management. Managers have ensured that staff have been provided with additional support to address the impact of their role on their personal well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is regular supervision in place, the focus of which is on staff well-being, children’s experiences and individual staff development. There are team meetings, which focus on safeguarding, enhancing practice, the day-to-day running of the home and the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training for staff is effective. The training ensures that staff can meet the needs that are specific to the child in their care. The manager has ensured that the staff are up to date and have ongoing training that aligns to the needs of the child and staff’s specialist area of practice. The manager has started to consider how research can impact positively on practice. This is in its infancy and is yet to be embedded or to have the outcomes of its use measured. Inspection report for children’s home: 2696711 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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure they commission an independent person who spends adequate time in the home to provide a robust, analytical and detailed report to the regulator. 4 November 2025

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: 2696711 7 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: 2696711 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Central and Southern Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pitmaston House, Malvern Road, Worcester WR2 4LL

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Inspector

Hannah Spencer-Townesend, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2696711 9 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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