Children's home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC006921 1 SC006921 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care 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 privately owned children’s home provides care for up to five children between the ages of seven and 14 years with social and emotional difficulties. The home offers attachment and trauma-informed therapeutic support.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in 1997, and the registered manager has been in post since 2013. The registered manager was on leave for the duration of the inspection. At the time of the inspection, there were four children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC006921 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/04/2024 Full Outstanding 04/07/2023 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC006921 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from living in a home that is warm and welcoming. Regular maintenance and decoration ensure that the environment remains fresh and homely. Bedrooms are highly personalised, reflecting each child’s identity, interests and hobbies. They are the bedrooms of any child in a loving family home, filled with belongings, photos and the paraphernalia of everyday life and hobbies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s care plans are beautifully written, specific and regularly updated to reflect children’s changing needs. Their health needs are met to a high standard. Staff advocate strongly for specialist services and support children to build confidence in accessing healthcare, including dental care. Multi-agency working is strong. Staff advocate effectively for children, including helping challenge decisions so that children are not left out of important events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children attend full-time education, and staff support children to promote their attendance and progress. One child who has lived at the home for some time is being appropriately prepared for independence. Their pathway plan is flexible. Staff are supporting the child to develop essential life skills, including cooking, washing clothes and shopping for food. These activities are carefully paced to match their readiness and are helping them to build confidence and independence in everyday routines, while recognising their need to sometimes remain a child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Newsletters are thoughtfully produced and include high-quality photographs that reflect the pride staff take in the children’s achievements. These images are well composed and capture the small but meaningful details that show care and attention much like those any proud parent might take.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

When children move out of the home, these events are managed with care, sensitivity and celebration. Since the last inspection, three children have moved on. Two children successfully moved into foster homes after an extended period in residential care. These moves were exceptionally well planned and celebrated through family dinners with children, and staff and shared reflections on achievements. Staff maintain contact with these children, inviting them back for celebratory events, reinforcing enduring relationships and confidence in their own ability to forge connections. Where one child’s needs could no longer be met, the ending was handled with dignity and advocacy, ensuring that the child’s voice remained central throughout. Records clearly show the efforts made to support the child and the thoughtful planning of the departure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

New children have recently joined the home and are at the beginning of their journeys with a long-term goal of family-based homes. Staff have embraced the challenges this brings, recognising that increased safeguarding notifications and incidents are part of the process. These are managed with skill, insight and a trauma-informed approach. Risk and impact assessments are completed for all new children and the home uses what Inspection report for children’s home: SC006921 4 they have called a ‘claiming’ plan to support children who are new to the home. Even in emergency admissions, staff revisit and build on these forms to ensure that children feel welcomed and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy warm, affectionate and trusting relationships with staff. Interactions are nurturing, consistent and joyful. Family dinners with staff on shift are filled with music, laughter and connection. Children behave like children, playing, lounging on the sofa, joking and shouting for dinner. This feels like a real home. All children spoken to knew how to make a complaint and could identify trusted adults. Their views are regularly captured and acted on through home meetings and key-work sessions. Key-work sessions are tailored to children’s developmental stage and tolerance, delivered in bite- sized chunks and gradually extended as children are ready.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children engage in a wide range of activities, both individually and together. They also attend regular clubs and hobbies, contributing to a sense of everyday childhood opportunities tailored to their individual interests.

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

Staff demonstrate a deep understanding of children’s needs and the risks they face, which helps them keep children safe. Staff are supporting children to reduce challenging behaviours through effective and appropriate de-escalation techniques and intervention strategies, supplemented with therapeutic guidance and intervention.

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

Risk assessments are proportionate, regularly reviewed and used as genuine tools for learning. All safeguarding documentation, including physical intervention records, missing-from-care recordings and safeguarding notifications are completed in detail and all benefit from forensic management oversight. Staff are equipped with the confidence to respond to complex safeguarding issues, including allegations and high levels of distressed behaviour. Staff consistently debrief both children and each other, and there is no evidence of blame, only a desire to improve.

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

There is a consistent and embedded recognition of behaviour as a manifestation of trauma. This is evident in all documentation, planning and staff discussions. One social worker described how staff were helping a child learn to be kind to themselves, were never shaming them for unsubstantiated or retracted allegations and were always reflecting with them afterwards. Professionals consistently praised the home’s calm, reflective and responsive approach to safeguarding, including their collaborative work with families and social care. Information-sharing with the local authority designated officer and the police is timely and appropriate, and safeguarding procedures are followed rigorously. Safer recruitment practices are embedded and well documented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership in the home is strong, reflective and ambitious and leaders have fostered a culture of high energy, enthusiasm and commitment to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC006921 5 Supervision is regular, high quality and used not only for support but also for teaching, including safeguarding quizzes and meaningful discussions around learning. Leaders foster a non-defensive, learning culture that permeates all levels of the home. Staff feel well supported and speak positively about the training they receive. Staff training is well attended and appropriate to the needs of the children. Systems for auditing and monitoring training attendance are clear and well maintained. Throughout the home’s processes, audit activity and feedback mechanisms ensure that leaders know the home well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Management oversight is consistently seen on key documents. Oversight is detailed, meaningful and rooted in a genuine desire to understand children’s experiences. Leaders use this insight to drive continuous improvement in practice, ensuring that decisions and actions are informed by the needs and voices of children. There is clear evidence of consistency across all documentation plans, records and meeting minutes, and incident reports all align and reinforce the same trauma-informed, child-centred approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staffing is exceptionally stable, with long-standing team members and just one new starter since the last inspection. There have been no staff leavers. Staffing levels were challenging during the children’s summer holidays. This was acknowledged with staff at the time, and the home is actively recruiting. Staff described feeling heard and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Although the registered manager was not present during the inspection, the management team demonstrated strong leadership and organisation in her absence and spoke positively of her influence in the home’s organisation and ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No recommendations or requirements were made during this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC006921 6

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC006921 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Five Rivers Childcare, 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy-John Matthews

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Inspector

Claire Beckingham, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC006921 8 regulates 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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