Children's home run by Somerset Council in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: SC066055 1 SC066055 Registered provider: Somerset Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides short breaks for children with complex health needs and special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, six children were having regular short breaks at the home. One child was seen and spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2014. They were not present for the inspection.

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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 good

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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

Date of last inspection: 19 November 2024

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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: SC066055 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2024 Full Outstanding 15/11/2023 Full Good 31/08/2022 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC066055 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy visiting the home and look forward to their stays. They make exceptional progress because staff know them well and understand their needs. Staff support children effectively in using communication tools, enabling them to fully express their wishes and views. One child was observed using an eye gaze, a regular feature of their care at the home. The child could ask questions about their sibling’s whereabouts, communicate their choices, and express their needs. The child used this tool to engage fully with the staff, making them all laugh when the child did something funny.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have access to a wide range of opportunities during their stays. They make new friends and participate in activities that they would not usually do at home. Children enjoy regular visits to parks, beaches, cinemas, or local museums. When children enjoy new experiences, this gives parents more confidence to do different things with their children at home. One parent said: ‘Our child is much more used to going out now, and this has been helped by attending this setting. This has had such a positive impact on our family life’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff have transformed the home in the last year so it is more tailored for children and their needs. Through research and consultation with other professionals, specialised spaces such as a new sensory room have been designed and created. An additional lounge offers more space for play. These improvements are a testament to how focused the manager and staff are at placing children at the forefront of their practice to ensure that all the children have the absolute best experiences at this home. Children’s short break experiences support them to make excellent progress. They benefit from receiving consistent levels of care from highly trained and professional staff. Skilled health professionals provide the staff with specific training that is relevant for each child. This enables the staff to meet children’s complex care needs to an extremely high standard and helps them enhance their practice. The staff have an exceptional

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

understanding of the individual needs of each child, and they know all the children extremely well. This means that the staff truly understand how it looks when children are unwell or unhappy and ensures that the children receive the very best levels of care from staff who are not only skilled and knowledgeable but also show a high level of commitment to the children they care for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers create an open culture in this home, and families and professionals said they know they can pop in or call at any time. There is regular communication before and after children’s stays to ensure that children always receive the absolute best levels of care. Regular events are held where families are invited to visit the home with their children. For example, staff hosted a fully accessible sports day, bringing together children, families, staff and professionals for a fun afternoon. Children enjoyed egg and spoon races, playing rounders, and playing human whack-a-mole with the staff. One child thoroughly enjoyed looking back at the photos during their stay, sharing special memories from this event that they clearly enjoyed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066055 4

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

Safeguarding is well managed in this home. Children are well supported by staff who know how to keep them safe. Staff thoroughly understand the vulnerability of the children they provide care for, and they place the children’s needs at the centre of their practice. Staff work diligently to identify any potential safeguarding concerns, and they take action when necessary. Communication with families, social workers and other professionals is timely and effective in helping to keep children safe and promoting their welfare.

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

Staff follow clear processes to manage children’s medication in the home. When medication errors are identified, they are checked and promptly followed up by staff. Staff seek medical advice from health professionals when needed. Most of the errors were clerical and had no effect on the children. When managers identified one concern about medication being administered incorrectly, learning was taken from the incident, and refresher training was provided to staff.

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

There has been no need for physical interventions at the home, and no concerns have been raised about staff practice. Any concerns relating to children’s health needs have been promptly followed up.

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

Staff plan well for children joining the home for overnight stays. Staff gather information so they can learn about the child. This practice includes input from a range of professionals who are involved with the child. Specific training is provided to staff to support them in caring for the child. Staff visit the family home and school to get to know the child. Staff seek advice from an occupational therapist to ensure that the correct equipment is in place for the child before they arrive for their stays. Staff then develop appropriate plans with the child held in mind and in a time frame that is right for each individual child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is highly skilled, experienced and knowledgeable. The manager uses their strong leadership to influence practice, with the needs of children always at the forefront. Skilled and knowledgeable staff thoroughly understand and support the children’s complex needs. There is a constant commitment from the manager to support children in having new experiences and help them make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager strongly advocates for the children and strives to support them with their communication so they are fully involved in their day-to-day care and can express their views. The manager and the staff focus on making children’s experiences highly enjoyable so that they want to come back again. Leaders and managers have strong oversight of the arrangements in this home. They understand what is working well and any areas that need further development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066055 5 Professionals speak highly of the support staff provide. They identify the thorough preparation undertaken to ensure staff meet children’s needs. One professional commented on the open mindset of the staff team, and their willingness to try new approaches. The manager ensures staff work collaboratively with professionals to ensure children’s wider health needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff said that they feel highly valued and well supported by their managers. They really love working in this home. They spoke positively about the specific training they receive, as well as the opportunities for growth and development. Staff said they consider their managers very approachable and responsive. If they need support, there is always a timely response from the manager. Regular team meetings, supervision sessions and appraisals provide staff with opportunities to meet and discuss how to enhance care and practice at the home. These forums provide further opportunity for reflection, growth and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is influential in changing practice, not just in this home but also in the wider organisation. The manager is a mentor to other managers and has been consulted for advice for other settings about how to best support disabled children. The manager leads by example and generates creative ideas to sustain the highest quality of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There were no requirements or recommendations made at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066055 6

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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: SC066055 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Taunton, Somerset TA1 4DY

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Inspector

Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC066055 8 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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