Children's home run by Phoenix Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2573614 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a large private provider. It can provide care for up to two children who may experience social or emotional difficulties. At the time of inspection, two children were living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home and one child has moved into the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Staff in the home are referred to as adults. This is reflected in this report.

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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 outstanding

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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: 18 February 2025

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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: 2573614 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2025 Full Good 11/10/2023 Full Good 13/04/2022 Full Good 29/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2573614 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusted relationships with the adults in the home. Both children look for the manager to tell her about their day when they arrive home. Both children regularly seek hugs from the manager. One child rated their home as ‘10 out of 10,’ and said nothing could be improved. Adults support children to understand their routines and daily events, using pictures and visual aids.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are attending school. One child has excellent attendance and is progressing well. The other child recently moved into the home and started school within a week of arriving. Educational activities and tutoring have been offered when children have been out of school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves in and out of the home are supported well. One child moved on from the home in difficult circumstances. Leaders and managers recognised that the adults could not keep the child safe. The manager made a complaint to the local authority responsible for the child. This led to a full review of the child’s care and additional support has been put in place in the child’s new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults support children to make healthy food and lifestyle choices. Home-cooked meals are now a regular feature in the home. This has been an area of development for the team. The adults’ approach healthy eating with great sensitivity and care; they model healthy behaviours. They encourage children to choose a small number of less healthy snacks and help them to make healthier choices. Children are also given a small weekly budget to buy snacks and started to go into shops on their own, while adults wait outside. This helps to promote independence and supports healthy eating. Children are supported to develop independence skills. One child has their own set of safety knives and helps to prepare meals and snacks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The language used by adults in the home is sometimes not in keeping with a nurturing ethos. Adults talk about being ‘on shift’ and one child has previously spoken about the ‘COSHH’ cupboard. These words are not meaningful to children and do not replicate language used in a family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have fun. Regular trips out to trampoline parks, home baking, pamper nights and trips to theme parks all happen regularly. These activities are captured well in memory books, which are dated and clear. This helps children to revisit the experiences and retain important memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home feels like a family home. Photos and certificates, even for one child who recently moved in, show that this is their home. Few restrictions are in place; only one cupboard is locked with a view to this changing in line with children’s evolving needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2573614 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is an emphasis on not having an office and children have access to all areas. There are small issues that need minor repair. Children’s bedrooms are cluttered, which does not support calming, sleep routines. The overall feel throughout is homely. The children benefit from visits from the manager’s therapy dog.

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

Children share their feelings with the adults. This shows they feel safe or are beginning to feel safe. Feedback from other professionals highlights how safe the children feel.

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

Adults in the home know the risks to the children and the processes to follow. There have been occasions when processes have not been followed. However, the manager’s review of every incident is clear. The manager addresses the concerns when processes have not been followed. She makes clear to the team what is expected and puts support in place for adults when needed.

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

When children have been missing from the home, adults act quickly. A crisis plan was developed with other professionals for one child to manage high levels of risk. Plans and risk assessments give clear guidance to the team about what needs to happen at these times. The manager regularly adapts and updates these plans. When children return home independent conversations are requested in line with statutory guidance. When these have not taken place, the manager has challenged this.

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

There were a high number of physical interventions for one child who has since moved on from the home. When the manager reviewed the incidents, she addressed the shortfalls in skills and the confidence within the team. Training needs were identified, and adults were specifically paired with other team members to improve practice and confidence. As a result, the number of incidents started to reduce significantly.

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

Conversations are held sensitively with children after difficult incidents. Discussions also take place with senior leaders to consider wider implications. This shared learning improves practice for other teams which improves care for more children.

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

Children are supported to understand and name their feelings. This helps them to settle and calm. A professional said that one child is now better able to manage their feelings and because of this, there have been fewer aggressive incidents. Children are also supported to take age-appropriate risks, which helps to develop their independence.

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

When concerns are raised about practice, these are taken seriously and reported quickly. Action is taken to ensure children are safe. Adults are also supported through this process. Learning is shared with the team and children are informed about the outcomes.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place. This helps managers to make appropriate decisions about adults working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report for children's home: 2573614 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a suitably qualified manager. She has high aspirations for the children, the team and herself. The manager is not afraid to highlight shortfalls and address poor practice. She has good relationships with the children; two of the children have felt able to talk about their past experiences. The manager works closely with other agencies involved in children’s care and challenges any issues in children’s care arrangements with tenacity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s oversight of the care provided by adults in the home highlights shortfalls and any learning needed well. The manager tracks patterns and trends and can see what is needed to improve the care the children receive. The review of incidents with one child led to significant changes both for the child and for the team. The manager acted, and incidents of physical intervention reduced as a result. This was followed by changes to wider systems within the organisation. Changes made to duty systems and staffing rotas ensured that the skills of the adults were matched to the needs of individual children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The adults in the team say they feel supported. Time for supervision is protected. This shows how the manager values the team and how their development is supported. The manager has identified strengths and weaknesses with individuals and within the organisation. She offers creative solutions. The manager led an investigation into a complaint with tenacity. The poor experiences of one child were fully explored and significant changes in practice resulted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has worked hard within the wider organisation to bring about change for all the children. Holidays have been secured for children across the organisation. Improvements have been made to arrangements for covering absences such as holidays and sickness. This ensures all the organisation’s homes in the region have adults with the skills they need to support the children. There is a real emphasis on developing the team and supporting individuals both within the team at the home and within the wider organisation. Inspection report for children's home: 2573614 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendation

 The registered person should lead a team which provides high quality care for all children living in the home. The language used in the home should be in keeping with the ethos of the home and should be understandable and meaningful to the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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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: 2573614 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Support Hub, Unit 5, Chinon Court, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6SS

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Inspector

Nickie Doney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2573614 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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