Children's Home run by Buckinghamshire Council in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1277453 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Buckinghamshire Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social, emotional and mental health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 7 September 2022.

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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: 26 November 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1277453 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Outstanding 26/09/2023 Full Outstanding 17/01/2023 Full Good 28/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1277453 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have successfully moved on to more independent living. One child came to stay for a brief period and was helped to prepare for a move to foster care. Three children have moved in and are settled. One child has remained living in the home since the last inspection and is doing well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and they are passionate about helping them achieve their best potential. Staff are proud of the progress that each child has made from their individual starting points and continuously praise their efforts. Staff encourage children to develop communication, self-care and social skills at a pace that suits their individual needs. This means that children are learning to be more independent and broaden their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children can access a wide range of activities that support their talents and interests. Children are encouraged to do as much as they can for themselves and learn important life skills that will help them to live as independently as possible. For example, one child is now able to ride their bicycle to school independently. Another child is more confident in talking to people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to see the people who are important to them. Managers take action to maintain relationships in complex situations and keep the child’s best interests at the centre of plans. As a result, children are developing and sustaining relationships with the people who are important to them. For example, two children have been reunited with their families and are seeing them regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s attendance at school has been good. Children moving into the home have been helped to find the school of their choice that meets their individual needs. When children face difficulties, managers take action to review what has happened. They seek to minimise any impact on children and secure additional support for them when they need it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and decorated with homely touches. There is a large garden, and plenty of space where children can relax and have fun. However, some areas require more frequent maintenance and development to make it a more nurturing environment.

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

Children’s safety and well-being are priorities for staff, who have a good awareness of each child’s strengths and vulnerabilities. When concerns arise, they take appropriate action to ensure children get the support they need to stay safe. Staff work effectively to engage with children using the therapeutic approach. This helps children better understand risk and how to make safe choices. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277453 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

Children benefit from clear rules and expectations, which are based on mutual respect and trust. As a result, children are settled and rarely go missing from home. When incidents do occur, staff follow children and ensure they are supported to return safely. Managers review incidents with social workers and agree what follow-up action should be taken.

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

Staff are confident in discussing risk behaviours, such as self-harm, with children in a manner that is individualised to each child’s needs. Following incidents, staff work with children to understand their feelings and identify safe ways for them to cope if they feel in crisis. This means children are more self-aware and better able to manage their feelings. One child has stopped self-harming.

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

Staff use restraints appropriately in response to children displaying behaviours that could harm themselves or others. When one child displayed upset high risk behaviour, staff took appropriate action to hold them and to them help them calm and recover. Managers’ oversight of incidents is good. Children are given time to reflect on what happened and manage reasons for them becoming upset. There has been a low level of restraints since the last inspection.

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

The staff help children to stay safe online. Filters and monitoring are routinely in place. Managers understand if children are vulnerable in this area, as well as the factors that may be influencing increased risk behaviour. They make referrals for specialised support when incidents indicate that children need additional guidance to understand complex feelings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a committed manager who is passionate about providing a home where children feel safe and equipped to make progress. He is supported by proactive assistant managers and a knowledgeable responsible individual. The manager speaks about children with warmth and a determination for them to have the best possible outcomes. This ethos is embraced by the dedicated staff team. There is a strong sense of positivity, care and humour that helps children develop a sense of stability and enables them to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and valued by managers. They feel that managers listen to them and encourage them to contribute to decision-making. One member of staff said this ‘helps create a positive, inclusive and nurturing environment’. As a result, staff genuinely enjoy working in the home. They feel it is rewarding to see the progress and well-being of children being put at the centre of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Support for children moving in and out of the home is carefully considered and well planned. Staff support children to prepare for leaving the home and make decisions about their future. This means that children feel confident to move on and are set up for success in their future lives. Suitability assessments for children moving in are also high quality. The manager completes assessments to ensure that children’s needs can be met, and the environment will help them to settle and flourish. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277453 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is an advocate for children’s relationships with their families and works hard to help children spend positive time with them. Parents speak warmly about the home and how well staff have worked with their children. One parent said, ‘Everyone does a superb job.’ Another parent said the home is ‘amazing’ and they have ‘worked wonders’ for their child, who they feel has matured since moving in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s progress is monitored through regular reviews and communicated to social workers. Social workers are positive about the progress that children make, and the approach staff use to support them. One independent reviewing officer said the manager ‘works in partnership with all key people’, and ‘there is a real sense of the child at the centre’ of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277453 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure children live in a warm and welcoming environment with a homely feel. Damage in children’s bedrooms should be reviewed and repaired in a timely manner. This is a repeated recommendation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1277453 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Buckinghamshire Council, Chief Executive, Walton Street Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury HP20 1UA

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Inspector

Shirin White, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1277453 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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