Children's Home run by South West Childcare Services in Plymouth

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1235576 1 Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider and offers care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home. The inspector spoke with this child.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a vacancy for a registered manager. The provider has appointed a new manager, and they have submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1235576 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been changes in the management of the home and staff team since the last inspection. The registered manager has left the organisation, and the home was supported in the interim by an experienced registered manager from a nearby home. A permanent manager has now been appointed and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, a child has moved out. The child’s move was planned, and they moved to another home within the organisation, which was better suited to their needs. The provider has not moved another child in in order to allow a period of stability for the current child and the staff team.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have a good understanding of the needs of the child and work hard to build trusting relationships. The child has responded to this by beginning to express their feelings through words and poems. With the child’s agreement, some of these poems have been sensitively turned into artwork, which is displayed in the home. The child said that ‘staff do a good job’ and ‘it’s better here now; it feels different’.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff ensure that the child has a healthy routine. Staff involve the child with shopping and cooking and support healthy, informed decisions. However, more needs to be done to ensure that there are clearer expectations around vaping.

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Findings from the inspection

The child is kept safe and there have been very few incidents for staff to manage. Staff respond calmly to the child’s distress and use a trauma-informed approach to understanding behaviour. As a result, the child is able to better understand their emotions and responses to others.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff understand the importance of family time and the child is able to have unsupervised time away from the home with their friends and loved ones. Staff take an age-appropriate and balanced approach to unsupervised time and demonstrate professional curiosity to explore any concerns. This has encouraged the child to be open and honest with staff, which helps to minimise risk.

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Findings from the inspection

The education plan for the current child is not meeting their needs. Leaders and managers have taken steps to challenge this with the wider network. However, more needs to be done by staff to ensure that consistent messages are given to the child about their engagement with educational activities.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff speak positively about the changes that have taken place in the home. Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly and offer staff the opportunity to reflect on their own practice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1235576 3 Allegations and complaints are responded to in a timely manner and thoroughly investigated. Leaders and managers have taken action to address poor practice, and this has resulted in some staff leaving and new staff being recruited. Professional feedback has been positive, particularly in relation to recent changes.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been substantial improvements to the home environment, including the child’s bedroom. The décor and furniture in the home have been modernised, and the child has been involved in various DIY projects. The child’s bedroom is now personalised, and the child talked about how ‘happy’ they are with the changes. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1235576 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/05/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/11/2023 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1235576 5

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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. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1235576 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Stacey Pellow, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1235576 7 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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