Children's home run by The Open Care Group

Inspection report for children’s home: 2605108 1 Registered provider: The Open Care Group

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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 home is privately operated. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2605108 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/08/2024 Full Good 04/10/2023 Full Good 03/08/2022 Full Good 15/12/2021 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2605108 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is nicely decorated and provides children with a comfortable environment. Children choose the decoration for their bedrooms and are involved in decisions about the rest of the home. A communal games room and games consoles help children to have fun and socially interact with one another. Children’s photos and certificates of achievement on display throughout help it to feel homely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build secure and trusting relationships with children. Children say that they can talk to any of the staff if they have any worries. Children say that the home is like ‘a little family.’ When children move into the home, the manager undertakes a detailed assessment of their ability to meet the child’s needs along with the children already in residence. Well-thought-out transition plans help them settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in education. They are settled in school and college and make friends. The manager and staff work with the wider professional network to ensure that children get the right support with their education. One child receives extra tuition to further their academic progress. Where children may need additional support, staff advocate for this and escalate their concerns appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a variety of ways to improve communication with children who speak English as an additional language. They use an interpreter and advocate to help children with their language development, and staff use translation apps to assist with day-to-day conversations. Additionally, staff research children’s cultural and religious needs and support them to attend places of worship and participate in celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have time with the people who are important to them. Staff build relationships with extended family members when children cannot have time with their immediate family. Additionally, staff work with other professionals to help children understand their life journey. Children reflect with staff about the reasons why they do not live with their family, and this is supported with life-story work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in better health due to the attention and commitment that staff give to promoting healthy habits and routines. Their health conditions and well-being improve, including having a healthier diet. When children need specialist assessments, the manager and staff advocate strongly on their behalf to ensure that these are accessed promptly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children progress towards independence with age-appropriate tasks and support plans, including travelling on a bus, and learning how to shop and cook on a budget. When children’s support needs not clear, staff advocate for them to be discussed by relevant professionals to review the care plan. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605108 4 Children participate in lots of fun activities, including visits to a water park, cycling and trips to science conventions. Staff encourage children to spend time with friends and their siblings. Staff have recently organised a pumpkin-picking trip for one child. Children all have beautifully curated personalised memory books, which help to remind them of the fun activities they have enjoyed while living at the home.

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

Children say they feel safe living in the home. Staff’s care and support have reduced risks for the children. They help children to understand their behaviours and set appropriate boundaries, encouraging positive behaviour with incentives developed in consultation with each child. When staff use consequences, they are proportionate and restorative where possible.

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

Staff understand children’s risks well and maintain risk assessments that accurately reflect the needs of the children. Staff have conversations with children about the risks of exploitation and unsafe people, in the community and online. This is helping children to be safer.

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

Children do not go missing from the home and staff rarely need to hold children to keep them safe. Effective intervention with one child has significantly reduced the need for physical intervention. Furthermore, staff keep up to date with policies and procedures for incidents and risks that are not regular occurrences, with refresher sessions in team meetings, training, and supervision discussions. This means staff know how to respond effectively to a variety of safeguarding scenarios.

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

Managers ensure that children’s medication is stored securely and that accurate records are maintained. Care plans reflect the children’s health and medication needs, and administration is safely managed.

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

Staff record all incidents and safeguarding interventions. Debriefs with staff after incidents demonstrate consistent management oversight. When the manager has been involved in an incident, the responsible individual steps in to provide senior management oversight. However, staff do not always record safeguarding discussions with children in language that is accessible to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have created a culture of high aspiration for the children and staff. The ethos in the home is one of positivity, focused on proactive learning and the well-being of the children and the staff team. The manager is ambitious and models this through his own commitment to learning. Staff and children say that they love to learn.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a consistent staff team, supported by visible and involved leaders, who provide staff with the right support, enabling them to have a sustainable work-life balance. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2605108 5 manager supports continuous improvement by seeking out regular training opportunities and encouraging staff to reflect and learn from their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective working relationships with partner agencies. His relational approach allows him to challenge and advocate on behalf of the children, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs met. When essential documentation is not received, the manager escalates this appropriately. Furthermore, staff are encouraged to use their skills from previous roles to support children while awaiting external support. For example, a staff member who has a teaching background is helping one child develop their reading and writing skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team has an extensive range of monitoring procedures that they complete which gives them oversight of all aspects of the care for the children. This includes case files audits and analysis of any unexpected findings. The manager feeds back the outcomes from audits to team leaders, who work with staff to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers recruit staff safely and provide new starters with a comprehensive, structured induction that prepares them well for the role. Managers ensure that staff have access to a wide range of training and development opportunities, including a wealth of relevant resources, to enhance their practice and improve the care they provide for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and praise the knowledge and skills of the leadership team. They feel well supported at work and in their personal lives. Staff remark on how refreshing it is to work for an organisation that places children at the centre of its decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular and well attended. Staff reflect as a group on children’s progress. There are separate team leader and manager meetings which focus on staff well-being and the development of the home. Staff report that practice-related supervision is regular and supportive. Staff are helped to reflect on their practice and any challenges they have faced. However, this is not consistent across all staff supervision sessions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605108 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that supervision sessions enable staff to reflect on how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the children they care for. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 39, paragraph 8.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2605108 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Open Care Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 62 Lambert Street, East Riding of Yorkshire HU5 2SH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Marlie-Rae Willerton

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Inspector

Kirstie Sutherland, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2605108 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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Inspector

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