Children's home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2833984 1 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is managed by a large private provider and offers care for up to two children who may have learning disabilities and social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager have been registered with Ofsted since July 2025. This is the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

One child has lived at the home since the home’s registration in July 2025, and another since October 2025. Both children were present during the inspection and spoke with the inspector.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2833984 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in the home make progress and have positive experiences. Managers and staff take pride in creating and maintaining a homely environment. Children are involved in decisions about decor, helping them feel valued and settled. Bedrooms reflect children’s interests and are suitable for their ages and development. However, communal areas could be further personalised with photos and personal touches, which the manager acknowledges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into the home are carefully planned. The impact on the child already living there was considered, and planning ensured that each child’s needs were respected. Planning included multi-agency collaboration and review during the introductory stages. Challenges were addressed, for example by revisiting expectations and boundaries with the children before the move was completed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff are proactive in supporting children to join and attend clubs, recognising the benefits for social engagement and their individual interests. This helps children build relationships inside and outside the home and supports time for pursuing their own hobbies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are ambitious for children’s education and understand the importance of promoting and supporting school attendance. They celebrate achievements and show interest, including attending parents’ evenings. They advocate on behalf of the children to ensure that specialist assessments relevant to their health needs and education are carried out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is well supported, including for children whose families live far away, and wider family connections are recognised. Children’s views are considered, and the manager is taking steps to rebuild relationships that have drifted. However, these actions are not always recorded clearly, which means children may not understand in the future what was done to support their family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not currently have memory books created with their input that include descriptions and personal memorabilia.

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

The managers and staff understand their safeguarding duties and keep children safe.

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

Staff understand each child’s risks and needs. For one child, a serious health condition requires close monitoring and medication to prevent life-threatening consequences. The child’s independence is respected, and staff are still building confidence in supporting this safely. The manager is providing guidance and shared learning to ensure consistent practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2833984 3 Staff use a nurturing approach and positive relationships to manage behaviour. They apply proactive strategies and de-escalation techniques. Children are settling into living together, and relationships are developing.

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

No physical restraints have been used. Children’s behaviour is supported with structure, activities and engagement, in line with the home’s ethos. Children report feeling safe, and there have been no complaints.

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

There has been one missing-from-home incident. Staff acted promptly, involved the police and other agencies, and the child returned safely.

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

Staff lock away some kitchen utensils and sharp knives. However, this restriction is not based on individual risk and is not regularly reviewed or recorded in plans. There is no clear strategy for removing these restrictions when appropriate, which creates an institutional approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual have high aspirations for children and are committed to nurturing, celebrating and championing their success. The manager identified strengths and many of the areas for improvement. They show persistence in obtaining and progressing assessments. However, they did not use formal escalation to address a significant delay to receiving one child’s plan from their local authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and value the supervision, clinical input and guidance provided by managers. They receive induction, training and ongoing development opportunities, which help them build skills and knowledge. Staff enjoy their work, which is evident in their positive interactions, welcoming approach and pride in the home. A positive and nurturing culture is developing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers are ambitious that children’s views contribute to the developments of the home and advocate for their inclusion in day-to-day living and choices. However, these inclusive actions are not always captured in records. Furthermore, the recording in plans and supervision records does not consistently include clear, measurable objectives that would better guide staff on expectations and support monitoring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s emotional and therapeutic needs are well assessed and supported. An in- house therapeutic clinician provides weekly sessions in a dedicated, well-equipped space in the home. The clinician also attends meetings to contribute to collaborative planning and promote the emotional well-being of both the children and the staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2833984 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, this includes that when sharp knives and kitchen utensils are locked away, practice and the safety needs of children are regularly reviewed to ensure that this is necessary, rational, recorded in plans and that there is avoidance of institutional practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff keep, and encourage children to keep, appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. In particular, they should ensure that each child has a memory book containing photos, tickets and captions that provide context. Children should be actively involved in creating and updating their books to celebrate achievements and

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Recommendations

preserve positive memories of their time in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand and can meet each child’s needs, in line with their responsibilities. In particular, they should ensure that individual care and behaviour plans and records of supervisions are consistently outcome focused and with clear targets to support consistent practice and facilitate effective monitoring. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5).

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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: 2833984 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector

Ashley Arkless, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2833984 6 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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Inspector

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