Children's home run by Cornwall Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 1 EMBARGOED

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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 children’s home provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties, physical disabilities, learning disabilities or sensory impairments. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 16 April 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in place.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2818944 2 EMBARGOED Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 3 EMBARGOED

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were two children present for this inspection. The inspector spent time with them both. They were enjoying meals with staff, time in the garden, trips to a local park and sensory play.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show care and empathy towards the children in the home. They seek to provide them with a calm and nurturing environment that meets their complex needs. They recognise each child for who they are and not what they are diagnosed with, ensuring that children are provided with experiences that make them happy and give them joy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communicate effectively in line with children’s individual needs. They consistently promote this via the use of visual cue cards, Makaton and verbal communication. Children who are non-verbal are, therefore, supported to make choices and participate in their days. The commitment from staff to build quick and effective communication allows children to be understood and effectively cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to access education in line with their individual care plans. Staff have supported a child to continue to access their bespoke education package. This ensures that while the child is living in the home, they will keep having fun, develop social and life skills. Staff support children to develop independent skills in line with their ability and needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respect the children they care for and recognise that they deserve to experience social and recreational activities. Children have experienced trampoline parks, swimming, trips to parks, beach trips and child-led activities at home. Children in this home are loved and celebrated. One child’s memory book captured the joy the child had experienced in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have their day-to-day needs met. The staff know that due to the nature of their needs, establishing routine is central to their care. They are provided with nutritious meals that they enjoy. Staff work proactively with family to support important relationships with loved ones and there are no unnecessary restrictions in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In line with the home’s statement of purpose, the moves by children into the home were due to a crisis. However, there is clear evidence of multi-agency planning, involvement with the children’s families leading to a child focused approach. One child has moved from the service. Staff supported the child to move to their new home. There have been no unplanned endings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are properly trained to meet the complex health needs of the children in their care. The children have access to local and specialist health services. Management work in a timely and robust way with health colleagues and parents to ensure the physical safety of the children they care for. The arrangements for the management of medication in the Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 4 EMBARGOED

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

home are not effective. There is not consistent clarity on records of individual prescriptions, measurements of some medications are incorrect and records are not consistently signed.

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

Staff are aware of the children’s vulnerabilities, this being particularly important due to the children’s complex needs. Staff are aware of the need to reduce harm to the children and work in a way which respects that, while providing safe care. The personal care provided is done in a way that promotes dignity and independence.

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

Staff know that the children they have cared for since the home has opened are not able to express their worries or concerns verbally. Staff have developed a keen sense of when the children are distressed or worried via non-verbal cues. They can articulate this within records in a way to show their understanding of when a child is communicating distress.

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

Staff welcome children who are experiencing heightened emotions with love and empathy. They are committed to providing consistent care for children to be able to manage difficult emotions. Staff provide nurturing care to support behaviours to enable children to feel safe. They implement consistent boundaries and have a clear understanding of children’s triggers when communicating distress.

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

Staff who work in the home are clear about and follow procedures when they are concerned about the safety of a child. The staff are aware of safeguarding processes to follow. There is safer recruitment in place. Managers know this is of high importance due to the vulnerabilities of the children they care for.

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

The physical environment of the home has been well considered to meet the needs of children with complex needs. The environment allows children to stay in a home which is not institutional. It is safe and, most importantly, like a family home. Each child’s room has been set up for their needs. When there must be physical restrictions on the home or a child’s room needs to be set up for their safety, this is recorded with reasons and agreement from parents are contained in risk assessments.

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

Restraint has been used since the home opened. The restraint was used to protect the children and those around them. The records and management oversight of restraint records is poor. Records are inconsistent and contractionary in places. There is limited staff reflection or management oversight for learning. The records lack key details on the use of de-escalation techniques and reflection on how the child may have experienced the restraint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is no registered manager in post. There is a manager in place who has submitted their documents to be registered with Ofsted. She is experienced in managing homes for children with complex needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 5 EMBARGOED

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has audits in place. Training is effective, staff have spoken about the positive impact it has had on their practice. Management ensure staff have the training to be up to date with their specialist area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Record-keeping capturing the children’s day to day experiences in the home has not always been consistent. The manager completed training with the whole staff team on this. This has already translated through into records, which have improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff report receiving consistent supervision. Some supervision records are not completed in a timely way. Team meetings take place, however, the minutes for those have not been centrally recorded for all staff to access. The manager is aware and has taken action to resolve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A review of the quality of care has not been completed in a timely way, in line with the children’s home regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Care plans for children are not fully up to date with information from incidents. This means learning from incidents on how to understand needs and improve care is not being effectively managed or updated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been a mismanagement of concerns raised by members of staff. Management attempted to address concerns within supervision. The record is ambiguous and is not clear on what was addressed or what the plan is to resolve the concerns. Management have not recorded their decision-making in relation to the concerns. There are no records of decisions between managers. There has been no formal record of letting staff know the outcome of management action taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff approach the care of the children in a consistent way. Staff report they are well led and have confidence in their new manager. Staff find them supportive and approachable. Practice is consistent with the home’s ethos and objectives. The culture of the home is to provide the best care for children in crisis, to nurture and support and this has been demonstrated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 6 EMBARGOED

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

(b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that concerns raised by staff and responses to the concerns are robustly recorded.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, any response to the concerns and decisions made by management demonstrates appropriate management oversight. 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child;

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 7 EMBARGOED

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all prescribed medication is provided in line with the prescription.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered manager must ensure that the record kept of the administration of medication is accurate and reflects the prescription. The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 8 EMBARGOED

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records of restraint include clear and accurate details on all aspects of the event.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure they monitor records to ensure they are accurate.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure the staff’s experience of the event is fully understand and children are spoken to in any way they communicate about their experience. (1) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

(a) the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

(b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

(c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

(3) After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report"). 09 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 9 EMBARGOED

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Requirement Due date

(a) supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

(b) make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure they complete a review of the quality of care, which includes opinions of those in the home and feedback from others.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure it is completed at least once every six months and a copy sent to HMCI within 28 days of completion.

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Recommendations

 The registered manager must ensure case records are up to date and reflect learning from incidents. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraphs 14.3 and 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: 2818944 10 EMBARGOED

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cornwall Council, County Hall, Treyew Road, Truro TR1 3AY

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Inspector

Hannah Spencer-Townesend, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2818944 11 EMBARGOED

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Inspector

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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