Children's home run by HAVEN CARE GROUP LIMITED

Inspection report for children’s home: 2598462 1 Registered provider: Haven Care Group Limited

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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 owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Both were spoken with as part of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2598462 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/08/2024 Full Outstanding 05/03/2024 Full Good 23/11/2022 Full Good 28/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2598462 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from living in a home that is warm and welcoming and feels like a loving family home. The children are included in deciding on decoration and changes to the home. Personal touches are evident throughout the home, with photos and displays celebrating children’s achievements. Children’s bedrooms and lounge areas have been thoughtfully personalised to reflect their interests and personalities. Adaptations within areas of the home, including floor and wall cushioning, further enhance children’s safety while maintaining the comfortable, family feel of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children who are new to the home are always welcomed with sensitivity and careful planning. The transition process is meticulously planned, ensuring that all of their needs are understood and met. This approach represents good practice and supports smooth, well-managed moves into the home. The team also remains committed to children when they move on from the home, understanding the gravity of such life- changing moves and striving for the best outcomes for children. This has included supporting one former resident to gain work experience, enabling them to excel in this role and continue to have the support and nurture of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff clearly understand the importance of stability for children. As a result, they maintain long-term placements, which helps prevent further disruptions and provides children with a strong sense of belonging. This stability supports children’s emotional wellbeing and confidence. This enables children to form secure attachments with staff and engage more positively in their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The preferred model of care practice at the home is well embedded and delivered in a way that feels natural and authentic. Children are supported to reflect, learn and grow. This is because of the consistent care and routines in place. Staff demonstrate respect, acceptance and a genuine understanding of the underlying reasons for children’s behaviours. One child said: ‘The staff have helped me lots and help me to make really good choices.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff understand the importance of children having positive and enjoyable relationships with their family and friends. Children are helped to repair and improve relationships with those who are important to them, with increased direct and indirect family time. The manager and staff work with partner agencies to ensure that plans for family time are adhered to and monitored closely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff support children to participate in a wide range of activities. When children have increased anxiety in relation to leaving the home, specialist providers are sought to bring creative activities into the home. This has even included having a beach in the home for the day. Staff make excellent use of both the home’s resources and opportunities within the wider community, supporting children to take part in fundraising events and contribute to local initiatives, such as the food bank and Inspection report for children’s home: 2598462 4 Christmas appeal, where they created hampers for other children in care. These meaningful experiences represent significant achievements, helping children understand the value of giving back, strengthening their social skills, and fostering a deeper sense of belonging within their community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide consistent support to help children engage in education. They work closely with education providers when children experience difficulties attending school. One child has been sensitively supported to begin to feel able to engage in education, with work provided by the school embedded in clear routines and strengthened through education-focused support from the staff.

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

Staff keep children safe. They know the risks children can face and respond effectively. Individual safety plans are detailed, regularly reviewed and informed by collaborative work with partner agencies, including child and adolescent mental health services and social care. Children contribute meaningfully to their plans, ensuring that they have a voice in how staff support them.

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

Staff are supporting one child to manage difficult feelings, which can manifest as self- injurious behaviour and physical aggression. Staff have sought to understand the child’s behaviours in a non-judgemental way. The child experienced a high level of incidents when they first moved into the home. However, these have decreased in both severity and duration over time. This is because the child has benefited from a consistent approach to behavioural management from staff.

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

Physical intervention is used only when necessary to protect children and staff from harm. When incidents occur, staff apply the least restrictive measures possible. Debriefs for children and staff take place after each event, enabling reflection and emotional processing. The manager has thorough oversight of all incidents and uses learning to strengthen practice.

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

The manager takes any complaints or allegations seriously. They are responded to comprehensively. External safeguarding professionals are involved appropriately. Any safeguarding concerns are reported to the right agencies. Safeguarding procedures are followed to ensure that children remain safe while investigations take place.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. They always have one-to-one support from staff to ensure they are helped and protected. However, there are plans and protocols in place for if a child should go missing.

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

Staff are confident and skilled in safeguarding practice, supported by up-to-date training that keeps their knowledge current. Their understanding is further strengthened using safeguarding scenarios in each supervision session, enabling the manager to assess staff competence and reinforce learning effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report for children’s home: 2598462 5 The registered manager provides inspirational leadership, holding high aspirations for children and advocating for their needs with unwavering determination. Her commitment to securing the best possible outcomes is reflected in her highly organised and proactive approach to managing the home. She places strong emphasis on ensuring that children enjoy an enriched childhood, thoughtfully planning purposeful experiences which deepen children’s sense of belonging, foster positive relationships with staff, and create lasting, meaningful memories.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff take genuine pleasure in their work at the home and speak with real warmth and affection about the children. They feel extremely well supported by the manager to fulfil their role. One member of staff described the manager and deputy as ‘the best’. Another said: `I’ve never had such a supportive, thoughtful manager before, who genuinely cares about not just the children, but the team as a whole.’ Children sense this positivity and benefit from the high quality and consistency of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home runs smoothly, underpinned by a strong commitment to staff development that consistently focuses on what is best for the children. The manager leads with such confidence and skill that she makes the role appear effortless, despite the complexities involved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a clear understanding of staff strengths and the areas she aims to develop further. This is strengthened through the implementation of individualised staff development plans and the workforce development plan. This includes an extensive programme of ongoing development work devised collaboratively by the manager and staff, with a strong focus on shared learning and professional growth. Research- informed practice is actively embedded into daily care, alongside project work involving children, ensuring that development is both meaningful and directly linked to improving outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are highly trained and demonstrate strong competence in their roles. The manager ensures that staff receive a thorough induction to the home and company, ensuring they have a strong foundation of skills and knowledge. A trauma-informed approach is firmly embedded. Staff receive specialist training aligned with children’s individual needs, including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, self-injurious behaviour and sensory processing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has exceptional oversight of the home. Monitoring systems are robust, and she maintains a thorough understanding of daily practice. Comprehensive internal and external audits are used effectively to identify and address shortfalls. Learning from incidents and behaviours is monitored, analysed and incorporated into practice to enhance children’s safety and quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from regular, reflective and purposeful team meetings. These meetings cover a wide range of topics relevant to the children living in the home and provide an important forum for communication, sharing ideas, and constructive challenge. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598462 6 Supervision for staff is conducted on a monthly basis, with sessions being clearly recorded. These supervision sessions are structured, with actions and targets being set for each staff member. The manager also actively encourages the staff to challenge themselves and each other through reflective practice; however, this is not captured in supervision records. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598462 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2598462 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Haven Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 6, Barberry Court, Parkway, Centrum One Hundred, Burton-on-Trent DE14 2UE

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2598462 9 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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