Children's Home run by Central and Southern Homes Limited in Cornwall

Inspection report for children’s home: 2652096 1 Registered provider: Central and Southern Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to 3 children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Staff at the home are referred to as adults. This is reflected in the report.

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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 outstanding

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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: 4 November 2024

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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: 2652096 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 26/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2652096 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home receive good-quality care from adults who provide nurture and love, which creates a welcoming and homely environment. As a result, children enjoy living at the home and are happy and making good progress. One child rated the home ‘20 out of 10’ and said they love living there. The inspector spent time with both children individually, and they participated in the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved on from the home since the last inspection. One child moved on to supported accommodation and continues to make positive progress. The second child had to move due to identified risks in the community. Throughout this process, the adults prioritised their safety and wellbeing and supported the move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has experienced a planned move to the home. The adults welcomed the child sensitively, which enabled them to settle in well and develop positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The adults have high aspirations for children and are passionate about their education. They encourage and support children to attend school every day, resulting in both children making good progress. The adults show an interest in how children’s days have been, and discussions take place with children about their experiences when they return from school. The collaborative relationships with education providers ensure that children’s needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with their families and friends. The adults proactively respond to any risks, ensuring that their time with people who are important to them is safe and meaningful and without any unnecessary restrictions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend several groups in the community. For example, one child attends a football club, and another child attends dance classes and has recently started Girl Guides. The adults offer children a wide range of activities, such as days out, shopping trips, caravan holidays and watching football matches.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Memory books are created online; the adults are planning to purchase digital photo frames for children’s bedrooms so they can view these photos.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with their emotional wellbeing. Adults work with other professionals to ensure that children can access therapeutic support. One child is currently carrying out life-story work, something professionals said has only been successful due to the commitment from the child’s key adult in supporting this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Meaningful conversations take place between the adults and children with understanding and empathy and without judgement. These discussions help children understand risks and healthy relationships and support them in developing skills and strategies to manage Inspection report for children’s home: 2652096 4 difficult emotions. However, the language used in these records does not always reflect the caring ethos of the home.

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

Children say they feel safe living at the home. They can identify key adults who they feel able to talk to. The adults know the children well and understand their individual risks. There is a strong safeguarding culture in the home, and adults understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to this. Plans provide adults with clear guidance on how to support children.

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

On occasions, the children’s relationships with each other have not been positive. Adults intervene quickly to support children and prevent harm. Adults engage in restorative conversations with children to ensure that their relationships are swiftly repaired. This provides children with a sense of safety and security.

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

The children currently living at the home do not go missing. When a child previously went missing from the home, adults were proactive in looking for them. Adults speak with children when they return to explore their reasons for going missing.

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

There have been occasions where it has been necessary for adults to use physical intervention to keep children safe. Adults have used agreed strategies in attempts to support the children, only using restraint as a last resort and in line with the child’s plan. The manager reviews all incidents, ensuring that children have the opportunity to express their views. Reflective conversations with adults support wider learning.

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

An age-appropriate, individualised approach is used to monitor children’s online activity. Parental controls and regular monitoring are in place to minimise the risk of children being exposed to risks online. Adults respond to concerns promptly, through open, non- judgemental discussions. This minimises feelings of blame and shame, creating a culture where children feel safe to make mistakes and helped to learn from them.

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

An allegation about an adult was reported. This was investigated thoroughly, and appropriate safeguarding agencies were consulted for advice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager demonstrates strong and effective leadership. She is ambitious, inspirational and passionate about improving children’s lives. The management team promotes a culture and ethos of high aspiration and positivity. One professional highly praised the management team, describing it as ‘therapeutically informed’, ‘experienced’ and ‘knowledgeable’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have a strong presence in the home, which provides a supportive environment for adults. The adults feel valued by managers. They enjoy their work and talk about the children with passion and pride. Regular supervision sessions and Inspection report for children’s home: 2652096 5 informative team meetings help ensure that adults are knowledgeable and confident in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers reflect on practice to enhance children’s experiences and care. When a child moved on from the home due to escalating risks in the community, this was reflected on, and identified learning was shared with the wider team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers understand the home’s strengths and areas for development. There is a strong focus on helping adults to develop in their roles and improve outcomes for children. The manager recognises the progress children make and has developed creative ways to measure their development. She strives for continuous improvements and is starting to embed research-informed practices to strengthen the support for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has strong professional relationships with multi-agencies. The manager consults the wider professional network to ensure that children’s needs are met and they are adequately safeguarded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Parents and professionals are complimentary about the care the home provides for children. One professional said, ‘I have been a social worker for 25 years and have never come across a home where the children have a “family” from the moment they walk through the door.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2652096 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that adults 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. This specifically relates to ensuring that adults use language in recordings that is child centred and reflects the caring ethos of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 2652096 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Central and Southern Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 29 Thorneycroft Lane, Downhead Park, Milton Keynes MK15 9BB

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Inspector

Carly Parry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2652096 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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