Children's Home run by South West Childcare Services in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 1 Registered provider: South West Childcare Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a large national provider and offers care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home. One of the children has moved into the home since the last inspection. All the children spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since November 2021.

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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: 2509684 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2024 Full Good 31/10/2023 Full Good 16/11/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy living in the home and are making progress. They benefit from positive relationships with staff, who are consistent and provide nurturing and responsive care. There is chatter and laughter heard as well as the supportive coaxing of children to participate in their day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular opportunities to participate in enjoyable experiences, including activities in the community, such as cinema and bowling trips. Holidays are planned to meet children’s needs, with 2 children supported in travelling abroad and others in the United Kingdom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm, welcoming and homely environment. Attention to detail, including personalised decor, trinkets and nurturing touches, enhances the atmosphere. The home’s pet pigmy goats and home-reared chickens provide added nurturing experiences. Children’s bedrooms are individualised and reflect their hobbies and interests, such as cutout figures of their favourite pop stars or writers. One child now sleeps in a bed they chose, with LED lights and bedding they selected, supporting a positive change from ritually sleeping in a familiar sleeping bag.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Staff care about the children’s wellbeing and are sensitive to their diverse needs, avoiding shame or blame in their approach. They encourage children to attend routine and specialist appointments, and there is therapeutic oversight. Overall, the children’s needs are well understood, but there is a lack of triangulation between specialist reports, which could affect the timeliness of responses to issues.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is championed and promoted, and all 4 children attend an education provision. The manager advocates strongly for children’s educational needs to be met in line with their individual capabilities and to maximise their potential using escalations when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s time with family is promoted. Family members have spent time at the home with their child, and staff have ensured a supportive environment. The home supports overnight stays with family members, even those who live far away, by putting the necessary agreements in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Memory books are creative and personalised, and staff record children’s experiences effectively. Consultation books are used in place of children’s meetings, but these focus on positive experiences and do not consistently capture any difficult conversations or issues raised by children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 4

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

The manager understands their safeguarding responsibilities. There have been no incidents of physical restraint or children being missing since the last inspection. However, the protocols relating to children going missing are not up to date, which could delay an effective response if a child were to go missing.

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

Children’s behaviour is managed through positive engagement, encouragement and praise. Children learn about risks, including online risks, through key-work sessions. This aligns with the home’s ethos and relational approach. When concerns arise, staff seek advice from the home’s therapeutic team, with consultation meetings used for reflection and discussion.

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

The manager ensures that decisions about moves into the home carefully consider the needs of the child and the potential impact on those already living at the home. The manager prioritises stability. Children receive visits and guides before moving in, which helps them start building relationships and supports their move.

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

Relationships between children are supported well. However, the home’s complaints procedures were not implemented when a child expressed they were unhappy, which could have provided the child with written feedback and assurance regarding the steps taken by the manager and staff to address their concerns and provide support.

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

The manager ensures that investigations into staff practice concerns are carried out in a timely and effective manner, with the necessary support and oversight to ensure safe practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly ambitious for children. They demonstrate a child-centred approach and actively support children and staff. They recognise the connection between staff stability and children’s progress. They want children and staff to be happy and lead the home with a highly supportive and nurturing approach to deliver good-quality care. Their primary focus is on the joy they can bring children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a nurturing and positive culture among the team. Staff feel valued and supported. Training, supervision, and the availability of managers support staff in their role. Staff also value regular clinical meetings, which reinforce the home’s therapeutic ethos. Team meetings include positive recognition, with affirmations to support each other and recognise those making contributions with a reward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s plans are not up to date. They are of inconsistent quality which means the manager cannot accurately monitor the quality of care and staff practice in the home. The home is transitioning to an electronic recording system. When it is in place, the responsible individual is confident that it will address some of the weaknesses in the home, as they recognise the need to improve oversight, strengths-based recording and clearer alignment across plans and recordings. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 5

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Recommendation

 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 plans and minutes of meetings are consistently outcome-focused and recorded in a way that captures specific, measurable, achievable and timely objectives that promote the review of progress and 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: 2509684 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Childcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspector

Ashley Arkless, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509684 7 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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