Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Plymouth

Inspection report for children’s home: SC458811 1 SC458811 Registered provider: Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings 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

A private social care provider operates the home and offers care for up to 2 children with social and emotional needs.

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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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Date of last inspection: 9 July 2025

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Date of last inspection: 9 July 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC458811 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/10/2024 Full Good 06/02/2024 Full Good 14/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC458811 3

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Summary of findings

The staff at this home provide a stable and supportive environment, where the children feel safe and cared for. They receive good-quality care from a dedicated team of adults, who know them well and understand their individual needs and vulnerabilities. Adults in the home use a therapeutic approach to support children in making positive progress and staying safe.

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Summary of findings

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. One child had recently moved in, and the other had been living in the home for nearly 3 years. Since the last full inspection, the home has undergone some re-decoration and extensive work to the outside garden space, making it feel like an inviting and comfortable place to live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home are settled, happy and feel secure in their environment. They have developed positive, trusting relationships with adults, who treat them with respect and understanding. Adults support children sensitively when they move into the home, meeting them beforehand. Children are invited to visit the home prior to moving in, which helps them become familiar with the home. Children are given choices about how to decorate their bedrooms. This includes staff supporting them to choose the colour of their bedrooms and purchasing personalised items to make it feel homely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children already living in the home are spoken with when new children are due to move in, and careful consideration is given to ensuring that children can live together successfully. Adults promote a strong sense of belonging, helping children to feel valued, stable and part of the home. The consistency of the adult team has further supported children in building secure relationships and receiving consistent care and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationship building is prioritised in the home, and adults consistently follow a child- centred approach. Children speak positively about the care they receive from adults. When one child was asked to describe the home in 3 words, they said it was ’Big, cosy and lovely’ and they wrote to their social worker saying they would like to remain at the home until they can live with their family. Interactions between adults and children demonstrate warmth, sensitivity and nurture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child continues to attend their educational provision regularly and is making good progress, and also attends both breakfast and after-school clubs. Adults are encouraging the other child to maintain consistent school attendance, and their attendance has increased as a result of good staff support. Adults respond proactively when children’s enthusiasm dips. For example, one child has been supported in developing their passion for photography, and a new camera is being purchased. In another example, when a child did not want to attend school, an adult took them to various hairdressing salons to inquire about part-time work/apprenticeships. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458811 4 The home is well maintained and presented to a good standard, creating a comfortable and welcoming environment for children. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their individual tastes and preferences, helping them to feel settled and at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The outdoor area is well maintained and offers a range of play and recreational opportunities for children. It also includes a vegetable patch, where children can grow produce used to prepare meals at home.

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

Adults have a good understanding of children’s lived experiences and vulnerabilities. They work closely with external professionals to devise and implement multi-agency care planning when needed. Adults make opportunities to talk to the children about risk. This helps the children learn how to keep themselves safe and the potential negative impact of their behaviours. Adults are mindful of how children’s needs and previous experiences impact how they process information and learn.

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

Children are encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings in safe, appropriate ways. Adults use the home’s model of care well in their approach to understanding trauma and previous experiences. Adults do not focus on the behaviour but on the children’s feelings.

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

Adults regularly have conversations with children about what is important to them. These discussions are supportive, reflective and capture the child’s views and wishes. Adults also create opportunities to talk to children about challenging situations and help them to understand and manage their emotions safely.

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

Safeguarding arrangements are in place to help protect children, and adults demonstrate a good understanding of the procedures for responding to safeguarding concerns. However, there is no local authority care plan available for one child, and risk assessments do not fully address all known risks. For example, while there is guidance for adults on what to do if risks increase in the home, there is no risk assessment outlining how adults should respond if risks increase in the community. As a result, written plans do not provide adults with clear, up-to-date guidance on the actions they should take to support and safeguard children, in line with local authority care planning arrangements. This could lead to inconsistencies in how risks are managed and how children’s safety needs are met.

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

Children are supported to develop confidence and social skills. For one child, this has seen a reduction in their experience of social anxiety, which has become less of a barrier for them. This has allowed them to have more positive experiences in the community, attending clubs and award ceremonies, and carrying out a paper round.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: SC458811 5 The home’s manager is passionate about the care and support of the children. He knows the children well and leads child-focused practice, inspiring the adults to embrace this approach. This is clearly visible in the adults’ interactions with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a strong understanding of the child’s needs and is proactive and ambitious in ensuring their needs are met. The manager carefully monitors adult practice. When the manager identifies shortfalls in practice, he explores them with adults during supervision sessions and reminds them of the home’s ethos and expectations. Appropriate support and guidance have been put in place to promote continuous development and improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are held regularly and focus on keeping the children safe, the quality of care and support provided to the children and the wellbeing of adults. Team meetings and reflective practice sessions provide adults with a safe, supportive space to share their views and identify areas for learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for the children. When other professionals fail to fulfil their duties, the manager escalates the issue to promote positive change. This has led to improved experiences and outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the home’s strengths and areas of development and can identify clear areas of focus to improve the care and support for children. He understands the progress children make living at home and talks about this with pride. The manager and adults have high aspirations for children and are committed to preparing them for their futures. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458811 6

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Recommendation

 Where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs. In particular, ensure the relevant documents are in place to provide appropriate care to the child in line with the placing authority’s plans. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 10, paragraph 2.8).

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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: SC458811 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Support Hub, Unit 5, Chinon Court, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6SS

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Inspectors

Darren Wickens, Social Care Inspector Polly Soper, Social Care Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC458811 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 children looked after, safeguarding, and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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