Children's Home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 1 SC059717 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home provides care for up to 6 children with social and emotional difficulties and is run by a private organisation.

p.1

Information about this children's home

At the time of inspection, one child was living in the home. They have lived there since before the last inspection. Three children have moved on from the home since the last inspection.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The manager of the home has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2025 Full Good 05/09/2024 Full Good 28/09/2023 Full Good 17/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children's experiences in the home are varied. Some children have lived there for several years and speak positively of their time there. The experience of one child, who no longer lives at the home, was impacted by the frequent use of punitive consequences and physical interventions.

p.3

Summary of findings

Leaders' and managers' oversight of staff practice is not robust enough. Consequently, some children have experienced inconsistent care. There is now a permanent manager in the home, and he is starting to support a feeling of stability for staff and the children.

p.3

Summary of findings

Some children have made positive progress, both in education and in learning future life skills, which has supported their successful move to independence.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children have varied experiences in the home. One child experienced inconsistent care from the staff team, and this contributed to high levels of restraint. Some children have made progress, and 2 have successfully transitioned to semi-independence, where they are reported to be doing well. One child highlighted that staff supported them to prepare for the responsibilities of living in a more independent setting.

p.3

improvement to be good

Leaders and managers promote stability for children. Some children have lived in the home for several years and have benefited from the consistency of certain members of the team. However, changes in managers and a period where a permanent manager was not in place have impacted on this. This has negatively impacted the continuity of care afforded to the children.

p.3

improvement to be good

One child left the home in an unplanned way. Leaders and managers recognised they were unable to continue to keep this child safe and that staff could not successfully meet their needs. Staff struggled to understand how trauma and attachment impacted the child's presentation.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff support children to access education. Children mostly attend education on a regular basis and gain important qualifications. Where children are not in school, staff support children with a variety of activities. They are not always successful in engaging children, which means they are losing opportunities to learn and develop new skills.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are supported to see family and people who are important to them. One family member noted they feel that their relative has done well while living in the home. One social worker commented that communication from the home is positive. They noted Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 4 that there have been several changes in respect of management, but that this has now settled down.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children and staff are supported by the home's 'linked clinician'. Guidance from this clinician in team meetings assists staff to understand how to support children. Staffing and management challenges have impacted the team's ability to engage with this support. Consequently, staff have not always provided consistent and cohesive care, which has been confusing for children.

p.4

improvement to be good

A lack of review and oversight from leaders and managers has resulted in inappropriate restraint being used in the home. One child experienced very high levels of physical interventions from staff. Methods of physical intervention used did not always align with the child's plans. For example, physical interventions were used as a 'behaviour management' tool, rather than as a last resort. Some restraint used was proportionate to the incident taking place, but this was not consistent. Debriefs following physical interventions lack reflection from staff in respect of identifying what they could have done differently.

p.4

improvement to be good

When children raise concerns about staff, it is not always evident that these are taken seriously. A lack of clear documenting of responses to concerns has contributed to confusion as to what has been addressed. An overreliance on 'management plans' for allegations has led to missed opportunities to address poor staff practice. Children are not provided with access to independent advocates, and their voice is not always captured in records of conversations following them raising concerns.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff, on occasion, use punitive consequences for children. Some of these include restriction of communication with family and refusal to provide support at bedtime for a young child. Some records of consequences have management oversight, others have none. Where specific concerns were noted about one particularly inappropriate consequence, it is unclear if any actions were taken to address this practice with staff. Senior leaders do not have oversight of the use of consequences.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff respond appropriately when children go missing from the home. Where risks have increased or been identified, they are appropriately escalated and discussed within the wider multi-agency team. Staff use a relationship-based approach with the older children in the home who have gone missing, which is reducing the number of incidents taking place.

p.4

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

Leadership and management in the home is inconsistent. There is now a permanent manager in post, who is starting to develop a more consistent culture in the home. This is not yet fully embedded. Interim management arrangements prior to the permanent Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 5 manager starting in May resulted in a fragmented approach to managing staff practice and standards of care.

p.4

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

Management oversight on records is inconsistent. When concerns are identified, it is not always clear if they have then been addressed and followed up by managers. Patterns and trends are not always identified. Incidents are considered in isolation, which limits the ability to use learning to prevent future incidents.

p.5

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

Staff undertake regular key-work sessions with children. They have important conversations with them about relationships, friendships, family and independence skills. Children's voices, wishes and feelings are not always clear within documents, so it is unclear what involvement they have in their day-to-day plans.

p.5

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

Leaders and managers mostly understand the needs of children. Staff champion children's successes, such as undertaking GCSE exams, regular school attendance and successful transitions to semi-independent living.

p.5

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

Managers challenge external services when responses are not good enough for children, with varying success. Advocacy on behalf of children is undertaken, but not always effective. The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home, and there are plans in place to address the areas of development. Leaders and managers have reflected on decision-making over the past year, which has also led to further identified areas of development. The plan to address this is not yet embedded in practice. Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the care provided to children is in line with their therapeutic model. They 16 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 7 must also ensure that this care is provided consistently to all children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that they have effective oversight and monitoring of the quality of staff practice and that any concerns are quickly addressed and identified to reduce the impact for children.

p.7

Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that children's voices and experiences are clear within their plans and any home development plans.

p.7

Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

p.7

Requirement Due date

any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on—

p.7

Requirement Due date

a child's contact with parents, relatives or friends. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(c)(i))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff do not prevent children's access to communication with family members and ensure that this is not used as a consequence.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is oversight of consequences used by staff to assess whether they are appropriate and to ensure that they are not punitive. 16 August 2026

p.7

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

p.7

Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

p.7

Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child);

p.7

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. 16 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 8 These Regulations do not prevent a child from being deprived of liberty where that deprivation is authorised in accordance with a court order. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(c)(2))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that restraint is used as a last resort.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that restraint used is in line with children's plans and that these plans are kept under regular review.

p.8

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: SC059717 9

p.8

Children's home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

p.9

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3UT

p.9

Children's home details

Responsible individual: Timothy-John Matthews

p.9

Inspector

Helen Cushnie, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC059717 10 regulates 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.

p.9

Inspector

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 .

p.10

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10