Children's Home run by Carbrey Care Hempsted Ltd in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children's home: 2709670 1 Registered provider: Carbrey Care Hempsted Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider and registered to provide care for up to 4 children with social and emotional needs. At the time of inspection, 4 children were living in the home and were spoken to by the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager in post.

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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: 2709670 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/07/2025 Full Good 09/07/2024 Full Good 06/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2709670 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress and are cared for by staff who know them well. Safeguarding concerns are managed by competent, knowledgeable staff whose interventions are supported by an in-house clinical specialist. The home is managed by experienced and ambitious leaders and managers who role model high standards of practice. Unplanned changes in the staff team have caused some instability for children but leaders and managers have taken action to fill vacancies and address staffing concerns. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development and are committed to making improvements for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and are making progress. Staff value the children and take time to understand the unique needs of each child. Staff are clear on the importance of building long-lasting and meaningful relationships with the children, and this is evident in their naturally warm and affectionate interactions. Secure relationships with staff help the children to feel safe to explore their feelings, which helps them to better understand their emotions and behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the value of education and support the children to reach their full potential. Two children have made particularly good progress with their attendance and achievement at school. When children do not receive their entitlement or there are gaps in services, leaders and managers strongly challenge the wider network to ensure that children do not miss out on opportunities. In addition to school, the children are supported to have a range of interests and hobbies, and staff invest in developing the children’s skills and confidence. One child is excelling in their area of specialist interest and staff are aspirational in their support for the child to progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain healthy routines and take responsibility for age- appropriate tasks . Staff understand the importance of sleep and self-care and children are appropriately supported with these routines. Staff take a flexible and age-appropriate approach to planning for the children, which recognises the changing wishes and feelings of each child. The children each had an exciting summer holiday planned, including trips abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to speak about a range of sensitive issues. In addition to ad hoc conversations, leaders and managers carefully consider the needs of the children and ensure that there is a focus on targeted and meaningful conversations for each child. The in-house clinical specialist provides further guidance for staff to support children with their social and emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and homely, with plenty of shared spaces for eating together, relaxing and playing games. The children’s bedrooms are personalised to their Inspection report for children's home: 2709670 4 tastes and there are photos and pictures of cherished people and memorable activities throughout the home. Memory books with personalised artwork are created for each child and photos of special occasions, events and people are kept for them to look back on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take time to listen to how the children wish to see and spend time with their relatives and friends. They work with the children’s family members to ensure that they maintain regular, meaningful and safe contact with their loved ones. Children are supported to make their own decisions about seeing family. One family member talked about how they ‘work together’ with staff to keep the child safe and said, ‘I couldn’t ask for anymore. They are so accommodating. [Name of child] has made so much progress since living there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into and out of the home are carefully considered, with early involvement of the in-house clinical specialist to support transition planning. However, not enough accurate information about 2 children’s needs was available before they moved in, which resulted in unplanned moves for the children. Leaders and managers escalated their concerns to senior leaders in placing authorities. Action has since been taken to improve referral processes to ensure that accurate information is received before decisions are made about the staff team’s ability to meet children’s needs.

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

Children are kept safe by responsive staff who are attuned to subtle changes in behaviours. Staff have a good understanding of each child and know what to do when children become distressed. This means that there are few incidents of concern.

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

Safeguarding concerns are well managed, with robust and timely action taken to address issues. When children go missing from the home, staff are persistent and focused in their attempts to locate them. Staff have a good understanding of the protocols and the importance of the multi-agency network. When children return, they are welcomed back by non-judgemental staff who show warmth and nurture. Staff take time to understand children’s experiences and reflect on any learning to prevent repeat incidents.

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

Staff use a variety of de-escalation techniques to support children who are experiencing distress. Staff use the positive relationships they have with the children effectively, to intervene and minimise risk during periods of conflict. Children are supported by skilled staff to have positive relationships with one another and resolve conflicts restoratively.

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

An age-proportionate approach is taken to monitoring mobile phones and internet use. Staff use parental controls and monitoring systems on an individual basis to ensure that the children are not exposed to unnecessary risks online. Staff have open conversations with the children about any concerns and follow an educational approach. When children have been exposed to risks and inappropriate content online, leaders and managers have taken firm action to safeguard them, including working with other professionals. Inspection report for children's home: 2709670 5 Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development and learn skills to help keep themselves safe. Children enjoy spending meaningful time with their friends and family in the community without any unnecessary restrictions.

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

Allegations are responded to in a timely manner and thoroughly investigated, including decisions being made about the suitability of individuals to work with children. The children and individuals involved are supported throughout the process and the outcome is clearly communicated.

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

Safer recruitment practices are followed which ensure only suitable people work with the children. Medication is well managed and staff support children to independently manage their own medication when this is appropriate.

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

Physical restraint has been used on several occasions as a last resort with one child, to prevent harm to them and others. In one isolated incident, the actions of a member of staff likely contributed to the child’s increased distress. Records of incidents are detailed but there is a lack of effective management oversight to identify themes and patterns to prevent repeat occurrences. Leaders and managers have already taken action to improve their oversight of incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by dedicated and passionate leaders and managers who have a good understanding of the children’s needs. The manager role models good practice and has nurturing and trusting relationships with the children. Leaders and managers respond to children’s views in a number of ways and children are involved in decision-making, for example, discussions about redesigning shared spaces in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy their roles and speak highly of the support from approachable managers. Staff comments include, ‘This is one of the most rewarding places I have worked at,’ ‘We celebrate the little wins as much as the big wins,’ and ‘There is a strong focus on creating a nurturing, therapeutic environment where the children feel valued.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the value of the children’s wider networks and ensure that they work closely with the multi-agency network around each child. Professional feedback is positive about staff, the care of the children and the progress they are making. One professional made specific reference to the ‘well-planned and thoughtful transition’ for one child who moved in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a realistic understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development, particularly in relation to staffing. There have been unplanned changes in the staff team, and this has resulted in vacancies and the need for agency staff to be used. This has caused some instability for the children but leaders and managers have attempted to minimise the impact on them by using familiar and trusted staff from a well-established agency. Leaders and managers have actively recruited to vacancies and new staff have since joined the team, which will reduce the need for agency staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2709670 6 Staff benefit from therapeutic guidance from the in-house clinical specialist to support their work with the children, including their interventions around children’s emotional literacy and social and communication skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly but at times lack reflection and learning from practice. Inspection report for children's home: 2709670 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept and enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that staff supervision sessions and team meetings enable staff to reflect and act on how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.5)

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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: 2709670 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Carbrey Care Hempsted Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Rockfield Business Park, Old Station Drive, Leckhampton, Cheltenham GL53 0AN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Damion Gallimore

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Inspector

Stacey Pellow, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2709670 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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Inspector

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