Children's Home run by Thryva Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: 2862254 1 Registered provider: Thryva Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to care for up 3 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. They were not spoken to during the inspection, however, was offered the opportunity to do so.

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Information about this children's home

A suitably qualified registered manager oversees the home.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2862254 2

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Summary of findings

The child living in the home is making good overall progress in key areas of their life because of the consistent support provided by staff. Staff have developed positive and trusting relationships with the child, which contributes to this progress. Leaders and staff provide a homely and nurturing environment where the child feels comfortable and settled.

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Summary of findings

Shortfalls have been identified in aspects of leadership and management. These relate to the oversight of staff practice before a missing-from-home incident, omissions within risk assessments, and ineffective management oversight of one consequence. Although monitoring systems are detailed and regularly used, they have not been sufficiently effective in identifying and addressing some of the shortfalls identified during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home's first inspection. Since opening, one child has moved into the home and continues to live there. The child has developed trusting relationships with staff, who understand their needs well. Leaders have made appropriate decisions regarding the suitability of other children moving into the home. This helps to ensure that the needs of the child currently living there can continue to be met consistently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to participate in a range of activities that reflect their interests. For example, staff purchased a piano for the child and support them to attend regular lessons. The child also attends concerts and local community events, including funfairs. These opportunities promote enjoyment, achievement and social inclusion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff support the child to work towards their educational goals. They understand the child's future aspirations and use this knowledge to help identify suitable educational pathways. This supports the child to make progress towards their long-term goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff promote the child's health and well-being. The child receives regular guidance regarding vaping and substance misuse, and staff support them to attend health appointments. When the child is reluctant to engage, staff explore the reasons for this and provide appropriate support. As a result, the child has become more engaged with health services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child's views are regularly sought and valued. They are encouraged to participate in their children-in-care reviews and other multi-agency meetings. Staff routinely seek feedback about the care provided and act on the child's views. This helps the child to feel listened to and involved in decisions affecting their life. Inspection report for children's home: 2862254 3 The home provides an inviting and child-centred environment. The child is encouraged to influence the décor and personalisation of the home. This helps to promote a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff work effectively with external professionals. One professional said:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

"I have had a positive experience with this placement. They know the child very well. Their communication and information sharing are excellent and help to facilitate my engagement with the child. From speaking to the child, they appear very settled and have built positive relationships with staff, which is clearly evident when visiting the home."

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

There have been no allegations or complaints made by children since the home was registered. Staff ensure that the child understands how to raise concerns and seek support if needed. The child can identify trusted adults they can speak to when worried or in need of reassurance.

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

Recruitment processes are robust and support the safe employment of staff. Leaders ensure that all necessary checks are completed before staff begin working in the home. This helps to ensure that adults working with children are suitable to do so.

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

Key-work sessions are planned around the child's individual needs. Staff regularly discuss topics such as emotional well-being, positive friendships and keeping safe in the community. These sessions help the child to develop their understanding and awareness of important issues.

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

Leaders and staff use an appropriate approach to behaviour management. They prioritise their relationships with the child and use supportive interventions to manage incidents. As a result, physical intervention has not been required. However, records of some incidents do not consistently include all relevant information. This reduces the clarity and effectiveness of the recording.

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

The locality risk assessment was not completed in line with regulatory requirements. Leaders had not consulted sufficiently with relevant professionals when reviewing the location of the home. As a result, it is not clear how leaders assured themselves that the assessment was comprehensive and accurate.

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

Oversight of some incidents and staff practice requires improvement. Staff responses to missing-from-home incidents have been inconsistent. On one occasion, leaders failed to ensure that staff appropriately supervised the child during a team meeting. As a result, the child left the home unnoticed and was subsequently reported missing. Inspection report for children's home: 2862254 4 Risk management plans do not provide clear guidance about how staff should respond if the child leaves the home during the night. Consequently, there has been an inconsistent approach to the timescales for reporting the child missing to the police. This occurred on two occasions.

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

On one occasion, a deputy manager involved in an incident completed the management review and signed off the incident and consequence records. This did not provide independent oversight and reduced assurance that staff practice had been appropriately evaluated.

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

Staff generally respond appropriately to incidents involving self-harm. However, on one occasion there was a delay in staff responding when the child was experiencing difficulties. The manager informed the inspector that this matter had been addressed with staff; however, there was no recorded evidence to demonstrate this.

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

Monitoring and auditing systems are used regularly. The manager and responsible individual complete monthly reviews of practice within the home. However, these monitoring activities did not identify several of the shortfalls found during the inspection. This limits their effectiveness in driving improvement.

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

Despite these shortfalls, the home benefits from a suitably qualified and committed manager. He is passionate about achieving positive outcomes for children and promotes strong relationships between staff and children. He is supported by a knowledgeable, responsible individual who understands the needs of the home.

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

The manager promotes staff development and responds positively to feedback. Following staff feedback regarding communication and consistency, he introduced a consistency document containing key information for staff, alongside a revised handover system. These measures help to improve communication and promote consistency of care for the child.

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

Staff receive regular supervision and opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. Support includes monthly supervision sessions, therapeutic consultations and learning activities led by the manager. One member of staff said: "The management team provide leadership and support to the staff and are involved in the day-to-day running of the home." Inspection report for children's home: 2862254 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h)) 6 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children's home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). 6 October 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2862254 6 When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2862254 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Thryva Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Systems House Rhs Office 4, 1st Floor, 5 Horndon Industrial Park, West Horndon CM13 3XL

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Inspector

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2862254 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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