Children's Home run by Shalamar Children Limited in Essex

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people make good progress and build meaningful supportive relationships with staff.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 External monitoring is good; there are significant improvements since the last inspection.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The management team share an ambitious vision to deliver high quality care.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Bespoke training enables staff to understand and meet young people’s unique needs.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 External support from a clinical consultant directs staff practice, developing their knowledge and understanding of young people’s backgrounds and behaviours.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff supervision records and personnel files lack detail. There are significant discussions between staff and managers that have not been clearly recorded. Supervision sometimes lacks professional challenge.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The missing from home procedure makes no provision for independent return interviews.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The interior décor in communal areas would benefit from refurbishment.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

Ensure that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation in particular to challenge staff and encourage reflective practice. A record of supervision should be kept for staff to provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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Recommendations

Actively use the independent and internal monitoring of the home to ensure continuous improvement. This is with reference to the décor and furnishings of the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

Work with the local authority to ensure there are opportunities for children who return to the home after being missing to have an independent return home interview. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

Ensure that all staff consistently follow the homes policies and procedures in particular the records outlined in the recruitment policy. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered for three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is privately owned and managed. The home operates using a therapeutic approach.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Good

Young people benefit from individualised care delivered by a consistent staff group. This provides continuity of care, helping them build fundamental attachments to key staff. Staff provide nurturing care that is carefully planned in conjunction with young people’s diverse backgrounds and presenting needs. This provides a secure foundation in which young people can start to address their difficulties. Staff provide strong positive role models. They have realistic and reasonable expectations of young people. The staff team work hard towards building trust and rapport with young people. This provides a warm parenting style similar to a family home environment. The rural location of the home provides a safe and tranquil environment where young people can benefit from the rural countryside. This helps remove the distraction and influence of peers, reducing criminalised behaviour. The surrounding gardens provide ample space for ball games and outdoor play

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Good

equipment. The interior is spacious and functional; efforts have been made to decorate the home. Ceramic floor tiles, white walls and random furniture combinations do not make the best of the interior. Communal furniture is worn in places. Despite this, young people’s bedrooms are personalised and welcoming. They are able to bring personal items and pets to the home, which gives them a sense of belonging. Young people are offered a wealth of activities. Where young people have had no education provision staff have endeavoured to provide daily activities with identified learning outcomes. Young people play sport, visit museums, enjoy trips and go to holiday parks during schools holidays. This provides stimulation and structure to their days. Staff are flexible and adaptable in anticipation of young people’s future needs. Social workers do not always support this. This has resulted in staff contacting advocacy services to raise young people’s concerns about their entitlements and

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Good

future plans. Consequently, young people have a forum to express their concerns. Staff prioritise family contact for young people without reservation, despite considerable travel. Staff provide transport and families are made welcome at the home. Family difficulties are accepted by staff in non-judgmental way, they demonstrate empathy and understanding. This helps young people know their families are accepted. Judgement grade

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Good

Young people are certainly safer since coming to the home. Risk taking and criminal behaviour has decreased significantly. There are a high number of behaviour incidents relating to a difficult period, where a young person struggled to manage their feelings. The review of these incidents highlighted that some staff responses were unhelpful and may have been decided in the heat of the moment. New arrangements ensure consequential actions will be decided with the staff group prior to being discussed with young people. This demonstrates a consistent and fair approach where young people are treated equally. Staff help young people to relate to one another and accept each other’s differences. They try hard to support compatible group living, helping young people develop empathy and tolerance for one another. This helps prepare young people for adult lives. Young people do at times go missing from the home. There have been four

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Good

incidents since the last inspection. On each occasion, the manager has completed the return interview. This reduces the extra safeguard of being interviewed by a person independent to the home. The staff recruitment files are well ordered and meticulous. The references are all recorded and signed for and interview questions are clearly recorded. This ensures staff have suitable backgrounds and experience to work with young people. However, there is one staff file where a pertinent discussion has taken place with no record. This contravenes the home’s recruitment policy and does not fully support performance management of staff.

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Good

The Registered Manager has been in post since December 2014. The manager has long-term experience of being a deputy in another children’s home. She is qualified to level four and undertaking a level five diploma. There is a strong commitment to training and continual professional development. The leadership team work cohesively together. Shared principles and core values ensure that decisions are always made in young people’s best interests. Managers carefully consider future placements and assess them to ensure the home can meet the needs of potential new admissions. There is no pressure to take new placements. Young people living in the home are given utmost priority. Staff are guided as a team and are regularly advised by a clinical consultant. This guides staff approaches and practice and encourages practice reflection. This results in an approach that fully reflects the aims and objectives set out in the

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Good

Statement of Purpose. External monitoring of the home is robust and rigorous. The reports are detailed and action points address identified shortfalls. This has helped the manager improve the quality of care. Internal monitoring has resulted in changes to practice, which shows a reflective approach. The induction and training programme has been developed. Good training is responsive and reflective of young people’s diverse needs. Managers are adept at sourcing training to reflect the backgrounds and behaviours of young people placed at home. This helps staff feels equipped and confident in their roles. The manager provides regular supervision for staff. Staff feel supported and morale is good. Individual supervision is not always reflective. Records sampled where managers have identified practice issues show a lack of challenge; this could lead to inconsistencies in staff practice. The management team advocate strongly on behalf of young people. They attend

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Good

meetings and challenge decisions made by other professionals. While this does not always influence outcomes for young people, staff share a protective role in advocating for young people to ensure their views are represented.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children 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 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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