Children's Home run by Care Focus Limited in Essex

Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 1 SC461240 Registered provider: Care Focus Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of a small group of homes that are run by an independent provider. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Education is available at the setting. Children have direct access to therapy as part of the services offered to them by the company.

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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

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children receive good-quality care and make significant progress in their education.  Staff are aspirational and ambitious for each child.  Children are encouraged to develop age-appropriate independence skills.  Staff respond in a nurturing manner. They challenged unwanted behaviour and acknowledge positive behaviour.  The children receive consistent care from a dedicated and committed staff team.  The manager and staff work closely with external professionals to ensure that children have good transitions.  The children have regular access to professional therapists.  Skilled work undertaken in key-work sessions enables the children to reflect on past behaviours.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Minor repairs are required in the home to ensure that the children’s physical environment is maintained to a high standard.  Not all of the children have had the opportunity to contribute to their records.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2017 Full Good 19/07/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/01/2016 Full Good 02/09/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is in regard to the general maintenance of the home.  Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care and make significant progress at this home. Staff build positive relationships quickly because they are experienced and skilled in engaging children. The staff challenge any negative behaviour and provide a safe environment for children to continue to progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and promote children’s emotional well-being. All of the children have access to professional therapy off-site. The staff receive training in therapeutic approaches, which they incorporate into daily practice. Children grow in self-esteem and gain much improvement in their social interactions. They learn how to engage with one another and staff in a respectful manner. A parent said, ‘My child has done fantastically. She has achieved so much behaviourally and is where she needs to be. She has a really good connection with staff. I think it is a great place.’ Social workers report that staff are effective in working with the children to help them to regulate their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A significant strength of the home is its focus on educational achievements. Children who have previously had a history of poor attendance now engage fully in training and education. The home provides on-site education and works with training providers to identify children’s interests and support routes into further education. One of the on-site teachers commented, ‘Communication is excellent. The staff go above and beyond, and work in partnership to support the children and teachers in classes.’ Staff are aspirational for children and celebrate their achievements. A social worker said, ‘It is fantastic that [child’s name] has been supported to complete two GCSEs a year early, and that she has aspirations that staff are supporting her to reach.’ Children make progress because of consistent staff encouragement and positive reinforcement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop age-appropriate independence skills. Each child Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 4 takes turns to take part in the Monday night cooking event. This entails the child choosing the meal, shopping for ingredients and cooking with staff support. The children report that they enjoy this activity very much. The older children have pathway plans which help to prepare them for the future. The plans provide detailed information to support and test out children’s understanding of independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend and engage well in the regularly held children’s meetings. They report that they know how to raise an issue or make a complaint. One of the children gave a detailed explanation of the actions that the manager takes to resolve any problems. The child has access to an independent advocate, received a written response and her opinion was sought on the conclusion of the complaint. This process ensures that children are listened to and understand their rights.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home accepts both emergency and planned admissions. The manager and staff work closely with social workers to ensure that children experience good transitions. The social worker of a child who was recently admitted at short notice said, ‘The transition went well. The manager and staff worked very well with me. I’m very happy, [child] is doing well and the placement is meeting her needs above and beyond.’ Transitions on to alternative provisions or returns home are well considered and planned. The manager ensures that children have a positive ending. They receive a scrap book containing photographs of their time at the home, along with a celebratory meal. A child who has left the home since the last inspection said, in a card, ‘To all staff, thank you so much for all the time and effort you have put in to help me change my life. I will miss you so much and won’t ever forget you. I love you all.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children each have an individual placement plan. Their key workers work with the children to gather their opinions on their placement along with their aspirations for the future. These plans and discussions help the children to identify areas in which they require support to aid their progression. The plans are of good quality. However, there has been a delay in obtaining a recently admitted child’s views. This fails to ensure that this child has had the opportunity to reflect their views and contribute to their records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A recommendation given at the last inspection has been met. Although the older children continue to smoke, strictly followed arrangements prevent the younger child from witnessing the older children smoking. The manager has arranged for a drug and alcohol worker to undertake group work sessions with the older children. This ensures that support is available to help the children to cease smoking. It also helps them to understand that the staff do not condone smoking, and it educates them on the health implications.

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

Staff respond to the children in a consistent and nurturing manner. They challenge unwanted behaviour and acknowledge positive behaviour. Staff incorporate key-work sessions along with sanctions and rewards. This helps the children to understand behaviours that may make them unsafe and reinforces positive behaviour. The children respond well to this; they understand that the staff care and that boundaries are applied Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 5 to keep them safe from harm.

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

Prior to their arrival at the home, some of the children demonstrated significant risk- taking behaviours. Staff are experienced and knowledgeable about helping children who are vulnerable to child sexual exploitation in the community. They work closely with the children, provide one-to-one monitoring and undertake quality key-work sessions to help the children recognise past unsafe behaviour. As a result, children gain an understanding of the consequences of their behaviours and make better choices.

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

Many of the children have a significant history of going missing from their previous places of care. The staff work skilfully with the children to help them settle, resulting in them rarely attempting to leave the home without staff’s authorisation. Since the last inspection, there have been only two such incidents at the home. Both of these incidents required no police intervention due to staff following the children and successfully negotiating their safe return.

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

Children report that they feel safe living at the home. The children are relaxed and happy in staff members’ company and use appropriate banter while engaging. During this inspection, it was evident that the children have developed good, trusting relationships with staff. One child said, ‘The manager is very approachable and the staff team is really good. I feel safe. The house is very welcoming and the staff keep us safe.’

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

The manager has met the recommendation relating to updating risk assessments. All of the children have detailed, good-quality up-to-date individual risk assessments. The manager reviews these regularly and staff are now alerted to any update via the home’s message book. This ensures that staff are aware of any new behaviours and provides a consistent approach.

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

Physical intervention is used by trained staff as a last resort to prevent children from harming themselves, a peer or staff. One of the children in particular has required such intervention due to displaying unsafe behaviour. Recent records show that this child has had a significant reduction in the number of physical interventions required. The staff are skilful at using distraction techniques to de-escalate situations successfully.

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

The manager has made a number of safeguarding referrals to the designated officer. There are no concerns about the safety or well-being of children. The designated officer confirmed that all referrals are appropriate and the correct procedure is followed. All of the staff have received mandatory safeguarding training. Staff spoken with during the inspection have a clear understanding of the procedures to follow and they recognise that they have a duty to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The suitably experienced registered manager has been in post for almost two years. He has the required level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The manager has a clear development plan and has recently updated the detailed statement of purpose that sets out the ethos of the home. He is confident in his team’s abilities, and together they Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 6 are aspirational and ambitious for each child. Staff report that they feel very well supported by both the manager and the deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and consistent, and the rota is staffed to meet the individual needs of the children. Staff spoken with are dedicated and have a good understanding of the children’s individual needs. Records show that the home works in accordance with the placing authorities’ care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring is robust. He performs regular checks to ensure that any care practice issues are promptly resolved. Monitoring is further enhance by detailed monthly reports from the independent visitor that highlight any actions required to drive improvement. The manager responds promptly to any recommendations made by the independent visitor. This supports continual improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is of good quality, with discussions in relation to the children, safeguarding practice, reflective practice and training needs. New staff receive a structured induction and all of the staff have completed the mandatory training. Eligible staff have completed or begun a relevant level 3 qualification. This means that staff are well-equipped to care for the children safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The two requirements set at the last inspection have been met. All of the staff consistently receive their annual appraisal, which aids their personal development. The second requirement related to a shortfall in safe recruitment checks. Actions to reduce the possibility of the children being cared for by unsuitable adults have been implemented promptly. The manager now ensures that all staff have an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service certificate prior to commencing work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have built effective working relationships with parents and professionals. All spoken with gave positive feedback and were complimentary. A parent said, ‘Staff speak daily with me. They are always pleasant and friendly. They are reliable and never change contact plans.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers’ comments include:  ‘The home works in close partnership. I only have positive things to say.’  ‘Communication is very good and all meetings take place as arranged.’  ‘Staff have been good advocates and dealt with difficult situations very well.’  ‘The manager is proactive and always gives regular updates.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The house is clean and tidy and has a warm and inviting feel. The children’s bedrooms are spacious and decorated to a good standard. They have chosen the decor and have been able to personalise their bedrooms. However, there is some minor damage to the lounge wall and upstairs hallway and one of the baths requires re-enamelling or replacing. Repair to these areas will ensure that the physical environment is maintained to a high standard. Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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 children’s home: SC461240 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Care Focus Limited, 3rd Floor, 24 Chiswell Street, London EC1Y 4YX

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Inspector

Lynne Drage: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 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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Inspector

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