Children's Home run by Care Focus Limited in Essex

Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 1 SC461240 Registered provider: Care Focus Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home, which is run by a private organisation, provides care for up to four children. The organisation’s primary aim is to build strong relationships and pass on skills that will empower and guide children throughout their life and into adulthood. The experienced registered manager has been in post since September 2015.

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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 Outstanding

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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: 5 September 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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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Full Good 19/07/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 3

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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 registered person must— ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; and receives practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(4)(b)) 15/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 15/07/2018

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Recommendations

 A high proportion of children in children’s homes have special educational needs (SEN). Staff must be aware of whether a child has an EHC plan and the information in it. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4) This is with particular regard to the one child who currently does not have a completed Education Health Care Plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in all areas of their development. This progress is seen Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 4 through improved behaviour and achievement and engagement in education. One child who previously had fragmented attendance now has an attendance rate of 100%. One child has their entire educational and work life planned for their future. This demonstrates that children are starting to realise that their life chances can be improved through their education. However, one child’s education healthcare plan is not complete. Children speak about feeling valued, and they know that the staff care about them. The children are confident that their opinions and views are listened to and that these views are important to staff. The children can see and understand how they can influence the home and their care. One child said, ‘I like living here. They [the staff] have been really good to me and supported me. I suppose I will miss them all when I leave.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Observations during the inspection demonstrated the closeness of these relationships. Children benefit from a child-centred, caring ethos. The staff are insightful of and well equipped to meet the children’s needs. The manager and the staff team consistently focus on the emotions behind the children’s behaviours and not on the specific behaviours themselves. This reflective approach is successful in responding to the children’s needs well. The environment looks and feels warm and welcoming with beautiful views over the countryside. The personalised bedrooms reflect the children’s interests and personalities and are decorated and furnished to a good standard.

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

Children who have had a history of extremely complex and high-risk behaviours have settled well and thrive at this home. A structured environment with clearly defined boundaries provides children with a sense of security. Because of this, risk-taking behaviour has significantly reduced. The staff team is dedicated and committed to providing a warm and nurturing environment that provides children with appropriate affection. The home has excellent systems to promote the safety of the children and staff. Detailed risk assessments identify risks, both at the home and in the local community. These assessments are reviewed and updated regularly, which keeps them current. Vulnerable children are kept safe at all times, and confirm that they feel safe at the home. They are well supported and managed both at the home and in the local community, which adds to their feeling of safety. Good safeguarding procedures and

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

protocols guide staff well so that they are clear about their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Safeguarding training is refreshed regularly. The management of the children’s behaviour is outstanding. Challenging, disruptive and sometimes aggressive behaviour is well managed by the confident and professional staff team. The staff are supportive rather than punitive. Records show that, after each incident, meaningful key-work sessions are held to discuss and reflect on the incident in full. These sessions enable the child and the staff to fully understand why each child behaves in a certain way, and the information informs the updates of behaviour management plans when necessary. Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 5 Behavioural incidents that have required physical intervention are managed effectively. Records of the incidents are monitored and evaluated by senior staff and the manager.

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

Debriefing sessions with staff at the end of each shift provide opportunities to explore each incident to see if lessons can be learned and if the incident could have been handled differently. Apart from one minor incident when a child went out of sight for a short period of time, children make little or no effort to run away. This is exceptional progress. One child in particular had a prolific history of running away prior to admission, but she has not gone missing in the two years that she has lived at the home. This reflects how safe children feel and is testament to the strong relationships that exist between children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is very well managed by an experienced and fully committed manager who leads by example. His aspirations for children are high, as are his expectations of staff. Communication levels between staff are very good, which aids the general organisation of the home and the way that staff deploy themselves so that children receive individual attention. Staff morale is high, and visitors immediately experience the happiness and warmth that abounds throughout the home, which creates a happy and positive environment for children. The whole organisation and management of the home is child focused. This is achieved by the willingness of staff to work flexibly and with a team-centred approach. Staff all buy into the ethos, culture and working practices that they have helped to create at the home over the years. Children’s needs are put first and staff are prepared to work hard so that those needs can be met. For example, during a recent unsettling period for a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

child, staff travelled to and from the area in which the child was temporarily living, to ensure consistency of care during the transition to their new home. This took up considerable time and resources, but is something that is common practice at this home. The core staff training programme is closely monitored by senior staff and the manager, who are aware of any shortfalls. Team meetings are held regularly and are well organised. For example, one week there may be a full staff meeting to discuss various elements of the home, while another week the organisation’s psychologist provides group meetings, giving advice and support. The home uses a theoretical model and, although this is not yet firmly embedded, it is developing. The manager’s absence has led to some aspects of monitoring lapsing, such as records of sanctions and the progress that staff have made in their inductions, while supervision for some staff has not been regular. Consequently, the quality and effectiveness of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

practice has not been consistently reviewed. This has not had an impact on the safety and welfare of the children or the capability of staff practice. The manager has met the two recommendations raised at the last inspection to good effect.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 6 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 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Cathy Russell: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC461240 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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