Children's Home run by Sankofa Care Ltd in Croydon

Interim inspection report children’s home: 1244386 1 Registered provider: Sankofa Care Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children‟s home provides care and accommodation for up to nine young people. The home‟s statement of purpose states that the home cares for young people who have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 16 October 2018

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

From their challenging starting points, young people make progress while living in the home. Baking a cake with staff or inviting friends to the home are recognised as small, but significant steps. Staff praise young people for their progress, which helps improve their confidence and self-esteem.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

With staff‟s persistence and good partnership working, young people‟s educational placements are secured. Where young people struggle with attendance, staff use of creative strategies helps young people to engage in their education. Visiting their school out of hours, and meeting careers advisers in the home, helps young people familiarise themselves with their school and builds their confidence. Interim inspection report children’s home: 1244386 2 Young people have a voice in their home. Weekly residents‟ meetings enable young people to choose their meals and make other requests such as gym memberships or changing their bedroom if there is availability. Young people‟s requests are considered at the managers‟ meetings and young people always receive verbal and written decisions in response.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have worked hard with the staff team to embed a consistent approach to young people‟s care and support. Leaders and managers‟ „back to basics‟ approach has enabled staff to critically reflect on their roles, which has helped improve their practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers have increased their availability in the home. This is helping staff to use more effective de-escalation techniques to manage young people‟s challenging behaviour. There have been no episodes of physical restraint since the last inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff recruitment procedures have been enhanced and staff probation reviews are now more robust. New staff supervision agreements have been introduced. All these strategies help ensure that staff employed in the home are suitable, enthusiastic and committed to their responsibilities to improve the outcomes of young people living in the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Regular peer support group meetings have been introduced to complement staff team meetings. Staff discuss detailed updates about each young person and evidence- informed best practice advice is shared. Training in a psychotherapeutic approach and regular input from a visiting clinical psychologist have further enhanced staff‟s skills and knowledge.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some records inspected were not sufficiently clear or complete. The registered manager‟s quality of care review did not include the required feedback from other parties and a young person‟s outcome tracker and behaviour management plan contained incorrect data.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2018 Full Good

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

Interim inspection report children’s home: 1244386 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 complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”). The registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report

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Requirement Due date

within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; the system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(5)) 30/06/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful and clear recording. („Guide to the Interim inspection report children’s home: 1244386 4 children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

In particular, young people‟s behaviour management plans and „outcome tracker‟ data must be accurate.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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‟.

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Olivia Osei-Asibey

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Inspector

Victoria Jones, social care inspector Interim inspection report children’s home: 1244386 5 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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