Children's Home run by Shalamar Children Limited in Essex

Inspection report children’s home: SC475088 1 SC475088 Registered provider: Shalamar Children 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

A private provider runs this home for up to four children who cannot live at home or in a foster placement. The statement of purpose states that this setting offers an attachment-related focus to children’s care. The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2018

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC475088 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/09/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 14/06/2017 Full Good 22/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC475088 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 recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, obtain two written references. 01/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a 01/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC475088 4 home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 Any home using CCTV or other monitoring equipment should have a written policy describing how this will support the safeguarding and well-being of those living and working at the home in accordance with regulation 24. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16) In particular, regularly review the continued need for internal surveillance and act on findings.  Ensure that the staff have a day-to-day understanding of children’s capabilities and needs, and that staff make a valuable contribution to the pathway planning process. Ensure that all staff actively seek to make the fullest contribution, working with other relevant persons. For further information see Children Act 1989: Transition to adulthood for care leavers. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.28)  Ensure that staff access appropriate resources to support their training needs.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, provide staff with training in understanding mental health in adolescence.  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) In particular, ensure that there is consistency in the staff members’ expectations of adherence to house rules.

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children’s home: SC475088 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is more organised and overall day-to-day arrangements have greatly improved since the last inspection. For many months, the same four children have received good-quality care from a nurturing staff team. Each child experiences stability and continuity from the small community of adults that is keen to help each child to flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Individualised care planning and personal objectives help each child to understand their unique reasons for being in care. The staff and managers sensitively spend time thinking about how the children prefer to communicate their wishes and feelings. Daily community meetings provide a routine forum for the children and adults to share ideas, news and views. This means that there is an emphasis on building relationships and emotional progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school or engage in education. Some children sit GCSEs. Staff persevere, encouraging harder-to-reach children to think differently about their unique learning styles. For example, one child has engaged in a programme through the Prince’s Trust. This creative approach promotes inclusion and builds confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In some areas, the staff do well to help children to think about next steps and to plan ahead. For example, one child has had a driving lesson. Children are encouraged to take age-appropriate risks and to develop skills in budgeting and money management. Nonetheless, the staff could do more to encourage older children who are preparing to leave care to enhance their participation in planning for independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The interior of the home combined with the extensive garden ensure that every child has generous space in which to relax, have time alone or to have fun with staff. Children have ample opportunity to be sociable and to learn new skills. Children are encouraged to bring friends home, and every child benefits from a range of interesting and engaging activities. These activities include charity cycle races, trips to local attractions, growing vegetables, caring for animals, holiday planning and collecting for the local foodbank.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A qualified therapist visits the home weekly. He engages with every child and offers one- to-one support for those children who agree to a more structured intervention. The therapist meets with staff and consistently shares conclusions about children’s emotional well-being with managers. This information is routinely shared with the placing authority social workers. This helps to bring about change and ensures that every child who is ready to accept it has access to additional tailored support.

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

Children have confidence in the staff. They easily identify a trusted adult within the community to talk to. The children spoken with at this inspection all said that they go to any one of the staff, knowing that they are listened to. Inspection report children’s home: SC475088 6 The arrangements for managing incidents of children going missing are more organised and effective. As a result, the frequency of children going missing has reduced significantly. The staff members’ approach to managing the risk has greatly improved. For example, one child indicated to the inspector that he might go missing. For a few minutes, he did. However, he was swiftly returned to the home by the registered manager who stopped what she was doing to join staff to find him and return him safely.

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

Incidents at the home have decreased significantly. Children said that the home is a lot calmer. Physical intervention is rare. Staff routinely use distraction, humour and the positive relationships that they have invested time to build with each of the children to de-escalate behaviour. This helps the majority of staff to anticipate difficulties and manage behaviour well. Bank staff make a very positive contribution. However, clearer direction from the managers about what staff are authorised to decide on their own initiative is needed to minimise mixed messages to children.

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

Creative approaches to acknowledging children’s random acts of kindness help to encourage the children to be kind and to develop empathy. The children respond well to a structured reward system. Currently, this is largely financially based, but it works well for the children because they see that staff are working together to recognise and acknowledge good behaviour.

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

Allegations against staff are rare. Managers seek advice from the designated officer when needed. Internal investigations are conducted fairly and lessons learned help to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is one of the company directors and the former responsible individual. This arrangement enables her to model to staff the approach described in the home’s statement of purpose. The continuity of her presence makes a positive difference to children and staff, who described her as approachable and available.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the home’s ethos. The induction process has improved. All staff benefit from regular supervision and informal support from the registered manager and the deputy manager. Annual appraisals ensure that there is dedicated time for reflection on the children and what is going well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider offers a good range of training and courses including safeguarding, first aid and attachment. However, staff do not routinely undertake training in relation to understanding mental health in adolescence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home does not use agency staff but does benefit from a steady group of bank staff that is used to complement shifts. Some staff have the required level 3 qualification, and some are enrolled to complete this. However, not all staff have achieved the qualification within the required time-frame. This does not demonstrate that every member of staff is committed to professional development. Inspection report children’s home: SC475088 7 Vetting and recruitment checks have improved. However, the provider could not satisfactorily demonstrate that two references had been sought for one member of staff. This means that the process is not yet fully effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home uses internal closed-circuit television. Permissions have been sought from all placing local authorities. This is a significant improvement. Nonetheless, the managers do not follow their written policy in relation to the process for regularly reviewing the continued need for surveillance to ensure that monitoring is no more intrusive than necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers ensure that each child has a bank account and that they have savings for the future. Communication with placing local authority social workers is very good. Regular updates from the managers and staff help to ensure continuity and a shared understanding of placement objectives. The manager is very good at holding local authorities to account. This helps to prevent drift and ensures that every child is getting the service that they should.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has improved the arrangements for children to make complaints. Any issues raised are taken seriously. Internal and external quality assurance processes are good. They help to identify areas for improvement, which the registered manager and responsible individual then act to address.

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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: SC475088 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Shalamar Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3, 2nd Floor, Stanhope House, High Street, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex SS17 0HA

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Inspector

Rosie Davie: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC475088 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 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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