Children's Home run by Care Focus Limited in Essex

Inspection report children’s home: SC477900 1 SC477900 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 privately run home is one of a small group. This home is registered to provide care for up to four young women aged 11 to 17 who cannot live within a family setting. The manager’s fitness was assessed on 11 September 2019 and her registration was confirmed on 13 September 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 September 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC477900 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2018 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Good 19/01/2017 Full Outstanding 16/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC477900 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children who live at this home are flourishing. The home radiates warmth, love and a sense of belonging. This is because the children are growing up in the care of a manager and staff who want them to thrive, not just survive. Supported to overcome very challenging personal experiences, the children have developed strong attachments with the staff, who understand their complex needs and how to manage them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff use research on therapeutic care and a therapeutic model to inform their practice. Staff work closely with consultants and specialist services, including art therapists, and use the invaluable learning from these resources in their everyday care practice. As a result, children make significant improvements in their communication and social skills. For example, none of the children were in education prior to living at this home. Now all have 100% attendance at school and they have made significant improvement in their education. One child, whom professionals said could only achieve functional skills in education, is now predicted to sit her GCSEs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are supported well by the staff to maintain positive relationships with their families. Staff are very aware of the difficult relationships that some children have with those who are important to them. Staff offer children help and guidance to develop and maintain these relationships. They provide a good level of emotional support and assistance when these relationships become strained. This strengthens children’s sense of identity and helps them to maintain a good level of contact with those who are important to them. This has resulted in family reunification for some children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage children to take on more responsibility for their plans and futures. Children receive excellent support to help them to prepare for leaving care and living independently. Bespoke independence plans set practical, gradual targets to enable children to practise budgeting, shopping, cooking and managing their free time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff want children to leave with happy memories of their time at the home. Children receive encouragement to pursue their individual interests and hobbies. Staff go the extra mile to ensure that they identify the right activities for the children. Children enjoy a range of activities in the local community, including going roller skating and trips to theme parks. In addition, staff set a challenge for the children to complete 50 activities throughout the summer holidays, which included star gazing, skimming stones at the beach, paddle boarding and practising yoga at sunset. Amazingly, all the children completed all 50 challenges. The children also donated to charity. These experiences help children to build their self-esteem and feel part of their local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A social worker was exceedingly complimentary about the home and the staff, saying that she could not ‘commend the staff highly enough’ and that` the manager and staff ‘go that extra mile’. The social worker said that the progress of their placed child is ‘amazing’. Inspection report children’s home: SC477900 4 The home environment is well presented and has a homely and nurturing feel. This environment helps children to feel settled and proud of their home.

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

Children said that they feel safe and well cared for. Staff take time to establish children’s needs with them. Comprehensive and good-quality risk assessments demonstrate that staff can skilfully identify and manage risk. In addition, behaviour support plans show that staff are alert to triggers for children and the most appropriate ways to manage escalating behaviours. The approaches include discussion with the children about the best way to help them when they are in crisis. Risk assessments are shared with those professionals who also have responsibility, to ensure that everyone agrees and that issues have not been missed.

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

The children rarely engage in risk-taking behaviour. They do not smoke, use drugs or drink alcohol. Staff enable children to take age-appropriate risks. Staff engage children in discussions about some of the risks that they may face, such as unhealthy relationships, gang membership, county lines, bullying and internet safety, all of which are increasingly prevalent. These honest discussions ensure that children are alert to the issues if they are presented with them in the future.

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

All staff receive training in the safe use of restraint. Incidents are extremely rare, as staff skilfully defuse the majority. However, when they do occur, good-quality records reflect the rationale for the intervention. The ethos of the home is to reward good behaviour, rather than sanction poor behaviour. Children benefit from ongoing incentives for positive behaviour and acting responsibly. The staff also reward children’s individual achievements. The number of physical interventions has clearly reduced over time, in general and for individual children. The registered manager monitors and analyses incidents to understand why they occur and then adjusts practice as necessary. This ensures that children gain an understanding of what is expected and of ways to manage their own behaviours.

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

There have been only three incidents of children going missing from the home since the last inspection. When children do not return home on time, the staff manage this effectively, ensuring proportionality in their response. The staff have worked with all the children and in one-to-one sessions on safeguarding issues and safe relationships, and this has had a positive response. One child who had been missing 130 times prior to coming to this home has not gone missing once since her admission.

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

Relationships are a significant strength. Children have forged strong attachments with the registered manager and the staff team. Exceptionally clear boundaries and routines, coupled with a staff group that is passionate about helping children to stabilise and excel, enable children to feel settled and gain ownership of their home. This good practice underpins children’s safety. Inspection report children’s home: SC477900 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is very confident, highly experienced and clearly passionate about her role. She maintains high standards of care practices and monitors the work at the home efficiently and effectively. She is ambitious for all the children and works hard to give them every opportunity that she can. The manager clearly encourages the children to have a say in the running of their home and in their care planning. The management of the home is outstanding because of the manager’s thorough approach to the task, attention to detail and commitment to child-centred practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff said that the manager is supportive and approachable and that she provides good opportunities for supervision and training. The training provided is of high quality, and all staff are encouraged to take additional training courses according to their interests and the needs of children. This ensures that the service offered to children is based on up-to-date knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Records are clearly organised and management oversight is strong. The internal and external monitoring of the home are used to drive forward improvements. An annual development plan ensures that targets are set for the year ahead and receive regular review. This helps to avoid drift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager empowers and encourages others to voice their ideas and suggestions. This includes the children living in the home. There is a ‘can-do’ attitude at this home. Staff believe that a solution can always be found. Individual staff take the lead on various jobs and responsibilities, which ensures that things get done. This inclusive approach makes the home a positive environment in which to live and work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has maintained excellent working relationships and communication with the on-site teachers, external professionals and agencies and refers children to them as required. This ensures that there is an integrated service for all the children, which is, in large part, responsible for their excellent progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership work is extensive. Multi-disciplinary work means that care plans are progressed and in the best interests of children. Research informs all areas of practice. There is a commitment by the manager to ensure that she and her staff receive high- quality development opportunities. Learning is used to inform the care and support provided to children, and there is clear evidence of how this improves their quality of life. The manager’s and staff’s therapeutic and compassionate approach is a strength of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular and highly effective supervision and good-practice group meetings, which enable them to reflect on and develop their practice. The staff attend regular team meetings and have good peer support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent monitoring and review systems in place. These systems Inspection report children’s home: SC477900 6 ensure exceptional oversight of the progress that children are making. The manager is committed to making continued improvements and is forward-thinking regarding the development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has met the one requirement and three recommendations raised at the last inspection to good effect.

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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: SC477900 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor, 24 Chiswell Street, Islington, London EC1Y 4YX

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Inspector

Cathy Russell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC477900 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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