Children's Home run by Alicie Enterprises Limited in Ealing

Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 1 Registered provider: Alicie Enterprises 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 is a private children’s home registered to care for up to four girls aged 12 to 16 on admission. The home’s statement of purpose describes offering a safe, nurturing environment where young people can address past traumatic experiences. It aims to offer stable, long-term placements.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home’s registration in August 2019. The home had previously been registered on another site from December 2013 until its move and has had the same registered manager throughout.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 December 2019

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

None Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 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 notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)(e)) 29/02/2020

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the annual review of the location and premises of the home should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Recommendations

Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring that local knowledge surrounding the children’s home is included.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring that risk assessments are clear and staff understand what actions to take to reduce risks.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home’s procedures must consider the views of appropriate local services and have regard to police and local authority protocols for responding to Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 4 missing person’s incidents in the area where the home is located. When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.29 and 9.30)

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Recommendations

Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring that all details are recorded of actions taken by staff and that return home interviews have been requested from the placing authority.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children are 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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Recommendations

Specifically, this is in relation to ensuring that children contribute their wishes and feelings to the planning process and that these are recorded.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs19 and 20). The plan should: – detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose; – detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); – detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; – detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home.

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Recommendations

 The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

Specifically, this is in relation to management oversight of processes in the home and that records are held that clearly demonstrate all the above. Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home offers high-quality care to children with complex emotional and behavioural needs. The registered manager and the staff team put a lot of energy into providing a nurturing and safe environment and ensuring that children’s needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to build trusting relationships which last for life. Many young adults return to the home for support. All ex-residents and their children are invited to the home at Christmas-time and some care leavers have been employed by the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Working relationships with other professionals are well developed and strong. The registered manager and staff communicate and collaborate with others to ensure that they act in children’s best interests. Positive and respectful relationships with families and children help to build trust and confidence. Staff work hard to support children to stay in contact with friends, families and other important people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress while living at this home. They have opportunities to gain in confidence, become more assertive, attend education, interact with others positively, eat healthy diets and make positive relationships. Small steps are hugely significant. One child recently returned to full-time education after a two-year absence. Positive partnership working helps increase and promote children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly gained and well understood by the adults who care for them. Although they are encouraged to attend meetings and are supported to have their say, there is limited evidence of children’s views being recorded in their planning or case records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children told the inspector that they feel safe at the home and like all the staff members. Professionals said that the staff have a great understanding of children’s thoughts and feelings and communicate this well with others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences and are encouraged to engage in their education. If children are not engaged or are refusing education, staff begin to build in positive learning experiences, for example introducing education in subtle and interesting ways, such as a trip to the Tate Modern or navigation and map-reading on bus rides to activities or shopping.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn how to become independent and look after themselves. They are encouraged to cook with staff, clean their own rooms, do their laundry with support and go shopping with staff. The home has been involved in the Department for Education pilot project ‘staying close’. This has helped to support children and give them basic outreach support and advice when they are leaving care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children live far away from their home area or when they have been in hospital, the home has supported them well by visiting or supporting contacts to their family. Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 6

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

Risks are clearly identified and well understood by an experienced and highly competent staff team. However, these risks are less well recorded within the children’s risk assessments and it is not always obvious from records how staff should manage such risks. Despite this, staff know children well and are extremely careful about ensuring their safety.

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

If children go missing, staff members are aware of the processes to follow to report this to the appropriate authorities. They work well with safeguarding partners to find children and support their safe return home. Staff understand children’s vulnerability when they leave the home and support children to understand risks and to keep themselves safe.

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

Records of children’s missing episodes do not always clearly show that return home interviews have been requested from placing authorities. Record-keeping is inconsistent, although no children have been placed at risk as a result. Systems and management oversight of records require improvement to assist in understanding patterns of children’s missing behaviour and ensure accountability when processes are not followed.

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

The staff team is experienced and confident in managing children’s challenging behaviours. The provider invests in staff training and support and this is a real strength in this home. Staff manage challenges and the complex needs of children with flexibility to ensure that their individual needs are met. The therapeutic approach adopted by this home helps children to settle quickly and feel safe.

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

There are appropriate safeguarding arrangements in place to protect children. Staff understand risks well and work as a team to reduce risks. Staff responses to serious incidents are proportionate and good collaborative responses increase children’s safety. However, there were two incidents which should have been notified to Ofsted.

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

The registered manager has completed an assessment of the location and premises of the home. This report meets regulation and includes local crime figures and services. However, the inclusion of further local knowledge and information, such as gang activity or potential trouble hotspots would support children to keep themselves safe while out in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite a change of address, this service has been led by the same registered manager since 2013. She is a qualified social worker with a vast experience of working with children in residential settings. She holds the required level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads an experienced team with enthusiasm, commitment and dedication. She has high expectations for children in her care and is ambitious that they have the same chances and opportunities as other children. Under her management, the Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 7 home provides highly individualised care to support and promote children to achieve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know children well and are aware of their progress and/or when they are struggling and need additional support. Leaders and managers work at the home on the same shift patterns as other staff members and are highly visible for staff and children. Children make demonstrable progress, which is evident from observations and discussions but less obvious in case recordings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run on a therapeutic model as described within its statement of purpose. The staff team meets with a member of a clinical support team from a renowned therapeutic institution twice a month for reflective practice. These sessions help managers and staff to consider strategies to help and support children who are struggling with the impact of developmental trauma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home works very closely with several local services, specifically the mental health crisis team, the police, children’s schools, placing authorities and children’s families. They also consult a mental health charity with which they regularly meet to discuss approaches and strategies to manage children who self-harm or have suicidal ideation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoken to said that they feel very supported through peer support, teamwork, relevant training and management supervisions. They noted that they find the external mental health charity support invaluable in managing the complex needs of children living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know their areas of strengths and invest in what they see as their main asset, their staff. They provide strong challenge when they do not feel that services are meeting children’s needs effectively and most recently challenged a school to accept and support an admission for a child living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This is a highly effective service. Leaders and managers are inclusive and provide long- term placements at this home, which makes children feel safe, secure and valued.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 8 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: 2544885 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Alicie Enterprises Limited

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Inspector

Christine Kennet, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2544885 10 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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