Children's home run by HeadStart Residential Care Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 1 Registered provider: Headstart Residential Care Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children including children who have learning disabilities. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in February 2018.

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Inspection date: 16 January 2020

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Through the embedding of therapeutic practice by the staff team, children have been supported to develop a positive sense of agency. This has helped them to develop their sense of self which, in turn, has helped them to understand, and share, their feelings. Staff have further developed their observational skills of children’s behaviour and used this to inform meaningful, individualised support plans. With this understanding, children have flourished and have developed positive relationships with each other. Children have each experienced significant progress across all areas of their development through the consistent and empathic support provided by staff. Staff have applied their therapeutic understanding to inform their practice in the way that children move in to, and on from, the home. Transition planning for the child moving in to the home was well thought through by staff. This enabled staff to

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

effectively assess the child’s needs and to provide a bespoke placement plan to meet these needs. The support provided by staff to the young person moving on from the home was excellent and exceeded that which would usually be expected. Through the staff team’s understanding of the child’s needs, it was able to strongly advocate for a tailored moving-on plan and to provide consistency for the child. This resulted in a successful and positive plan being agreed with carers that were known to the child. On the limited number of occasions when children have been missing from the home, staff have responded well. In particular, they responded effectively when a child missing from the home was vulnerable to criminal exploitation. Partnership working with statutory agencies and clear decision-making by the registered manager ensured a timely response to safeguarding concerns. Staff have appropriately responded to known risks by implementing the effective risk

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

management plans in place for each child. Staff continue to benefit from reflective supervision which supports them to develop their practice. Where practice issues have been identified, these have been appropriately addressed through supervision. However, within the individual supervisory meetings, the registered manager has not discussed this in the context of the home’s performance management procedures. This has not provided clarity to the staff members in relation to the responsibilities and expectations of their role in relation to performance management. The home has benefited from redecoration throughout. This has improved the quality of the environment for children and the home now has a brighter feel. The responsible individual for the home has supported changes to the layout of the main house to effectively meet the individual needs of one child moving in to the home. The registered manager has ensured that these changes all comply with fire safety

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 3 regulations. The registered manager has ensured that all requirements and recommendations from the last inspection have been met. Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2019 Full Good 03/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.1) In particular, clear reference to the home’s procedures should be recorded within staff supervision records, when addressing concerns regarding staff performance.

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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

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1270744 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headstart Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Aequitas, Unit 1, Swanwood Park, Gun Hill, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 0LL

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Inspector

Maria Lonergan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1270744 6 to 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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