Children's home run by Nuevavida Ne Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 1 Registered provider: Nueva Vida NE Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties or a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in January 2019. The manager registered on 4 January 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 27 November 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/11/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 30/04/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, welcoming and very well maintained. There are photographs of the children enjoying time with staff, and personalised items that staff have had made for each child displayed around the home. This helps children to develop attachments and a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are a variety of exhibits to acknowledge and celebrate children’s recent achievements. These provide children with a vibrant reminder of their successes, which contributes to boosting their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has developed the outside space, which includes a paddock, to incorporate additional animals, such as goats. Children assist staff with the daily task of taking care of the animals. The children spoke enthusiastically about their involvement, with one child commenting, ‘I love the animals, we are just like one big family here.’ Children benefit from being supported to take on responsibility, which helps to prepare them for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff warmly welcome children when they move into the home. Introductions between children are sensitively considered, helping each child to cope with these changes. The manager completes a risk assessment when considering a new admission to the home. At times, there is a lack of detail regarding the potential impact of a new child joining the established group. A more comprehensive assessment would enhance the admission process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make academic progress whether they are educated at home, due to national restrictions in place because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, or at an educational provision. Visual aids are used in the home to inform children of the daily plans to help them feel prepared for learning. Staff work closely with education professionals to assist a smooth transition into a new educational provision, supporting continued progression.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the pandemic, the manager and her team created ‘daily missions’ which are themed group activities that include children’s specific interests and often involve fancy dress costumes. Children experience fun and exciting activities and trips with staff, which are opportunities to create positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff get to know each child’s likes and dislikes and use this information to develop their care planning arrangements. However, occasionally aspects of care planning records are generic. This means that they do not always recognise the individuality of each child.

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

Children who have previously experienced missing-from-home incidents have had no incidents of this nature since moving into the home. For some children, this is Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 4 excellent progress from their starting point, with one professional commenting, ‘I can’t believe the progress [name] has made since moving in, all credit to the staff.’ This demonstrates that staff help children to become increasingly safe.

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

Staff support children to learn about being healthy and keeping safe. This assists children to develop the ability to make safer choices, such as giving up smoking.

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

Children are helped to understand how to complain and the importance of sharing their concerns. Children say that they identify staff as people they can trust. Guidance, advice leaflets and contact details for relevant professionals outside of the staff team are readily available to children. This provides children with an additional outlet, supporting them to raise issues privately should they wish.

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

Risk assessments are promptly updated and provide staff with clear guidance, to help them understand the issues children face and the action they should take to help to protect children. There is one example in which a risk assessment provides conflicting guidance. This has not negatively affected any children, but could lead to inconsistent care.

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

Children are helped to contribute to their community with regular involvement such as events that raise funds for charity. This helps children to benefit from a sense of community and to learn about the world around them.

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

Key-work sessions are used to cover a range of topics including online safety, safe relationships, and bullying. Children’s monthly meetings, which are often chaired by the children, are also used to discuss safety topics. Children are helped to develop awareness of what it means to be safe.

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

Staff are appropriately trained to hold children in response to crisis behaviour. Post- incident debriefs with staff and children are thorough. Whilst incidents of this nature are rare, records do not always include details regarding the specific measure used. This means that there is not enough information to effectively scrutinise this practice to ensure that it is safe.

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

Staff occasionally use sanctions to help children develop accountability for their actions. Sanction records do not include oversight from the manager. This means that the manager does not consider whether this practice is effective or fair.

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good

The manager has been in post since the home opened in January 2019 and she is supported by a stable team of staff. During times when restrictions are in place due to the pandemic, the manager has divided her team into three groups, that do not come into physical contact with one another, to help to reduce the risk of the virus. Children benefit from the consistent staffing arrangements, which helps to provide them with security. Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 5 Safer recruitment processes are followed when staff are appointed, providing assurances that adults are suitably vetted to look after the children in their care. Staff complete an induction period to help them to learn each aspect of the role, to help them understand how to respond to the children’s presenting needs.

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good

The manager completes an annual assessment of the location of the home and considers potential risks and the measures required to help protect children. However, this has not been reviewed when potential new risks emerge, such as during admissions into the home. This has not had an adverse effect on any children, but this means that potential risks may go unassessed.

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good

Staff meetings are well structured, involving each member of staff and including updates from staff with a champion role. Supervisions are completed regularly. However, they are not consistently used to discuss or reflect on practice-related issues, thus limiting the possibility to drive improvement forward.

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good

The manager completes a quality of care review which includes consultation with children and appropriate others. However, there is consistently no action plan included to demonstrate how the manager proposes to develop the service. This means that this process is not fully utilised to improve the care that children receive.

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good

The manager’s processes in place to monitor the care children receive do not always identify potential issues with staff practice, such as when scrutinising restraint and when sanctions are imposed. These issues were raised at the previous inspection, demonstrating continued shortfalls.

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good

A previous recommendation to ensure that all staff have the skill and qualification to meet each child’s needs has not been actioned. Whilst all staff have completed mandatory training, including First Aid, several staff have not completed training to help them understand a health issue that one child faces. This demonstrates that the manager does not always respond promptly where improvements can be made. Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 6

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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, the 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)) 30 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare; promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 30 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— 30 May 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 7 a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)) This specifically relates to restraint records. The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; andhas signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered

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Requirement Due date

person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) This specifically relates to sanction records. 30 May 2021

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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. 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"). (Regulation 45 (1)(3)) 30 Oct 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that staff 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)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 8

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Recommendations

as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulations 12(2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review 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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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: 2502176 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nueva Vida NE Limited

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Inspectors

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Paula Shepherd, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2502176 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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