Children's Home run by Ownlife Limited in Lewisham

Inspection report children’s home: 2547560 1 Registered provider: Ownlife Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to three children. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home looks after children who present with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager’s role has been vacant since February 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Sectary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 22 October 2020, to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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: Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2547560 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2547560 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a service that has a positive impact on children’s lives. Children’s emotional and psychological well-being are central to staff practice. Children receive a good standard of care and personalised support from a committed and caring staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from parents and care professionals is positive. A social worker commented, ‘The home works well in partnership with professionals, and consequentially children make good progress socially, emotionally and physically.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children move into the home in a planned way. Highly effective key-work sessions support children. As a result of this, no child has left the home in an unplanned way. Children respond well to staff and are making good progress in understanding and taking some responsibility for their own behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have contact with their families and friends. They understand that it is important to maintain these relationships in order to provide consistency of care. Staff ensure that children meet with their families, and that the visits are safe, of good quality and do not have a negative impact on children’s well- being. A parent commented, ‘The staff team works in partnership with us, we share the same goals for our child… we can see the positive progress they are making.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are beginning to invest in their home and are gaining a sense of belonging. Education attendance has improved. Staff work with education staff and placing authorities to ensure that children have the right level of education for their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met effectively, and staff are able to manage a range of health conditions. Children enjoy a nutritious diet and are learning to develop a healthy appreciation of food.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that children’s voices are consistently heard. Staff are highly creative and have supported the children to choose the things that they value and see as important to them. Staff have helped children to identify their own culture and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consult children on their care. Children’s plans reflect the input that they have had in helping staff to plan their care. Staff are upbeat and highly encouraging and supportive of children.

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

Staff understand and manage children’s individual behaviour well. Children said that they feel safe and secure living in the home. Staff strive to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by having a variety of equipment and creative activities in the Inspection report children’s home: 2547560 4 home. For example, they have purchased bicycles for children. Staff support and teach children how to stay safe in the community.

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

Staff provide children with consistent care and responses. Staff know the children well. They understand how their individual risks and emotions can cause anger and frustration. Consistent boundaries and routines give children security and stability.

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

Children do not go missing from this home. There are good procedures in place and staff know what to do should a child go missing. Safeguarding procedures are comprehensive and fully understood by the staff team. Risk assessments are individualised for each child, and are detailed and of good quality.

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

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have continued to receive relevant online training. Supervision and team meetings are used to evaluate any incidents and decide how to prevent recurrences. There have been no incidents of restraint in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been without a registered manager since February 2020. A new manager has recently been appointed, and stated that she is in the process of making an application to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and provides strong leadership for the staff team. Staff say the interim manager is ‘very approachable’ and ‘very supportive’. Staff supervision is regular and of good quality.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager strives to make continuous improvement in the home. She uses monthly reports from the independent visitor to inform the plans for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager evaluates care practice, and monitors and reviews the quality of care, to improve children’s lives. However, the home’s quality of care reviews are not sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. This shortfall limits oversight of the home. The manager has updated the home’s statement of purpose; however, this has not been sent to Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children have good relationships with the manager. They seek her advice and are comfortable in her presence. The manager supports children to have an opinion on their care and long-term plans. She ensures that these plans are meaningful and achievable and can show the progress that individual children make. However, the manager does not have an up-to-date staff development plan in place, which consequently limits her ability to have a concise overview of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well staffed and resourced to meet the needs of children. Children benefit from being cared for by a culturally diverse staff team whose members are qualified and competent to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children live in a clean, bright and welcoming home. Inspection report children’s home: 2547560 5

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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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 30 July 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.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

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”).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 30 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2547560 6 supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirement of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 10.8, page 53) Inspection report children’s home: 2547560 7

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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: 2547560 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Legion House, 75 Lower Road, Kenley CR8 5NH

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Inspector

Juanita Mayers, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2547560 9 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

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