Children's Home run by Educare Support Limited in Enfield

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2569345 1

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Educare Support Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a privately owned children’s home. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home cares for up to three children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered by Ofsted in January 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The home does not currently have a registered manager. The previous registered manager was dismissed by the organisation.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit assessed the home’s compliance with a notice issued by Ofsted to suspend the registration of the setting on 15 April 2021. The home was suspended by Ofsted because:

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This monitoring visit

 the home allowed unrestricted access to children by a person who does not have a defined staffing role in the children’s home  an allegation of concerning practice was made against a person who does not have a defined staffing role in the children’s home  the registered manager and all permanent staff had their contracts terminated by the provider without notice, or resigned in a short space of time  the home has poor record-keeping systems, which do not record who has accessed the home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was conducted on site. It was facilitated by the responsible individual and the proposed registered manager. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2569345 2 This visit confirmed that no children were admitted to the home since the home was suspended. Therefore, the home has complied with the suspension notice.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual invited Ofsted to review the suspension with a view to the reopening the home and has provided an updated action plan.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual and proposed registered manager confirmed that the home has recruited seven staff members. Recruitment files seen by the inspector confirmed that staff recruitment processes are safe.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector interviewed four staff members, the responsible individual, the proposed registered manager, and the deputy manager. A further two staff members are due to start work later this month. The responsible individual confirmed that they continue to recruit for more staff.

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This monitoring visit

Staff said that they feel supported. All staff demonstrated a good understanding of whistle-blowing procedures. All staff displayed a passion to make positive changes to children’s lives and creating an environment as close to family life as possible.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are completing the induction process and are engaging in core training for children’s homes. Training courses such as medication and the appropriate use of records had been provided for education settings. The responsible individual has now purchased a new suite of social care training for staff to access.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector saw evidence of the good use of signing-in records for both staff and visitors. Staff confirmed how they would ensure that unknown individuals would be prevented from accessing the home to ensure that children are safe.

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This monitoring visit

The physical environment is clean and in good repair. Three bedrooms have been redecorated to welcome children. One of the home’s six bedrooms has been allocated as a staff ‘sleep-in’ space. All internal signage relating to closed circuit television cameras has been removed.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has applied to vary the conditions of registration from six children to three children. Furthermore, the manager has applied to Ofsted to be registered as manager.

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This monitoring visit

The home has made good progress in addressing the shortfalls that led to the suspension of the registration of the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement n/a n/a n/a Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2569345 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

A person may only manage a children’s home if— the person is of integrity and good character; having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children— the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; and the person is physically and mentally fit to manage the home; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the person in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has— within the last 5 years, worked for at least 2 years in a position relevant to the residential care of children; worked for at least one year in a role requiring the supervision and management of staff working in a care role; and

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Requirement Due date

by the relevant date, attained— the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 5 Diploma"); or a qualification which the registered provider considers to be equivalent to the Level 5 Diploma. The relevant date is— in the case of a person who starts managing a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls 3 years after the date on which that person started managing a home; or in the case of a person who was managing a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2017. 11 August 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2569345 4 The registered provider may defer the relevant date if the person— does not manage, or has not managed, a home for a prolonged period; or manages, or has managed, a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c) (2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii) (3)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b)) Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)) In particular, maintain a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home and records of: the actual rosters worked; any persons who reside or work at any time at the home; and all visitors to the home, and to children, including the names of visitors and the reasons for the visit. 11 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) This relates specifically to ensuring that individuals without a defined role in the children’s home do not have unsupervised access to children or the home. 11 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 11 August 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2569345 5 manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s

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Requirement Due date

child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) This relates specifically to all staff taking appropriate action when children are missing. 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) In particular, this relates to concealing items in the children’s home. 11 August 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. This relates to maintaining detailed and accurate records of children’s daily activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2569345 6 This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Educare Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 453 Cranbrook Road, Ilford, Essex IG2 6EW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher O’Nions

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Inspector

Jayshree Pillay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2569345 7 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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