Children's home run by Children Assisted in a Real Environment Ltd

Inspection report children's home: 1257022 1 Registered provider: Children Assisted in a Real Environment (care) Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company operates this home for up to six children. The statement of purpose states that the home provides care for children with a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder and/or learning difficulties. The home provides long-term care and accommodation, as well as short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered with Ofsted in July 2017. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted at the same time.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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

Date of last inspection: 30 September 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1257022 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2019 Full Good 06/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/07/2018 Full Good 20/03/2018 Interim Not judged Inspection report children's home: 1257022 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy, relaxed and comfortable in the home. Family members and professionals praise the quality of care. One family member commented, ‘I would like my child to stay in this home as long as possible.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care which is personalised to their needs and focused on helping them to develop independent living skills. Children are learning to prepare healthy meals, do their laundry and help with household tasks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Behaviour management and care plans are of a good quality. Clear goals are set, and children are showing good progress. These are evident in key-work sessions and monthly progress reports. However, some case records lack important documents, such as the local authority care plan, minutes of the review meetings and personal education plans. This may limit the home’s ability to plan effectively for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met effectively. They enjoy a nutritious diet and they are learning to develop a positive relationship with food. One health professional commented, ‘The key workers have all been knowledgeable about children’s needs and have taken on board my advice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are doing well educationally and there are improvements in children’s communication skills. Staff are committed to achieve consistency in children’s education; they ensure children continue at the same school when they move into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are obtained, and children are contributing to their care plans. These include completing individual planners for their weekly activities, sharing opinions and choices for menus, having regular meetings, and completing the home’s surveys. The use of pictures is well established to support children’s understanding and behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy various activities. They celebrate special days and they are included in the planning of these days. These have included theme nights and cultural experiences, where they try new food, experience new music and dances and take part in activities that explore their interests and understanding of different cultures.

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

Children are being kept safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resilient staff team has responded well to the COVID-19 outbreaks in the community. Children are encouraged to learn hand hygiene, which lessens the risk of them becoming infected.

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

Children live in a safe environment in the home. The appropriate staffing ratio Inspection report children's home: 1257022 4 ensures that children receive the necessary supervision and support. Safeguarding practice is strong. Staff have received safeguarding training and they know how to raise safeguarding concerns.

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

The registered manager deals with allegations against staff effectively. The designated officer from the local authority commented that staff are very prompt in responding to any safeguarding concerns. However, the home did not notify Ofsted about one allegation made against staff. The manager agreed to send this information retrospectively; no children were placed at risk of harm due to this shortfall.

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

Staff manage incidents well. They use physical interventions only when it is necessary to protect children and staff members involved. The details of restraints are clearly recorded, including management oversight.

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

The home has a good impact risk assessment system in place. This has resulted in a child successfully moving into the home, settling in well and building positive relationships with other children and staff.

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

Children live in a clean, comfortable, bright and welcoming home. Their rooms are decorated to reflect their tastes and interests.

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

Refurbishment work has been scheduled to take place at the home to replace a carpet with a hard floor in the lounge. The registered manager confirmed that the small hole in the floor will be filled during the refurbishment within a week. This does not cause a health and safety risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers, and staff are ambitious to make a positive difference to children’s lives. Professionals and family members praised the registered manager and the staff for their good work in meeting the complex needs of the children. The registered manager is present and readily available to support children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager values self-reflection and self-development. Staff appreciate this leadership and management style. The registered manager uses creative methods to support children and staff. Team meetings are used effectively as learning and development opportunities. This helps staff to feel more confident in supporting children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to using research and evidence-based practice to support children to develop positive behaviours and healthy lifestyles. As a result, children’s anxiety around food is reduced and they are able to make better choices. Staff have responded well to new methods of working and they enjoy their work more.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirement and recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed. The home has good-quality assurance systems, including obtaining Inspection report children's home: 1257022 5 feedback from children, family members and professionals. The home uses creative ways to obtain feedback from non-verbal children. However, the independent visitor’s recommendations have not been implemented in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers know their strengths and areas for improvement. They identified and acknowledged that external training and staff qualifications are areas in need of improvement. They have a clear workforce development plan to address these shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safe recruitment and employment practices prevent unsuitable people from working with children. Although the home employs some agency staff, they have been consistently working in the home for a long time and have developed very positive relationships with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children enjoy receiving care from the nurturing, culturally diverse and gender- balanced staff team. Staff receive a range of support, which includes induction, regular training, supervision, team meetings and support for their well-being. Staff told the inspector that they feel valued by the leaders and managers. One staff member commented, ‘The support and guidance they have given me to develop within my role has been outstanding.’ Inspection report children's home: 1257022 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, 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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 20 August 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any placing authority is challenged to provide a complete and current relevant plan. In particular, the home should ensure that case files contain up-to-date care plans, minutes of review meetings and personal education plans from the placing authority. This will inform care planning for the children concerned. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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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: 1257022 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children Assisted in a Real Environment (care) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 144 Old Oak Road, London W3 7HF

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Inspector

Gulcin Ardic, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1257022 8 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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