Children's home run by Area Camden Limited in Haringey

Inspection report children's home: SC473639 1 SC473639 Registered provider: Area Camden 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 10 children. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home cares for children with social and emotional difficulties. The home is situated on two sites near one another. There were five children living across the two sites during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home was registered with Ofsted in February 2014. The registered manager resigned and left his position in August 2021. The home’s new manager has been in post since September 2021 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 2 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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 requires improvement to be 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: 22 October 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: SC473639 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/10/2019 Full Good 06/03/2019 Full Good 26/06/2017 Full Outstanding 19/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC473639 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children have lived at the home long term and this has helped to bring stability to their lives. Children have positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are engaged in education. Staff encourage and support children with their interests and hobbies, such as art, music, drawing and skateboarding. Children are involved in various activities that help them to develop socially.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and support their individual needs. Children learn independent living skills such as shopping, budgeting, cooking and cleaning their bedrooms. Some children move to independent living successfully.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from key professionals is positive. They report that they have regular communication with staff and work together to improve outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspectors identified that staff have not undertaken specific training to help them to understand and meet the needs of all children in their care. However, leaders and managers have scheduled this training.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Risk assessments and care plans are detailed and capture all of the individual needs and risks for children. Furthermore, they are reviewed and updated regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions with children cover children’s individual needs and risks. However, aims, outcomes and actions are not always recorded. Therefore, the impact of key- work sessions is not clear or evident.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make a complaint. Their concerns are acknowledged and investigated. However, their views and wishes are not always respected. For example, staff do not refer to one child in line with the child’s preferred gender pronoun. The new manager is working to improve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming. The home is clean, comfortable, spacious and bright and is decorated to a good standard. However, closed-circuit television continues to be used inside the home despite this being raised as a concern at the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff are suitably trained in how to deal with risks to children, such as drug misuse, child sexual exploitation and children going missing from home. However, staff do not always take immediate action to manage and reduce risks to children. For example, on a number of occasions, drug paraphernalia was not immediately Inspection report children's home: SC473639 4 removed from one child’s bedroom. The new manager has identified this shortfall and addressed it with staff at a team meeting.

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improvement to be good

The new manager has identified that the information in behaviour support plans and to set targets requires improvement. Furthermore, leaders and managers acknowledge that more incentives should be given to children to help to improve their behaviour. This was supported by comments made by one professional, ‘The home should put firmer boundaries in place to manage and reduce risks.’

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not ensure that all safeguarding notifications are sent to Ofsted in a timely manner as required.

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improvement to be good

Professionals working with children report that staff deal with children going missing from home appropriately and that they always inform the professional network. However, there are gaps and inconsistencies in missing-from-care records. Leaders and managers are aware of this shortfall and are taking action to address this.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment and employment practices are sufficiently robust and ensure that staff are suitably vetted. This prevents unsuitable people from working at the home and helps to ensure the safety of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been recent changes in the leadership and management of the home due to the registered manager’s resignation. A new manager has been appointed and is being supported by a manager from another children’s home in the organisation. The responsible individual has also been supporting the new manager to settle into the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are dedicated and want to make a positive difference to children’s lives. They have managed the COVID-19 pandemic well. They are currently recruiting to staff vacancies, following the difficulties experienced in recruiting new staff during the pandemic.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for improvement. They are committed to making further improvements in the home to ensure that they meet children’s changing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers identify shortfalls in staff practice following agreed processes and deal with these appropriately with reflection and learning sessions with staff at team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by leaders and managers and informed inspectors that they receive regular supervision. However, the records of supervision are not always consistent in the format, topics covered and the quality and quantity of information recorded. Inspection report children's home: SC473639 5 The monthly reports completed by the independent person and the review of quality of care reports completed by the provider do not always include stakeholder feedback and required information, such as the independent person’s view as to whether children are effectively safeguarded. These are missed opportunities for learning and improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some of the requirements and recommendations set at the last inspection have been addressed. However, the requirements relating to the surveillance and case recording are repeated at this inspection. Inspection report children's home: SC473639 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 maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to information in children’s records about the care, protection or safety of the child. 12 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child ‘s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 12 November

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

engage with them; and 12 November Inspection report children's home: SC473639 7 take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 12 November Inspection report children's home: SC473639 8 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 12 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— 12 November Inspection report children's home: SC473639 9 children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b))

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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 six 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

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)) 12 November Inspection report children's home: SC473639 10

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records include information to demonstrate the impact of key-work sessions, set targets for children’s behaviour support plans and include appropriate incentives and rewards to help to manage children’s behaviour. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills to meet the special health needs of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)  The registered person should ensure that staff supervision records are fully completed and include information about the agreed actions and outcomes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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: SC473639 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Area Camden Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

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Inspectors

Gulcin Ardic, Social Care Inspector Leanne Grant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC473639 12 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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