Children's home run by The Kennedy and Elliott Partnership LLP

Inspection report children's home: 2517054 1 Registered provider: Kennedy And Elliott Partnership LLP Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care for up to three children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with EBD (social and emotional difficulties).

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in August 2020 and the manager was registered at the same time.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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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 the setting on 9 December 2020 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on 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

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

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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: 2517054 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children thrive in a home which is personalised to their needs and focused on helping them to maximise their potential. All children are making significant progress socially, emotionally, physically and in education, and they are settled in the home. Describing what they like about the home, children said: ‘It is a calm home; we are a family,’ and ‘We have rules in the home, but the staff are genuine and care for us. There is no shouting in this house, only laughter.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team successfully deliver individualised care within a nurturing environment. Staff have a clear understanding of the children’s need for support and share positive interactions and experiences with them. This helps the children to develop trust, recognise their own strengths and abilities and improve their self- esteem and self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A child who has had several placement breakdowns due to her behaviours, stated, ‘[Manager’s name] told me that I won’t move from here and he’ll fight for me, and I believe him.’ This unwavering belief that the manager and the team have children’s best interests at heart was mirrored in conversations with all the children. It was also a theme in feedback received from professionals. Children happily and proudly declared that staff have helped them to realise that their futures are not shaped by their pasts.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning focuses on children’s individual targets and personalised outcomes. The uniqueness of each child is celebrated; a good example of this is the care and attention taken with organising children’s birthday parties. However, the significant and positive progress children make is not sufficiently evidenced or recorded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children describe feeling included and involved in the decision-making about them and their home. The family feel of the home is reflected in the way the children interact with each other. Like siblings, they fluctuate between getting on, disagreeing and resolving their issues.

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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 learn to develop a positive relationship with food. Children also enjoy regular exercise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is good continuity of care for children due to the effective working relationships that staff have with schools. Leaders and managers advocate on behalf of children to ensure they receive education that is at the right level to meet their individual needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, children enjoyed taking part in a range of activities. Children told the inspector that they were not affected by the national lockdowns because they are happy living in the home, and there is always someone Inspection report children's home: 2517054 3 available to talk to. A newly admitted child said, ‘I am so happy living in this home that, when l go to bed, my cheeks hurt because l have been smiling all day.’

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

Children make good progress in relation to their behaviour and attitude. New children have settled into the home quickly and benefited from pro-active and solution-focused management during the pandemic.

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

Children respond well to the nurturing and individualised care provided to them by staff. There has been a reduction in children’s anxieties, self-harming behaviour and socially unacceptable behaviour. One child was proud to say that she had not self- harmed during the last three months. Discussions with staff have helped the child to manage her emotions and identify strategies, such as, engaging in activities, to help to reduce incidents of self-harm.

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

Children live in a safe environment. Weekly COVID-19 testing and temperature checks take place for staff and children where necessary. Furthermore, children are reminded of the need to regularly wash their hands. The home is both clean and hygienic.

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

Children learn to explore their past and they use this knowledge and awareness to identify strategies to avoid being at risk of harm in the future. The strength of character they have developed stems from being supported to understand that much of what they may have encountered is not their fault.

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

Staff provide consistent boundaries, and their good understanding of children ensures that children’s behaviour is not generally an issue. Staff place strong emphasis on preventative strategies and de-escalation to support children’s good behaviour. Children are often calmer than when they moved into the home, and they learn positive ways to manage their emotions.

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

Children rarely go missing from this home. There are good procedures in place to manage missing-from-home incidents, which means that staff know what to do should a child go missing from care. Safeguarding procedures are comprehensive and fully understood by the staff team. Risk assessments are individualised for each child. However, although risk assessments are good quality, they do not always contain pertinent and up-to-date information. Furthermore, they do not demonstrate that children contribute to their risk assessments.

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

During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff continued to receive relevant online training. Supervision and team meetings are used to evaluate incidents and identify strategies to prevent further such incidents. There have been no incidents of restraint in the home. Inspection report children's home: 2517054 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management of the home are stable. The registered manager is supported by an effective deputy manager. Together they provide good oversight of children’s care plans and risk assessments. Managers and staff are ambitious to make a positive difference in children’s lives. Professionals praise the manager for the work he has accomplished in making a positive difference in supporting the needs of children in his care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are valued and appreciated by children and the staff team. They are non- apologetic for having high standards and expectations of the children in relation to behaviour and education. These expectations are delivered with emotional warmth and care, balanced with firm boundaries. This is also mirrored throughout the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are strong advocates for children and ensure that the necessary support package is provided to them. This supports placement stability for children and develops their relationships with the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a good quality assurance system, which includes identifying and reflecting on patterns and trends. The manager regularly gathers the views of professionals, parents, children and staff. The independent visitor reports are also used to improve the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates a commitment to the ongoing development of the staff team. Staff feel energised and are keen to develop. They are supported by having the opportunity to attend regular training and supervision sessions and by attending team meetings. This helps the manager to identify each team member’s goals and to create appropriate development plans. Where necessary, staff are enrolled on the necessary vocational training required for their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children live in an environment that is maintained to a high standard. The manager ensures that any damage and any repairs needed are quickly addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff recruitment practice is robust, and only suitable people are employed to work with the children living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is achieving its aims and objectives, as set out in the statement of purpose, due to the staff team ensuring that the children receive the right support and care. This means that children leave the home with improved life chances and good outcomes. Inspection report children's home: 2517054 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are supported to contribute to and have a say in their support plans. Where any child expresses unhappiness with support plans, a record of the child’s response must be recorded verbatim. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  The registered person should ensure that children’s written records evidence the progress that children have made since being placed at the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)  The registered person should ensure that the most up-to-date risk assessment and behaviour support plans for children are placed in their care files. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2517054 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kennedy And Elliott Partnership LLP

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Abacus House 14-18, Forest Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1DX

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Inspector

Juanita Mayers, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2517054 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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