Children's Home run by Achieving for Children Community Interest Company in Richmond upon Thames

Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 1 Registered provider: Achieving For Children Community Interest Company Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five children. The home’s statement of purpose specifies that it will look after children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager were registered with Ofsted in September 2020. The first child was admitted to the home on 16 November 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 23 August 2021. At that inspection, two children were living at the home. These children continue to live at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This inspection was conducted on site and involved meetings with children and several staff and a parent. Email and telephone contact took place with placing authority social workers and other professionals.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 28 September 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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 2 The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 23 August 2021.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A notice restricting accommodation was issued on 26 August 2021 to ensure that no further children were admitted to the home.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following a positive monitoring visit on 28 September 2021, the notice restricting accommodation was lifted due to the home successfully addressing the concerns of the August inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/08/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of care provided to children continues to improve. The manager and staff have addressed the concerns of the last inspection and now work together consistently to support children effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children enjoy positive and trusting relationships with staff. This enables children to talk to staff openly about their thoughts and feelings and issues that are concerning them, such as their progress at school. The positive relationships between the children and staff are contributing factors to children feeling happy in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team successfully encourages children to attend their education provision. Children make good progress in education. One child recently received an award for her good level of attainment and improved attendance that had increased from 72% to 95.8%. This child now travels to school on her own with support and encouragement from staff. This has a positive impact on her self-esteem and confidence, as well as providing the child with a positive and structured routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to pursue their interests and talents. One child is particularly talented in photography and theatrical makeup. Staff support the child to take artistic photographs in the local area. The child was able to successfully test makeup techniques on staff at a recent Halloween fancy-dress party.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent boundaries, and their good understanding of children ensures that children’s behaviour is managed effectively. Staff understand the key triggers for children such as when they spend time with their parents. Staff help children to think about how they are feeling. Children respond well and learn to manage their behaviour and emotions effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children continue to access therapeutic support, when required. This specialist support helps children to process and understand previously difficult life experiences. Consequently, this helps them to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from parents and professionals is positive. An allocated social worker commented that staff are ‘exceeding expectations’. One parent said, ‘Staff are fabulous, they could not care more.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are listened to. Children’s views on important issues such as food and peer relationships are addressed quickly and effectively. This helps to promote and create a ‘family style’ atmosphere at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 5

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

Children feel safe in their home and actively seek staff support. This is evidenced by one child allowing staff access to his mobile phone and sharing his location when he is away from the home. However, at present, there is no formal written consent for this level of electronic monitoring.

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

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. Staff use their knowledge through their close relationships with children to contact friends and family when children’s whereabouts are unknown. When children return to the home, staff ensure that they receive an independent return home interview. This helps children to feel supported at such a vulnerable time.

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

Staff are well trained and understand the complex individualised needs of both children. Staff understand children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. They use this informed knowledge to encourage children to make safe decisions. Staff are alert to key signs of children becoming unsettled, such as a change in body movement, or behaviour. Staff respond quickly, consistently and with care and compassion.

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

Staff work openly and honestly with children about important safeguarding decisions, such as removing devices that give access to inappropriate social media sites. This helps children to understand why staff are taking action to protect them.

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

Despite the home having a good safeguarding culture, Ofsted was not informed of a recent serious incident involving a child. This failure to report serious incidents compromises the regulator’s external oversight. Furthermore, this limited the preparation for this inspection. This breach in regulations was raised as a concern at the last full inspection.

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good

Leaders and managers have worked hard to address the concerns identified at the last full inspection.

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good

Staff do not benefit from regular supervision and performance appraisals. This limits staff development and does not help leaders and managers to maintain good management oversight.

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good

The six-monthly quality of care review report due at the end of October 2021 has not been received by Ofsted. This has limited preparation for this inspection.

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good

The quality of case recording is not consistent. Individual key-work sessions with children that discuss and reflect on their needs and daily lives fail to evidence the ongoing direct work with them. This does not help children to feel valued and to Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 6 recognise the progress they are making. Furthermore, this limits leaders’ and managers’ evaluation and oversight of children’s progress.

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good

Leaders are now more visible. The responsible individual and deputy manager provide management support and oversight when the registered manager is not present. This ensures that there is stability and consistency for children and staff.

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good

Leaders and managers understand the vulnerabilities of each child living in the home. Therefore, they have made a conscious decision not to admit any further children to enable the staff team to focus on meeting the needs of the two children currently living there.

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good

Leaders and managers work well with other agencies and advocate for children effectively. This supports the day-to-day care of children. For example, leaders and managers liaised effectively with one child’s placing authority to ensure that the child received specialist therapeutic support. This ensured that the required support was provided to the child at the right time to meet the child’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 7

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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 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

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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b)) 24 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 8 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 24 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that important information such as debriefs following physical interventions are recorded promptly and are easily accessible. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards (2015)’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should have a system in place to ensure that all serious incidents are notified to Ofsted in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards (2015)’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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 for children’s home: 2576346 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Achieving For Children Community Interest Company

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 42 York Street, Twickenham TW1 3BW

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Inspectors

Leanne Grant, Social Care Inspector Barnaby Dowell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2576346 10 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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