Children's Home run by Capital Children’s Care Ltd in Essex

Inspection report children’s home: 2575372 1 Registered provider: Capital Children’s Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children aged between 10 and 18.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 22 March 2021.

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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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Inspection date: 22 December 2021

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 22 December 2021

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2575372 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection, five requirements and three recommendations were raised. The manager has addressed three of the requirements and all of the recommendations. Two of the requirements have not been addressed since the last inspection. Four further requirements have been raised at this inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children are making steady progress. They are building trusting relationships with the staff and talk about their feelings. The staff encourage children to work towards their individual goals, such as personal hygiene, building sleep routines and caring for their pets. The children rarely go missing from the home. They have good relationships with one another. This contributes to children feeling stable and secure. Children value the home and treat it with respect. The children are positive about living at the home and recognise the personal improvements to their lives.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children benefit from a spacious house with well-appointed communal rooms and personalised bedrooms. The rear garden has a bucket full of cigarette ends and these are also littered around the patio area. The staff use the rear garden to have cigarette breaks, which means that the children can see the staff smoking from the house. The staff are not adhering to the smoking policy or providing the children with healthy role models.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some of the children smoke tobacco and use substances on a regular basis, which is too readily accepted by the staff. The guidance and support for children to understand the health effects of smoking and substance misuse are limited. This means that children may not understand the detrimental effects to their physical and mental health.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One child engages well with a tutor who comes to the home. Two children are not accessing any formal education. These children use workbooks, which the staff support them with. However, these books have no date record. Therefore, it is difficult to assess the regularity of when the books are used. The scope of the work is limited and does not provide a balanced range of learning opportunities.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff use sanctions that are not linked to the children’s behaviour management plans. Some staff are unclear about which sanctions are suitable. Despite the behaviour, most sanctions are related to pocket money. This repetitive approach is not effective and has not helped the children to learn from their actions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, several staff and the deputy manager have left. These vacancies have been addressed by the recruitment of new staff. However, these staff Inspection report children’s home: 2575372 3 are unqualified and inexperienced. Overall, there are nine staff. Of these, six staff are working towards a level 3 qualification and three staff are new starters who have not yet enrolled on the training. This fails to provide a qualified and skilled workforce.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The statement of purpose states that the home operates on a high staffing ratio for most of the daytime period. This is not accurate as there are some periods when there are only two staff on duty. This fails to provide the ratios of staff agreed for each child.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has updated the statement of purpose, which reflects the current staff team. However, Ofsted has not received an updated copy for a long period.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff feel supported by the manager and receive regular supervision. Supervision meetings are recorded, and these records are signed and agreed by the staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been no complaints since the last inspection and there is an appropriate system in place to record these. Generally, the overall quality of records has improved with clear writing and appropriate record proformas. Inspection report children’s home: 2575372 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2575372 5

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)) 25 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are provided with support and information in regard to substance misuse and smoking cessation. 28 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2575372 6 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, provide clear behaviour management strategies that guide staff in the use of sanctions and help children to learn from their behaviours. 28 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff follow the home’s smoking policy. 28 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— 28 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2575372 7 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are supervised by the number of staff agreed between the home and the placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 28 January 2022

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: 2575372 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Capital Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Pike Way, North Weald, Epping, Essex CM16 6BL

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Inspectors

Mandy Start, Social Care Inspector Deirdra Keating, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2575372 9 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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