Children's Home run by Heartwood RSC Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2497538 1 Registered provider: Heartwood RSC Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company and provides care for up to five children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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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: 29 September 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2497538 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/09/2021 Full Good 12/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2497538 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, five children were living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and one child has moved in. Staff work in partnership with other professionals and the children to create detailed assessments and moving plans. Staff organise meetings with children to help them understand when there are changes to who they will be living with. Children are welcomed by other children. As a result, children feel comfortable and settle into the home quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in meetings which focus on relationships at the home. Staff are skilled in helping children to talk about the complexities of living together. One child said, ‘The best thing about living here is making friends with others who live here.’ Children are helped to build positive and healthy relationships with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to attend education. Children are accessing school or part-time education that includes online learning and face-to-face tutorials. One child has successfully passed her GCSEs. One child is learning Spanish. The manager has organised for children to have advocates to help them to make formal complaints when they have not received adequate education provision. Staff help children to understand the importance of learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well; they recognise their strengths and organise activities that the children enjoy. Children have been ice skating, roller blading, to a laser tag activity and swimming. Staff plan group trips to larger venues such as theme parks and zoos. Staff help children to attend activities in the local community. Children have volunteered their time to help animal and cancer charities. This helps children to improve their self-esteem and confidence and to contribute to the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with people who are important to them. Staff take children to see their families. Staff have helped one family to develop strategies to care for their child, which has improved their relationships. Staff offer emotional and practical support to children who cannot see their families. Staff help children to write letters, and talk with them about any concerns that they have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable and welcoming. There are photos of children in communal areas and positive quotes are nicely displayed. Children have access to a wide range of activities and games. One child has her own pets. Another child is creating an allotment area in the garden. This helps children to feel a sense of belonging and security. However, there are weeds in the garden, the paving in the patio area is broken and a small wall has fallen onto the entrance path to the home. Children have been involved in painting and decorating their own bedrooms. Where one child has painted her bedroom door, the paint has dried, causing the fire seal not to close. This was not noticed by staff as a fire risk. Inspection report for children’s home: 2497538 4

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

Staff are trained and experienced in helping children with complex behaviours. Staff have had additional training in managing self-harm, suicide ideation and ligature release. The manager ensures that the staff ratio is suitable to help children in crisis. Staff work as a team to help children when they are at significant risk. This is managed sensitively. Staff understand the importance of children needing privacy and spending time alone, while being supported safely.

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

Staff understand the identified risks for each child. Staff work with children to help them to learn about and understand harmful behaviour. Consequently, one child’s incidents of self-harm have reduced significantly since living at the home. When children disagree with staff’s approach, the staff explain to them why they needed to act.

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

Behaviour management plans detail stages of crisis and recovery. This helps staff to recognise anxiety levels in children. Clear strategies help staff to reduce risks to children. Staff use their relationships with children as a basis for managing behaviour. Positive consequences are used to help children understand when they have made progress in managing their own feelings. Restorative consequences are used when necessary. This helps children to understand how their actions have affected others.

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

Children have well-detailed missing-from-home protocols. One child has been missing from the home. Staff followed the correct procedures and made certain that other professionals were aware of the child’s level of vulnerability. The manager met with staff to explore how the child was allowed to leave the home. This provided the opportunity for staff to reflect on their actions and reduce future episodes of children going missing.

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

Children are helped to understand the risks and benefits of the internet and mobile phones. Individual risk assessments identify risk factors. Staff use technology to monitor how children use the internet. Staff meet with children to talk about the risks of being online. Children are safe when using social media.

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

Staff are suitably trained, skilled and experienced in the use of physical intervention. If children are restrained, the intervention is for a limited time and the least restrictive method is used. Debriefs are held with staff and children. The manager comments on the appropriateness of the intervention within the agreed timescales. However, one record of a restraint which the manager was involved in has not been reviewed and signed by senior managers within the agreed timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has suitable experience and qualifications. He is supported by two deputy managers and two senior staff members. Inspection report for children’s home: 2497538 5 Recruitment and retention of staff is good. The small staff team is long-standing. This helps children to build relationships with a consistent staff team. One child said, ‘The best thing is the staff. They are actually okay, and we do get on with them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works closely with other professionals and families to maintain positive relationships. Feedback from social workers is positive about the manager and the level of communication that they have with him.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision from qualified managers. Staff are encouraged to reflect on their relationships with children, and on incidents and safeguarding. Staff talk about the emotional impact that the work has on them. They feel supported by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes detailed impact assessments before children move into the home. This helps to ensure children live with others who will have a positive impact on them. The manager has good knowledge of each child and the group dynamics. The manager is proactive in making certain that children progress in forming positive relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When there have been any concerns about practice, the manager has actively investigated. Reports are comprehensive and shared with other professionals. The manager uses learning from investigations to improve the experiences of care for children. Consequently, medication storage in the home has improved and is more secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are trained to meet the children’s complex needs. However, two staff have not achieved a relevant level 3 diploma despite working in children’s residential care for two years. This was raised at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person regularly visits the home but does not always speak with children, staff and the professionals involved with the home. This means that the independent person’s ability to fully understand the quality of care provided is limited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met one requirement and two recommendations from the last inspection. One requirement and one recommendation are restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2497538 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

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s bedroom doors can fully close to create a fire seal in the event of fire. 3 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 2 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2497538 7 The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the responsible individual signing records of restraint that have involved the registered manager. 3 June 2022

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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. (Regulation 44 (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the independent person interviewing children, their families and other professionals involved with the home. 24 June 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a welcoming and homely environment that meets the needs of the children. Specifically, repair the wall in the front garden, clear weeds and clean the patio garden. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2497538 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heartwood RSC Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 416 Green Lane, Ilford IG3 9JX

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Inspector

Mandy Start, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2497538 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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