Children's home run by Area Camden Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1272461 1 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

The home is owned by a limited company. The home provides care for up to four children. In its statement of purpose, the provider states that care is provided to children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2018. The manager also registered with Ofsted in February 2018 and is suitably qualified.

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 28 January 2020

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1272461 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2020 Full Good 06/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1272461 3

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outstanding

Children are happy, loved and flourishing. They know that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to. Their progress is testimony to the perseverance and dedication of the staff team.

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outstanding

Staff advocate passionately for children. This enables children to receive the right support to meet their needs. An example of this is the manager’s fight for a child to undergo assessments. This resulted in the child being diagnosed with autism. This diagnosis has enabled the child to receive bespoke help. A professional said, ‘No one noticed anything different [about child]. They were there a couple of weeks and staff identified a difference.’

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outstanding

The communication between staff, teachers and professionals is effective. This prevents children’s school placements from breaking down. Children who previously struggled with education are now regular attenders. They are encouraged to see education as a pathway to their futures. A child who arrived at the home as a non- attender at school and who rarely left their bedroom has now completed their exams. Having discovered a passion for cooking they are now making excellent progress on a catering course. This is one of the many educational successes that children have had.

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outstanding

Children’s day-to-day lived experience is positive. This is evident in how they interact with staff and each other. Sharing and negotiation is now second nature. Children know how to make a complaint. They talk through any issues in key-work sessions and house meetings. However, they feel some of these practices should stop because they are not like what happens in family homes. They are exploring their suggested alternatives with the staff team.

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outstanding

Transition plans for children’s moves in and out of the home are comprehensive. The inclusive approach enables children to feel involved in their care planning and decisions made about them. Children often take all their bedroom furniture with them when they move out of the home, so they have familiar items in their new home. One child, due to move out after living at the home for several years, has regular conversations with staff about her hopes and fears. These healthy discussions are helping her to address concerns as they arise.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged and supported to spend time with their families, irrespective of the distance. These visits enable children to rebuild family relationships. It also means they have widened their post-care support network. Inspection report for children's home: 1272461 4

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outstanding

Children often arrive at the home having experienced trauma and exploitation, and present with risky and self-harmful behaviour. This includes being affiliated to gangs and involved in crime and substance misuse. The staff team creatively enables children to recognise the harm that they may be facing or have experienced.

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outstanding

Children have left the home in a positive way, having turned their lives around. Their life chances are improved and they have better relationships with their family. One wrote to staff saying, ‘I would never have got to where I have without yous [sic].’

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outstanding

Children respond to the boundaries in place and the consistency of the staff team. These contribute to children feeling safer. Two of the children have lived in the home for over two years. They have successfully worked through many of their behaviours that had caused concern. The two newer children are still at the stage where they are testing staff responses. They are learning from having the older children as settled role models.

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outstanding

Incidents are rare. Self-harming incidents are also infrequent and when they do occur, they reduce in severity. Room searches are conducted when concerns arise. The manager believes each day is a new day. When issues occur, she tells children, ‘We deal with it, learn from it and move on.’

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outstanding

The home is in easy reach of various means of public transport. Despite the accessibility of transport links, children do not go missing from the home. The staff team works well with the children to undertake learning such as travel training. This equips children to navigate journeys independently without staff. It also prepares them for adult life and ensures that children develop the same level of independence as their peers.

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outstanding

The staff team works in a non-risk averse way. They ensure that children feel able to invite their friends to the home. This enables staff to get to know the children’s friends, like most parents would. It also allows staff to highlight to children that any friends who do not want to be in the staff’s presence are probably not good for them.

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outstanding

Staff work diligently with virtual headteachers and school mentors to ensure that children receive the right support at school.

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outstanding

Staff training is comprehensive. Staff know their safeguarding duties. They are confident about the processes to follow should any concerns arise about a child’s safety or well-being. Inspection report for children's home: 1272461 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is passionate about the children in her care. This shows in all aspects of her work. She and her team are ambitious for the children, and they are confident that each child can and will achieve. The manager has an in-depth awareness of the needs and progress of each child. This knowledge is embedded into all aspects of care planning. The manager challenges ineffective responses from others. She ensures that the team around each child is communicating effectively and working together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff describe the manager as a positive leader. They feel that she appreciates and values them and helps them to develop. They describe their inductions, supervision and ongoing learning as positive. They all say they love the home and the family feel and they enjoy coming to work, even when it is challenging. One member of staff said, ‘It is not like coming to work. It feels like you are visiting someone’s house.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and her deputy are continually looking to identify improved ways of working. They review records and templates to ensure that they are constantly developing. In the lengthy period since the last inspection, the manager and staff team have developed and strengthened their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is diverse in relation to age and origin. This positively reflects the differing needs of the children. The latest members of staff to be appointed are men. This provides children with positive male role models.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A child who had experienced several placement breakdowns prior to moving into the home wrote to staff, thanking them for restoring their faith in children’s homes. The leadership team pride themselves on having created an atmosphere where children can be children. A child who was used to being a young carer allowed themselves to be nurtured and cared for. Staff ensured when the child left the home that they was able to attend an event that fulfilled one of their lifelong desires. It is evident that this level of thought and care is what each child receives. Inspection report for children's home: 1272461 6

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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: 1272461 7

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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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Inspector

Sonia Hay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1272461 8 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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