Children's Home run by Elite Children's Care Group ltd in Bexley

Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 1 Registered provider: Elite Children’s Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home that provides care for up to three children. The home cares for children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered on 8 February 2022. This is its first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since 26 April 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 2

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improvement to be good

Two children have lived at this home since it opened in February 2022. The children’s progress and experiences have been variable. The child currently living at the home is settled, safe and making progress.

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improvement to be good

Another child, who no longer lives at the home, did not have a positive experience. Weaknesses in the home’s admissions procedures, particularly poor impact risk assessments, resulted in this child having to move out of the home in an unplanned way.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers recognised the shortfalls in the admissions procedures and took action to improve them. Before children move into the home, leaders and managers now undertake a thorough assessment of the child’s needs and the staff’s ability to care for and protect them. Additionally, when possible, children have the opportunity to visit the home and meet the staff before they move in. These early introductions help children to settle and build relationships with the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand how important families are to children in care and they work closely with family members. A grandmother talked positively about the home and said that she trusted the director and the staff. She stated that she had observed a ‘huge difference’, in her granddaughter’s life as a result of living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff work closely with the virtual headteacher to ensure that children receive suitable education. Staff ensure that children have clear timetables, structures and routines that promote children’s engagement and learning. For example, the child was due to return to mainstream education in the week after the inspection. Staff had put in place a clear support plan to help her with this important transition.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children have access to the health care that they need. Staff encourage children to understand how to keep themselves healthy. The child has stopped smoking since living at this home. She has also significantly reduced her caffeine intake, which staff believe is helping to reduce her anxiety.

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improvement to be good

In agreement with the placing authority, the home offers therapy to children to help them with their emotional and mental health. For example, children are offered play- therapy, mindfulness and yoga. This helps children to relax and manage difficult emotions and anxious feelings in a safer way.

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improvement to be good

The home is well maintained. It provides children with a pleasant and comfortable physical environment to live in. Children have opportunities to contribute to the environment and make it their own. Examples include growing plants in the garden and creating a display on the communal notice board about being kind to others. Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 3

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improvement to be good

Some incidents have occurred in the home that indicate gaps in safeguarding practice. Leaders, managers and staff are reflecting on and learning from these incidents. Safeguarding practice is improving.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment is not consistent. A previous manager failed to follow safer recruitment procedures before allowing new staff members to work in the home. The provider has since reviewed all permanent staff recruitment files and ensured that all required checks and references are in place. The provider is in discussion with the agency that they use to ensure that all agency staff have been through a rigorous safer recruitment process.

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improvement to be good

The provider takes appropriate action when allegations are made against staff. They work closely with the local authority’s designated lead to help them reach conclusions and ensure that the children are safe. When necessary, leaders and managers refer concerns about staff to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Although whistle-blowing and the reporting of concerns have been discussed with permanent staff during their professional supervision, the agency staff who regularly work at the home lack knowledge of the whistle-blowing procedures.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand their safeguarding roles, including when children go missing from home. They work closely with the police and the local authorities and follow the relevant multi-agency protocols. This is reducing missing from home incidents, which increases children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand risk and know how to keep children safe. A grandmother said that staff did everything they possibly could to keep her granddaughter safe. However, the risk assessments and risk management plans are not always sufficiently detailed or updated when the level of risk changes. For example, a child’s risk assessment did not reflect that the risk of child sexual exploitation had decreased from high to low.

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improvement to be good

The arrangements for ensuring health and safety in the home, including fire safety, are effective. However, risk assessments are not updated when children have accidents in the home. For example, when a child tripped in the garden and sprained her ankle the manager did not undertake a risk assessment to identify what caused the accident and how to prevent it from happening again.

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good

The home has not had a positive start. Since registration, there have been three different managers. A new manager has recently been appointed and she is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted. She is suitably qualified and experienced and made noticeable improvements in a short period of time. Leaders and managers Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 4 have a clear vision for the home. They are child-centred and aspirational for children.

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good

The provider is aware of the shortfalls and has developed a comprehensive improvement plan. Improving the home so that it consistently provides a high standard of care to children is clearly a priority. The provider does not intend to admit any new children to the home until the necessary improvements have been made.

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good

The provider has developed a thorough induction for staff to make sure that they are familiar with their roles and know how to provide good care to children. However, some agency staff who work regularly in the home have not received this detailed induction.

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good

Staff talk positively about the current leaders and managers of the home and the support that they receive from them. Staff have regular supervision and have opportunities to talk about their work and review their practice. Staff supervision includes individual meetings with their line manager or the responsible individual. Group supervision is also provided by the company’s psychologist.

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good

Staff receive regular training on a variety of relevant topics, such as safeguarding children, working with children who self-harm and behaviour management, including the use of physical interventions. The provider has made an arrangement with a trainer to provide three face-to-face training days for staff every month. This will help staff to develop their competencies and work together as a team.

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good

Shortfalls in recording, such as in records of physical intervention and allegations, are undermining the robust oversight of incidents in the home and staff’s practice. Additionally, at times during the inspection, leaders and managers struggled to provide information in a timely manner, such as a register detailing the children who had moved on from the home. The provider plans to introduce a new information system to improve record keeping. Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must make sure that any issues are identified without delay and that all records relating to safeguarding are detailed and kept up to date. 28 August 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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e))

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Specifically, the registered person must make sure that there are a stable management and staff team. 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 6 Specifically, the registered person must make sure that the home’s ability to meet the needs of the child are carefully considered when planning to admit a child to the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)) 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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provide for liaison and co-operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 7 placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about past abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the alleged abuse or neglect occurred;

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and

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describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must make sure that all staff who work at the home have a good working knowledge of this procedure and know who to report to if there are any concerns or allegations made against the leaders and managers of the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 8 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must make sure that registers of children and staff are kept. 28 August 2022

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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: 2657553 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Elite Children’s Care Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor, 120 Baker Street, London W1U 6TU

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Inspector

Seka Graovac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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