Children's Home run by Creating Care Choices Limited in Lewisham

Inspection report children’s home: SC025657 1 SC025657 Registered provider: Creating Care Choices Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to 11 children with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in 2001. The manager registered with Ofsted on 22 June 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were nine children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: 9 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC025657 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/02/2020 Full Good 13/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/06/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC025657 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy trusting and positive relationships with staff who know them well. Staff speak about children with warmth and pride. Children also have positive relationships with each other. This gives children a sense of belonging and creates a family atmosphere in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how children communicate their needs. Staff are creative when working with non-verbal children and use a range of resources, including pictures and signs, to ascertain children’s wishes and feelings. This ensures that children’s voices are heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children living in the home engage in education and make good progress from their individual starting points. Leaders and managers work well with children’s schools and tutors to ensure that children’s needs are met well. One child has successfully completed a work experience placement. This collaborative working helps children to develop their skills and prepare for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a range of activities out of the home, such as going to the cinema and trampoline parks. They are given activity choices to consider in their weekly house meetings. One child said that it was on his ‘bucket list’ to go to the trampoline park and the activity was arranged. This choice of activities helps children to feel listened to and gives them opportunities to have fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in developing their independence skills. For example, staff help children to learn how to manage their personal hygiene and toileting needs. As a result, children can use the toilet independently and maintain a good level of personal care. One child said, ‘I am happy here, they are helping me with my independence plan, I would not change anything.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop and maintain positive relationships with their families. Staff work closely with children and their families to ensure that their time spent together is enjoyable. Leaders and managers recognise the importance of children’s relationships with their families and advocate for them to have more time with their family when they feel this is beneficial for children. This helps children to rebuild, develop and maintain important family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers have made some improvements to the home conditions. The communal areas have been updated and are more welcoming for children. Children’s bedrooms have been decorated with wallpaper of their choice. Children told the inspectors that they like the changes that have been made. However, children’s bedrooms are still without additional furniture and further work could be done to make them feel more homely. Inspection report children’s home: SC025657 4

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

Incidents in the home are managed well and staff use a range of techniques to help de-escalate difficult situations. As a result, no children have been restrained. This creates a sense of calm and consistency in the home.

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

Staff respond appropriately when children are missing from the home. They search for children in places that they are known to frequent and report them missing to the relevant people. Missing-from-home records are comprehensive and include sufficient information about the incidents. Additionally, children receive independent return home interviews. This ensures that there is robust oversight and support for children at such a vulnerable time.

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

Children’s risk assessments clearly outline the known risks to children. However, all known risks and vulnerabilities are not explored when children’s circumstances change. Additionally, key-work sessions with children do not specifically address children’s known risks and vulnerabilities. This limits how well children are helped to keep themselves safe.

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

Safer recruitment practice is robust and ensures that staff are suitable to work with children. All staff who have been employed since the previous inspection have full recruitment records. This ensures the safety of children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management structure of the home is strong. The home is managed by a suitably qualified and registered manager, who is supported by a deputy manager. Additionally, each house has its own manager. This ensures that there is always good management oversight and leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers learn from feedback. They have met the requirements raised at the previous inspection and have made positive changes. Leaders and managers take on board feedback from parents and children’s social workers and make changes to children’s care as required. This improves the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale and retention are good. Staff report that they are managed and supported effectively and value the regular and effective supervision and appraisals with managers. This provides ongoing oversight of practice and staff development. Additionally, there is no use of agency staff in the home. This ensures that children have stability and consistency in care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are well informed and have a clear understanding of the progress that children make. They recognise when children are struggling and if the care provided is not meeting their needs. They work with the professional network to ensure that alternative plans are in place for children when necessary. This helps children to get the right support to meet their needs and provides them with stability. Inspection report children’s home: SC025657 5 Children’s records are comprehensive and reflect their everyday lives. Children’s care plans are written from the child’s perspective, which gives them more meaning and brings them to life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from attending a wide range of training courses online and face to face. The training provided covers important aspects of staff practice, such as child sexual exploitation, medication processes and autism spectrum disorder awareness. This provides staff with the knowledge and skills to help them to provide tailored support and care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from parents is positive. One parent described the deputy manager as a ‘lifeline’ and an ‘exceptional person’. Inspection report children’s home: SC025657 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

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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that risk assessments are reviewed and updated for children when situations and risks change and that staff undertake key- work sessions with children that specifically address their known risks, vulnerabilities and plans. 26 August 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, for the home to be a nurturing and supportive environment that the meets the needs of the children, they continue with the refurbishment of the home so that all areas are of a similar suitable standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children’s home: SC025657 7

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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: SC025657 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Creating Care Choices Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 38 Castle Drive, Ilford, Essex IG4 5AE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Parmeswar Gopee Singh

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Inspectors

Leanne Grant, Social Care Inspector Claire Beckingham, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC025657 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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