Children's Home run by St Christopher’s Fellowship in Sandwell

Inspection report for children's home: SC404994 1 SC404994 Registered provider: St Christopher’s Fellowship Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a registered charity and provides care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022.

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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: 6 November 2019

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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: SC404994 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2019 Full Good 27/06/2018 Full Good 18/07/2017 Full Good 16/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC404994 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, no children were living in the home. One child had been supported to move into the home and staff worked hard to support and help the child. They had some success, however, due to an increase in risks, the placement was ended. The registered manager has shared relevant information with the child’s local authority to support the child’s transition to their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before the child moved out, the staff had a good understanding of the child’s needs and worked hard to help them improve their emotional well-being. Staff understood the triggers in behaviours which could lead to challenging or difficult situations. When these occurred, staff responded to these challenges sensitively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff were proactive in making referrals to other professionals to secure specialist support for the child. When the child was reluctant to engage with services, staff were persistent in their efforts to encourage the child to access support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communicated effectively with education providers to make full use of opportunities to meet the child’s educational needs. During their time at the home, the child did not consistently engage in education, however, despite the child’s reluctance, staff tirelessly encouraged the child to attend.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child had opportunities to engage in a wide variety of activities, both in the home and in the wider community. The child was encouraged to have their own interests, such as playing football, stand-up comedy and music. These activities helped the child to build confidence and develop their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Every effort was made to promote and strengthen family relationships for the child. The staff supported the child to rebuild and maintain positive relationships with family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child engaged in children’s meetings and regular consultations with the manager. These opportunities enabled the child to have a say in how the home was run. For example, the child was able to personalise their bedroom and be involved in planning meals and activities.

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

The staff team had a good understanding of the child’s strengths and vulnerabilities. The child was supported to understand safe relationships. This was further developed through key-work sessions, exploring potential risks through reflection and honest conversations. Topics for key work included sexual health, personal safety and exploitation. This work helped the child to increase their awareness of risk. Inspection report for children's home: SC404994 4 When the child went missing, staff were consistent in their response. Staff followed the missing-from-home protocol, which includes searching local areas and areas that the child is known to frequent. On return, the child was consistently offered an independent interview in line with statutory guidance. Staff also spent time with the child to understand the reasons why the child had gone missing and used this information to strengthen future risk assessments.

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

Comprehensive assessments support a coordinated approach to the management of risk. Risk assessments are kept up to date and are reviewed regularly by the registered manager. These documents, along with staff’s understanding of risk, enable them to respond effectively to incidents both inside and outside the home.

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

Staff recognise their role in reporting safeguarding concerns. They work collaboratively with key partners to understand children’s needs and risks. Staff’s knowledge supports them to be professionally curious in respect of contextual safeguarding. This means that incidents are not seen in isolation and staff take a holistic view of patterns and trends of behaviour.

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

The recruitment of staff is safe. The registered manager has ensured that necessary checks are completed. This means that staff working in the home are safe to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to improving outcomes for children. They use internal and external monitoring systems to continually review practice in the home to develop and improve experiences for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a visible presence in the home and models positive behaviours. They ensure that they are accessible and responsive to the needs of children. This contributed to trusting relationships between the manager, staff and the child, supporting a consistent approach to care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses learning from practice and feedback to improve the experiences and care of children. They learn from complaints, staff feedback, placement successes and breakdowns, and any serious events. They identify strengths and areas for improvement and implement plans to support an improvement in children’s experiences. The one requirement relating to staff qualifications and the one recommendation for timely notifications, set at the last inspection, have been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have positive working relationships with partner agencies. They provide regular updates and records are current and generally well maintained in the child’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers regularly review and monitor staff files and staff training. When individual needs change or new risks emerge, bespoke training is provided to support the staff in enhancing their skills, ensuring the child’s needs are appropriately responded to. Inspection report for children's home: SC404994 5 Staff have regular supervision. It is reflective and considers the needs of the child and areas for staff development, identifying both training needs and the personal welfare of the staff member. When practice falls short of the standards expected by the manager, this is addressed in supervision, with a clear plan put in place to review performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures the location risk assessment is updated regularly. This includes data about criminal activity in the local area and the views of external agencies. However, there is a missed opportunity to include the child’s views and their local knowledge to enhance the assessment of risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has identified shortfalls by the local authority in respect of their statutory duties for one child. Despite this knowledge and some challenge, the manager has not been effective in bringing about timely change in the best interests of the child. Inspection report for children's home: SC404994 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

In meeting the quality standards, if the registered person considers a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 12 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (2)) 12 November

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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: SC404994 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Christopher’s Fellowship

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Putney High Street, Wandsworth, London SW15 1SZ

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Natallina Khushia-Narhar

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Inspector

Lisa Walsh, Her Majesty’s Inspector Social Care Inspection report for children's home: SC404994 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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