Children's Home run by Caring Feathers Ltd in Brent

Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 1 Registered provider: Caring Feathers Ltd 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 four children. The home’s statement of purpose states that is aims to provide care for children who have emotional and behaviour issues (EBD), including children on the Autistic Spectrum.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection there were four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since March 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: none Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 3

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improvement to be good

Staff take the time to get to know children and develop positive and respectful relationships with them. This is a strength of the home. One child responded to positive praise about her behaviour by saying, ‘I am nice and polite because I watch the staff and you guys are really inspiring.’

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improvement to be good

Children’s records do not demonstrate the progress that children make from their starting points. Children do not have clear targets to achieve, for example in relation to education, behaviour or independence skills.

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard to ensure that children regularly attend school. They will escort children who travel some distance to school. One staff member spent valuable time with a child who was anxious about attending a new college, reducing the child’s anxieties.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of activities at home and in the community. A building in the garden area is currently being converted into an activities space. This will provide, among other things, opportunities for children to learn and develop their DJ skills.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of family to children and work hard to ensure that children’s plans to spend time with their family are adhered to. They help children to manage their feelings about not living with family. Staff show an interest in children’s cultural backgrounds and promote children’s identities. Managers and staff have positive relationships with parents. One parent said that staff went ‘above and beyond’ to support them and their child.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers respond appropriately when children are at risk of harm. However, not all staff appear to have read most of the risk assessments completed to help to keep children safe. This does not demonstrate that all staff have a good understanding of the individual risks to children, or the strategies identified to manage risks.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from care, staff do their best to maintain contact with them and to encourage them to return. One staff member followed a vulnerable child for two hours to ensure that she was safe. Staff talk to children about the dangers relating to going missing from care and try to understand the contributing factors to children going missing. Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 4 Staff work hard to manage and support children’s behaviour. However, children do not have behaviour support plans, which does not help staff to focus their work on addressing children’s presenting behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff generally understand their responsibilities in reporting concerns or allegations where children may be at risk of harm. However, on one occasion, leaders and managers did not escalate concerns when a local authority did not respond appropriately to address a disclosure made by a child. Furthermore, not all staff have a clear understanding of the whistle-blowing process.

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improvement to be good

The systems in place to monitor the safety in the home are not effective. The annual electrical domestic appliances tests are out of date. This places children at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

The monthly independent person’s reports do not contain a clear statement to confirm that children are safeguarded effectively and the conduct of the home promotes their well-being.

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good

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted. The manager is working towards achieving a relevant management qualification. Leaders and managers are committed to providing good-quality care to children.

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good

Staffing levels are appropriate. A new deputy manager has been appointed and will start working at the home shortly to strengthen the management team. However, leaders and managers understand that there is a need to create and develop a stable and skilled staff team.

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good

The systems in place to review the quality of care provided to children are not effective. Leaders and managers do not reflect on practice and the day-to-day care to enable them to identify how they can improve and develop practice and the quality of care provided. Leaders and managers recognise this as an area for development.

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good

Staff report that they feel well supported. Managers and staff receive regular and effective supervision sessions and attend team meetings. Staff report that supervision sessions help them to understand their role and also consider their personal well-being. However, managers do not consistently provide supervision notes to all staff.

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good

Managers and staff benefit from a range of training opportunities. The more experienced staff support the newer staff. However, not all induction plans are signed off by managers, so it is not clear whether staff have completed all elements of their plan. Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 5 Some children’s case records do not reflect the work that staff carry out with them. Furthermore, children do not consistently contribute to their records. Not all children’s records demonstrate that children are involved in discussions about their care, and their views, wishes and feelings are not evident. Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 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 registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 31 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 31 October 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 31 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 7 promotes their welfare.

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must understand the purpose of completing the home’s recording templates to capture and analyse the impact the home is making to children’s lives effectively.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, recording systems should be reviewed regularly to ensure that they are effective and efficient.

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to completion of the annual testing of electrical domestic appliances. 30 September 2022

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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. 30 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 8 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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person being able to evidence that all staff have read and understood children’s risk assessments.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, 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))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to leaders and managers ensuring that they escalate concerns when they feel that a local authority has not responded appropriately to concerns raised about children. 30 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 9

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the independent person consistently provides a clear statement in reports on how children are safeguarded effectively and the conduct of the home in promoting children’s well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 65, paragraph 15.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with and understand the home’s internal whistle-blowing procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.9)  The registered person should ensure that inductions for new staff are completed and signed off by an appropriate manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive a record of the content and outcome of supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including

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Recommendations

the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that they evidence that all staff have read the home’s policies and procedures and understand how these benefit children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of capturing the child’s voice when recording work undertaken with children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff encourage positive behaviour using positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s care plan. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 39, paragraph 8.13)

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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: 2653894 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Caring Feathers Ltd

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Matthew Phillips

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Inspector

Colin Bent, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2653894 11 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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