Children's Home run by Adeza Care Homes Limited in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 1 SC032468 Registered provider: Adeza Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run home for up to four children. The home provides care for children who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home. The provider has very recently appointed a manager for the home. There has been no registered manager in place for several months.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in November 2003.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: SC032468 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/06/2021 Full Good 14/01/2020 Full Good 21/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children settle well when they move into the home. They share trusting relationships with the staff team and they appreciate the care and attention staff show them. One child said, ‘It’s good here. Overall, I’d give it five to seven out of ten!’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel that staff listen to them and take seriously any concerns they may have. However, the children’s guide requires review. Currently, the guide does not include the correct contact details for Ofsted or the Children’s Commissioner who children can contact to raise representations about the home or the care the child receives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to live healthy lifestyles. Children have access to primary healthcare and specialist services as needed. Staff provide children with good support and advice in relation to key healthcare issues. This is particularly the case in relation to children’s substance misuse and managing their medication safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s learning outcomes are variable. Staff support and promote children’s education, by helping them to access courses and apprenticeships that children say they are interested in. Staff encourage children who do not engage in their education to consider alternative, more preferable options such as home tuition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop practical living skills with the support and supervision of staff. This helps them to prepare for adulthood. Children carry out household chores, which include preparing meals, keeping their bedrooms tidy and doing their laundry.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to participate in day-to-day decision-making about their lives. These routinely include choosing leisure activities and food menus. In one case, a child chose the member of staff they wished to become their key worker.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children keep in touch with their families and friends when it is safe for them to do so. If children prefer not to have contact with family members, staff respect this. Where appropriate, families are invited to help celebrate children’s achievements.

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

Children say that they feel safe. Staff protect them from harm, abuse and neglect. Children benefit from the staff’s knowledge of and training in safeguarding. Staff are familiar with the home’s child protection policies. This helps to keep children safe.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been one allegation made by a child against a member of staff. Safeguarding professionals were informed of the allegation at the time. Managers’ investigation into this incident was well considered and thorough. Managers focused on the needs of the child throughout the investigation. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 4 There has been a high number of incidents where children are missing from the home. Staff speak regularly with children about the risks posed when they are missing. Staff devise risk assessments that offer the staff team good guidance about managing children’s absences from the home without permission. There is effective communication between staff, the police and social workers. This helps to promote children’s safe return when they are missing from care.

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

Staff have a good understanding of other risks posed to children, and they are consistent in the action they take to help reduce children’s risk-taking behaviour. For example, staff speak with children about the risks posed by their involvement in gangs. Staff work in close partnership with local authority staff, including youth offending teams and mentors. This helps children to develop positive peer relationships and to prevent further criminal offences.

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

Children receive help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings. Staff give praise and incentives to reward children’s positive behaviour. Strategies to prevent challenging behaviour are largely effective. As a result, there has been a recent decline in the frequency of critical incidents. Since the last inspection, there have been no restraint incidents.

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

Managers’ recruitment and vetting of staff is thorough and safe. This ensures that staff are suitable to work with children.

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

The home’s premises are generally well maintained, safe and secure. Managers use Close Circuit Television (CCTV) to help monitor the exterior and internal communal areas of the building. This level of surveillance cannot be justified in meeting the needs of the two children currently living in the home. The use of CCTV in communal areas does not create an open, nurturing environment.

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good

Despite an ongoing recruitment campaign, the home has had no registered manager for almost 12 months. The provider has very recently restructured the home’s management team and an acting manager is in day-to-day charge of the home. The acting manager is appropriately qualified and experienced to manage the home.

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good

Managers’ oversight and monitoring of the service is not strong. There are gaps in managers’ review of key documents. As a result, the quality of some records requires improvement. These include care plans, key-work sessions, and records of staff supervision. Care plans and key-work sessions are not sufficiently detailed, while records of supervision for one member of staff were missing.

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good

Central records do not accurately reflect incidents that occur. Managers are at times only able to retrieve accurate information by reviewing children’s individual case files. This was found to be the case for the collation of information about allegations and restraint incidents. Information on the staff training matrix is also inaccurate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 5 Managers do not adequately audit file and central records to ensure that records are comprehensive and accurate.

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good

Managers inform relevant organisations when serious incidents occur. However, not all notifications are forwarded to Ofsted, or in a timely fashion as expected. This does not ensure that serious incidents are promptly reviewed by Ofsted to confirm that managers and staff are taking effective action.

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good

Senior managers invest in the staff team and their support of staff is very good. Leaders and managers are visible at the home. Leaders encourage staff’s professional development and career promotion within the organisation. As a result, the vast majority of staff have worked for the organisation for several years. Children, therefore, experience good continuity of care. This helps to support their positive relationships with staff.

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good

Leaders, managers and the staff team place the well-being of children at the centre of their practice. Managers challenge other professionals when the responses from other services are not in children’s best interests. This has been the case when managers have been clear that children’s risk-taking behaviour is of such concern that their placement at the home is no longer safe and appropriate.

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good

Managers and staff share very effective working relationships with external professionals. Leaders and staff consultation with children’s professional networks is consistent and appropriate. Managers promptly request that professionals’ meetings are held to explore concerns about children’s progress and safety. A local authority social worker said, ‘I give the staff team eight of ten for effort with my child. Within one day of it starting, the placement was in jeopardy, but they continued to care for him. They invest in children.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 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 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

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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must have sufficient oversight and monitoring of staff practice and documents, such as those relating to the training matrix, care plans, staff supervision and key-work sessions. This also includes central records of allegations and restraints. 1 December 2022

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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 (1) (2)) 1 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— 1 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 7 the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 1 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(c)) 1 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: SC032468 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Adeza Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Second Floor, Kestrel House, Falconry Court, Bakers Lane, Epping, Essex CM16 5BD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Deborah Pacquette

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Inspectors

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Zara Salim, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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