Children's Home run by Care Focus Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: SC477900 1 SC477900 Registered provider: Care Focus 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 is one of a small group. This home provides care for up to four girls, aged 11 to 17 years, who cannot live in a family setting. The home has an educational provision on site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC477900 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/08/2021 Full Outstanding 12/09/2019 Full Outstanding 14/08/2018 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC477900 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Children enjoy living at the home. They build positive, trusting and nurturing relationships with staff. Staff create an environment in which there is fun and laughter. This has helped children make progress in different areas of their lives. One child said, ‘I love living at the home. The staff are great.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress in their education. Care staff work closely with staff at the on-site school. This helps to ensure that staff understand children’s educational progress and the areas in which they need additional help. Children who have previously missed significant time in education are now well engaged in learning and make good progress with it. One child, who has previously experienced very disrupted education, is now working towards taking their mathematics GCSE a year early.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s health needs. One child has historically struggled to engage with health professionals. The child’s key workers have worked with them in creative ways to help them to understand the importance of appropriate healthcare and to trust the services that health professionals provide. This has enabled the child to engage with various professionals to support their health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of activities. Staff work with children to help them think about their interests and how these can be encouraged. This has resulted in children attending regular football and drama clubs. Children’s specific interests are well catered for. Staff use activities to nurture and enhance children’s interests. This has provided children with opportunities and experiences that they have not previously had.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively seek children’s views. Children are involved in decisions about their care and the daily running of the home. Children recently asked about getting a house pet. Staff took children to a local pet shop, and they found a rabbit which had some additional care needs. One child then prepared a presentation for the manager, outlining why the rabbit needed the care that children could provide for it and linking this to the care that children themselves receive at the home. The rabbit has since moved in, and all of the children now play a role in ensuring it is well looked after. This piece of work, skilfully supported by staff, has helped children think about what good care looks like, including helping them think about some of their own experiences.

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

Some children have previously been subject to high levels of risk in relation to exploitation and incidents of going missing. Staff have a good understanding of Inspection report for children's home: SC477900 4 these risks and of how to work with children to minimise them. Children have become safer since living at the home, with only one incident of a child going missing since the last inspection. A number of children who were frequently reported missing have not been missing since moving there. This reflects the trusting relationships that staff build with children and children feeling settled in their environment.

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

Staff help children understand the trauma that they have experienced and learn to deal with the emotional effects of it. Therapy is available to help with this. Staff do direct work with children in relation to a wide range of topics. This work is creative and uses a wide range of different methods, including role play and the use of arts and crafts to help children engage. This work has helped children to understand their experiences and think about the support networks around them.

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

Staff respond well to behavioural incidents. They help children to calm in times of distress, taking a reassuring and nurturing approach. Children’s plans clearly outline what approaches they respond best to at different times. Staff understand and follow these plans. Managers have effective oversight of incidents. Reviews of incidents are thorough and identify learning opportunities. The outcomes of these reviews are used to ensure that plans remain current and are based on staff’s understanding of the approaches that children best respond to. Consequently, incidents end more quickly and do not become more serious or prolonged.

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

Some allegations have been made against staff members. Most have been managed appropriately. However, in relation to allegations against one staff member, there were some shortfalls in how managers responded to this. A decision to initially redeploy the staff member to another home in the group was not in line with the home’s safeguarding policy. In addition, the safeguarding policy does not provide clear guidance on when referrals should be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. In this case, there were delays in reaching a conclusion on whether this was necessary. Managers have identified some learning from this case. However, a failure to ensure that allegations are always managed effectively has the potential to allow unsuitable staff to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and is working towards a relevant level 5 qualification. She and other managers are committed to ensuring that children achieve the best possible outcomes. Managers have a highly visible presence. This has enabled them to build supportive relationships with children and staff. Managers lead by example and have helped to create a home in which children’s needs are always at the forefront of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a wide range of training. This includes areas specific to children’s needs and in the home’s therapeutic approach. Staff are knowledgeable about this approach and understand how it supports good levels of care for children. Inspection report for children's home: SC477900 5 Staff are well supported by managers. Regular supervision sessions and team meetings are used to consider how effectively staff are working with children and to consider any ways this can be improved. Feedback sessions at the end of every shift provide an opportunity for staff to think about how they have worked together that day and identify any areas of learning. The approach to care has a strong emphasis on learning and development. It has helped to ensure continuous improvement in the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have excellent working relationships with children’s families and with other professionals. Feedback from parents and social workers was unanimously positive. They all said that communication from staff is good and that managers are approachable and open to considering different ways of working with children. One parent said that they had taken their child to the home when they moved there and that they had been made to feel extremely welcome and reassured. The parent said, ‘There is nothing about the home that could be better.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have good oversight of the home and have effective systems for internal monitoring. External monitoring is of good quality. Managers respond well to identified areas for development. They have responded appropriately to complaints that have been made. When complaints have identified some practice issues, these have been clearly addressed with staff in ways that are supportive of improving their practice. Inspection report for children's home: SC477900 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that allegations against staff are managed in line with the home’s safeguarding policy and that this policy contains clear guidance about when referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service should be made. 19 December

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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: SC477900 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, 168 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6RA

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Inspector

Joe Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC477900 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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