Children's Home run by McRae Residential Care Services Limited in Croydon

Inspection report children’s home: SC025813 1 SC025813 Registered provider: McRae Residential Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to eight boys who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in March 2007.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 24 February 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC025813 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/02/2022 Full Outstanding 15/01/2020 Full Outstanding 07/03/2019 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC025813 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a positive experience at this home. They receive good-quality care that meets their needs and helps them to make good progress. Staff place children at the centre of their practice. They skilfully build positive relationships with the children, using empathy and compassion, to gain their trust. This helps children to settle and make positive changes in their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional needs are supported well. If children are not receiving support from child and adolescent mental health services, they are supported by a family therapist who visits weekly. This helps children to improve or maintain their emotional health and well-being.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in education and make good progress. Staff support children to attend school and work closely with teachers to provide additional support when needed. Children who are not in school receive a range of educational activities in the home and staff advocate for a prompt return to full-time education. As a result, children develop a positive attitude towards education and make good academic progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a strong voice, and their views are respected. They make contributions to their day-to-day care and choose their key workers when they move into the home. Children are encouraged to express their views though individual sessions, feedback surveys and a suggestion box. This helps children to feel heard and participate in their care planning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to develop important life skills. Staff develop individualised programmes and organise group sessions that cover a range of topics to help children to learn and make informed choices about their future. Children are helped to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. However, staff do not always take appropriate action to help children to keep their bedrooms clean. This was evident during this inspection as the condition of some of the bedrooms was a cause of concern. The unsafe conditions of the children’s bedrooms pose a risk to them.

p.3

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

Children say that they feel safe and can talk to staff if they have any worries or concerns. They know how to make a complaint. This helps children to feel safe and secure in the home.

p.3

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

Children’s known and potential risks are well understood by staff. Staff are proactive and curious about children’s changing behaviours. They have meaningful conversations with children about risks. Key-work sessions are used to consistently discuss children’s individual risks and to help children to learn how to keep Inspection report children’s home: SC025813 4 themselves safe. However, risk assessments are not consistently updated. This compromises safeguarding practice.

p.3

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

Room searches are carried out sensitively when there is cause for concern. Staff remove items that pose a risk to children and talk to them about what they are worried about during individual sessions. There is a well-coordinated action plan with other agencies when concerns are raised about children’s welfare. This helps to keep children safe.

p.4

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

Staff are proactive when children go missing from the home. They try to maintain regular contact with children who are missing and work with other agencies to ensure that children are safe. Records of missing-from-home incidents are thoroughly reviewed and debriefs are completed with staff and children. Children receive appropriate return home interviews and individual sessions to help them to understand the risks. This demonstrates that staff continually reflect on their practice, which helps to reduce the risks to children.

p.4

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

Staff set clear and consistent boundaries and routines for children. There is a reward system that promotes and encourages positive behaviour. Children receive appropriate help and support to manage their emotions and feelings.

p.4

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

Closed-circuit television has been installed outside of the home to increase security for children. However, there is no written consent for this from placing social workers or children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led and managed by a committed and experienced registered manager. Leaders and managers have high aspirations for children and what they can achieve. They advocate for children and challenge placing authorities when children’s plans do not meet their needs, including their educational needs. This ensures that children receive individualised care and support.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work well with children’s professional networks. Feedback from professionals is very positive regarding the quality of care provided and communication from staff. This shared approach provides children with good-quality care and support.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive effective supervision. Supervision focuses on the children’s needs, experiences and plans. Safeguarding issues are discussed, as well as staff’s development needs. However, supervision records are not updated promptly on individual staff files. This does not support appropriate management oversight.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is effective. Staff undertake mandatory training and additional specialist training relevant to children’s identified needs, including trauma-informed training. Staff benefit from specialist support from a family therapist in their team meetings to help them to understand children’s emotional needs. This provides staff Inspection report children’s home: SC025813 5 with opportunities to reflect on their practice and helps them to provide care and compassion to children when they are struggling.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the home’s strengths and areas for development. There are effective monitoring systems in place to review the quality of care provided to children. However, these could be strengthened by ensuring that all records are of a suitable quality and are completed promptly. These minor recording shortfalls are not having a negative impact on the care that the children receive. Inspection report children’s home: SC025813 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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)(a)(ii)(v)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff help children to learn how to keep themselves safe and that the home environment is safe for children. 11 November

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

p.6

Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)(c)) 30 November Inspection report children’s home: SC025813 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff supervision records provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraphs 13.3 and 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that records are kept more efficiently and organised in ways that allow for easy access and monitoring. In particular, the registered person should ensure that children’s records are updated in a timely manner and are accurately recorded on the system. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

p.7

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: SC025813 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: McRae Residential Care Services Limited

p.8

Inspector

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC025813 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9