Children's home run by Jamores Limited in Bexley

Inspection report for children’s home: SC459354 1 SC459354 Registered provider: Jamores Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in 2013. The home has not had a registered manager since August 2021.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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: 25 October 2021

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC459354 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/10/2021 Full Good 03/09/2019 Full Good 07/01/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 21/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC459354 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move to this home are enabled to settle in and begin to form trusted and secure relationships with staff. In addition, staff and managers know the children well and understand their needs. As a result, children are able to make progress relative to their individual circumstances.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a thorough understanding of the individual needs of children. Good- quality matching risk assessments and plans provide staff with information on how to support the children before they move into the home. Managers and staff visit some children before they move into the home. This helps staff to consider the views of children to ensure that children are supported in ways that are most effective to them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are making good progress with their education. For two children, they attend school regularly and told the Ofsted inspector that they enjoy their time at school. Staff have also helped another child, who did not have an educational provision, with an apprenticeship which they are due to start soon. Staff and managers frequently speak to children’s social workers to keep them updated and share children’s plans. Therefore, children are receiving effective all-round care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children who attend full-time education do not benefit from structured informal learning support to do their homework. This limits children’s overall educational attainments.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are listened to. Children have the opportunity to share their views with their key workers and in feedback sessions. Children’s complaints are recorded and responded to with detailed action plans. As a result, children are more settled in the home and have positive experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them. Staff listen to children’s views, wishes and feelings about family time, and plans are put in place to make this safe and meaningful. This reduces children’s anxieties and helps them to settle well in the home.

p.3

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

Children said that they feel safe in the home. When children raise concerns, managers and staff respond appropriately to keep children safe. One child said to the Ofsted inspector that not enough food is prepared for children to access when not completely full after meals. Staff and managers listened to the child’s view and work collaboratively with the child to put together an action plan to support mealtimes with additional food. Inspection report for children’s home: SC459354 4 Incidents of children going missing from the home are rare. If this occurs, staff follow clear and up-to-date missing persons’ protocols and guidance to ensure that the children are returned home safely, and relevant individuals are informed. For example, staff worked proactively with the police to return a child home, a few hours later, after they went missing while in the community.

p.3

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

Staff and managers respond to safeguarding concerns effectively and take all necessary steps to protect children. Managers are thorough in their response, and this has included debriefs and detailed key-work sessions with the children following sanctions to ensure that they feel supported. When necessary, managers have escalated their concerns for children who are unsettled to receive extra support. This ensures that children have stability and opportunities to form positive relationships with staff.

p.4

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

The strong and caring relationships between staff and children ensure that children feel supported when they are distressed. Restraint reports are well documented, indicating the actions and de-escalation measures used by staff. Staff are able to use verbal de-escalation strategies effectively to help children to manage their emotions. As a result, restraint is used as a last resort to prevent children from harming themselves or others.

p.4

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

Some staff involved in administering medication do not always complete a recording of the dose and time. This resulted in a medication error in the home and places children at risk.

p.4

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

Recruitment of staff is safe and robust. All staff who are recruited to work in the home are subject to all necessary employment checks. This helps to ensure that staff who work at the home are safe to do so.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been significant changes to the leadership and management of the home since the last inspection. The home did not have a registered manager since August 2021. A new manager has been appointed and has applied for registration with Ofsted.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that staffing levels are appropriate to meet children’s needs. Staff are well supported through regular supervision, and some benefit from a range of appropriate training to develop their knowledge, skills and professional practice. However, not all staff have completed their mandatory training. This undermines new staff’s learning and development.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers learn from feedback. They have met the requirements raised at the previous inspection and have made positive changes. Leaders and managers take on board feedback from children and professionals and make changes to children’s care as required. This improves the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC459354 5 The manager scrutinises the children’s records to track their progress and identify patterns and behaviours. When concerns arise, the manager reviews the child’s care plans and, when necessary, escalates their concerns to the placing authority. For example, the manager was able to identify that, for one child, additional structured activities were needed to build their resilience for formal education. The manager escalated these concerns to the child’s placing authority and, as a result, a revised plan was put in place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC459354 6

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that clear records are kept of all medication administered in the home. This includes recording when children refuse to take their prescribed medication. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff support children with home study by encouraging them to learn independent study skills and helping them to practice those skills. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 29, paragraph 5.18)

p.6

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: SC459354 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Thames Innovation Centre, Studio 52, Veridion Way, Erith DA18 4AL

p.7

Inspector

Maud Pipim-Addo, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC459354 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.

p.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8