The Banyan Tree

Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 1 SC396186 Registered provider: Living Life (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2021.

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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: SC396186 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2022 Full Good 30/12/2019 Full Good 14/08/2018 Full Good 09/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a great sense of permanence as they live at this home for a long time. They build strong, trusting bonds with staff, who are consistent factors in their lives. Staff know children very well. They listen to what children have to say and meticulously plan their care. Regular, meaningful conversations that they have together help to build children’s emotional resilience and self-esteem. Children thrive and are happy living at this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular opportunity to make suggestions for their home and care. They have no complaints. Respectful and sensitive staff place great significance on children’s personal wishes and requests. This empowers children, who are confident in their own identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of children building social networks and spending time with important people. Staff establish good connections with children’s parents. Children spend increasing amounts of time with their families. Children also like living together. They forge lasting ‘brotherly’ relationships with each other that continue when they move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s lifelong ambitions and are aspirational for them to achieve. Staff fully promote children’s education and learning. When needed, staff advocate strongly for children. They work with education professionals to ensure that children have an appropriate education plan. While formal plans progress, children have a structured day. The use of incentives helps children to engage in informal learning tasks. This helps children to make progressive steps into full-time and further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have many memorable and fun experiences. They enthusiastically make plans for overnight trips with staff. Together, they go out for meals and celebrate important birthdays. One child has been on a trip to America. They said that this trip was ‘absolutely amazing’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff diligently plan children’s move into adulthood. Staff use a comprehensive independence programme to prepare children. Children learn wide-ranging and important life skills. Together with staff, they talk and make arrangements for their new homes. Children move successfully into independent accommodation and stay in regular contact with the home.

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

Children feel safe and well cared for. The confident and well-trained staff effectively apply therapeutic informed care. Comprehensive risk management and support plans give staff good guidance. Staff know children very well. They de-escalate risky situations without the need for restrictive physical intervention. They do not sanction Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 4 children when things go wrong. Staff help children to develop coping strategies through reflection and discussion with staff when incidents occur.

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

Children are physically healthy, and they get good emotional support. The manager ensures that specialist assessments take place in a timely way. Staff are knowledgeable of one child’s specific therapeutic needs as they learn about this directly from a child and adolescent mental health service practitioner. Regular psychology seminars and extra monthly consultation with a clinical psychologist are also beneficial. This informs staff of how to practice therapeutically led care. Children get the correct response at times of distress and build emotional resilience.

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

Staff follow missing-from-care procedures when a child’s whereabouts are unknown. Staff ensure that the child has the opportunity to talk to someone independently when they return. The manager identifies when risks escalate, and works effectively with supporting professionals. They implement highly successful interventions to increase the child’s safety. This stopped the child from going missing from home.

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

Staff understand children’s online identities. They educate children on how to use the internet safely and make online safety plans together. Staff compile age- appropriate assessments around how children use electronic devices. Children are able to spend time using computers and playing games that they enjoy.

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

The manager upholds their responsibility as a safeguarding practitioner. When children raise concerns or make allegations against staff, they put in place safety plans. The advice of the local authority designated officer is sought. On all occasions, thorough assessments are made and children understand the outcomes.

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good

The experienced and suitably qualified manager leads child-focused care. They spend time with children and are a positive role model for the staff team.

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good

Staff value the manager’s support and guidance. They enjoy working together as a team. Regular reflective supervision, appraisal alongside varying group learning, and training opportunities support this view. The manager completes recruitment checks for new staff. A thorough induction programme ensures that they settle into their role quickly.

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good

This practice does not extend to the use of agency workers. The manager does not record an induction to the home. The agency workers’ knowledge of the expectations of their role is unclear. Staff proformas that the agency provide are weak. The manager does not have satisfactory information to decide if these workers are suitable and skilled to work with children. Insufficient safer recruitment practices have the potential to place children at risk of harm.

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good

The manager reflects and analyses work practice and children’s needs. By completing regular audits, they identify and address day-to-day tasks as they Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 5 emerge. The manager welcomes the monthly review from the independent person and values the holistic review that compiling the quality of care report provides. A development and continuous service improvement plan contains annual targets. The three-month delay in compiling this plan has limited the manager’s oversight for the home’s development. It does not demonstrate best practice for sustaining a good service.

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good

Children live in a homely environment that is free from health and safety risks. When needed, timely repairs are made as the maintenance system is effective. The manager considers children’s safety at the home in the wider context of the local area. The lack of evaluation on the risk assessment means that it is unclear whether the manager deems the home to be in a safe location.

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good

Professionals have positive views about the care that children receive at the home. One professional said, ‘The level of support at [name of home] is brilliant’. The manager communicates with professionals, which keeps them informed. The manager contributes to multi-agency discussions when there are concerns about children’s safety. The manager does not escalate requests for children’s records from the placing authority in a timely way. An important child’s record is not in place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 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 person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must implement a system where they obtain information to make a satisfactory assessment of agency workers’ skills and suitability to work in the home prior to their shift. The manager must record an induction to demonstrate the agency workers’ understanding of the role. 31 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the development and continuous improvement plan is kept under annual review as intended. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they record on the location risk assessment whether the control measures in place to mitigate against identified potential risks are sufficient in ensuring that the home is in a safe location. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they escalate any requests made to the placing authority for children’s meeting records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3)

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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: SC396186 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Living Life (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 60 Overstone Road, Sywell, Northampton NN6 0AW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Lorraine Andrews

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Inspector

Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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