Children's Home run by Strive and Succeed Ltd in Luton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 1 Registered provider: Strive and succeed Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately owned home provides care for up to six children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in January 2023. A new manager was appointed in March 2023 and is applying to become registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 2

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improvement to be good

This is the first full inspection since the home registered in November 2022. Since registration, two children have moved into the home. The children are settled. However, there are areas of development that are necessary to improve children’s overall experiences.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious, stylish and well appointed. The new feature of a graffiti chalk wall provides children with the opportunity for fun and creativity. However, areas of the home are locked off from the children overnight. This means that children are not able to access all communal areas as they would in other homes. There are no specific risks identified that make these restrictions necessary. Preventing children from accessing some communal areas of their home does not create a homely environment.

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improvement to be good

The staff do not actively support the children’s education. Communication with the children’s placing authorities has been delayed. Children do not experience daytime routines or have structured daily plans. Children are not making good educational progress.

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improvement to be good

One child’s admission to the home has not been managed well. There was a failure to assess compatibility with the child already living at the home. Known risks and vulnerabilities for children living together have not been thoroughly assessed. This reduces the capacity for staff to implement risk reduction strategies. There is a potential for children to become unsettled and experience unnecessary changes because of poor planning.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the children to see people who are important to them. Staff communicate well with children’s relatives. Supporting family relationships in this way improves the children’s sense of identity and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Children are developing trusting relationships with the staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff are introducing children to a variety of healthy foods. There is a daily routine of smoothie-making. Staff encourage children to prepare meals.

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improvement to be good

There have been no restraints, allegations against staff or child protection concerns. There have been two incidents of a child going missing. This has been during family time, when the child has been away from the home. The staff contacted relevant professionals and supported the child on their return to the home. However, the process for staff to follow is not documented, with no guidance or strategies for Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 3 staff. To date, this has not compromised a child’s safety. However, poor planning has the potential to do so.

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improvement to be good

The management and oversight of consequences to manage children’s unwanted behaviours are not effective. Children have received consequences that are punitive, indefinite and unkind. For one child, this involved a delay in them receiving Christmas presents. The recording is poor, with no detail regarding the effectiveness of the consequence or the child’s views. Punitive consequences do not provide children with a nurturing experience.

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improvement to be good

The children have some identified risks related to their online safety. There are some measures in place to reduce these risks. However, there is no evidence of individual support to help children understand how to stay safe online.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are not effective. They do not include all the risks to children and do not provide risk reduction information to guide staff practice. Failure to record and mitigate known risks reduces staff’s capacity to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been inconsistencies in the management of the home. The registered manager resigned with almost immediate effect. The responsible individual then resigned with immediate effect. Ofsted was not promptly notified of the managerial arrangements. The home has appointed a new manager, who is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted. The manager has the appropriate skills for the role and is a positive role model, with a child-centred approach. A new responsible individual has been appointed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from family members and professionals is mixed. Some positive feedback was received about the quality of support provided. One professional said that communication is good, staff are child-focused and they do all they can to engage with the child. However, another professional highlighted concerns around levels of communication and the home’s ability to provide the child with consistent boundaries and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managerial monitoring has failed to identify the absence of records and the lack of internet safety work with the children. Managers have failed to monitor risk assessments adequately or direct the staff to help the children to have good daytime routines. These failures demonstrate that the quality of monitoring and oversight is not good enough.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not been supported to care for the children. Team meetings are not held as described in the home’s statement of purpose. Staff do not receive regular, meaningful supervision. Staff have not received training to support the individual needs of each child. Staff are not appropriately equipped to undertake their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to ensure that children’s records contain relevant information and are updated as required. This does not provide an accurate record Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 4 of the children’s experiences of living at the home. Staff are unable to meet the children’s needs if they do not have detailed information about them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An independent person makes monitoring visits. On one occasion, the independent person did not state their opinion regarding the safety of children. Relatives have not been contacted to share their views of the support and care provided to children. This level of monitoring does not support the manager to understand the strengths and areas of development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The location risk assessment identifies local crime statistics. However, important risks associated with the location of the home are not explored. This prevents the staff from fully understanding the risks for children in the community and how these can be reduced to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 5

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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 give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

a person other than the registered person carries on or manages the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

a person ceases to carry on or manage the home;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is an organisation—

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Requirement Due date

any change in the identity of the responsible individual. (Regulation 49 (a)(b)(e)(iii)) 25 April 2023

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 25 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 6 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)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

staff are supported through regular team meetings;

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Requirement Due date

staff receive training to meet the individual needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

there is effective managerial monitoring and planning to develop the skills of the staff.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

risk assessments include emerging risks and risk reduction strategies;

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Requirement Due date

children receive support to understand how to keep safe online. 25 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 25 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, provide a structured plan for children who are not in education.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 25 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 44 (2)(a) (4)(a)) 25 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to all shared areas of their home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that strategies to support the children’s behaviour demonstrate kindness, dignity, understanding and respect towards each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 46, paragraph 9.35)  The registered person should ensure that they fully consider the impact of a new child moving into the home on the existing child in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 56, paragraph 11.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 8  The registered person should ensure that the location review includes the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and

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Recommendations

strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2693124 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Strive and succeed Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit F, Whiteacres, Whetstone, Leicester LE8 6ZG

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Inspector

Paula Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2693124 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 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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