Children's home run by Herman Allen

Inspection report for children’s home: SC067810 1 SC067810 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to seven children with emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in 2006 and the manager registered in 2017. The registered manager is suitably qualified and also manages another children’s home in the organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. They contributed their views to the inspection.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC067810 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/08/2021 Full Good 26/06/2019 Full Good 05/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC067810 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff form positive relationships with children and create a nurturing environment for them. One child said: ‘This is a very good place for me. Everything is very nice. I like every single member of staff here. They care for me and have my best interests at heart.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective care planning, in partnership with other professionals, means that children’s complex needs, such as mental health, are met. Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyles. For example, one child has stopped smoking cannabis and tobacco, and is focusing on exercise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop positive relationships with each other. They take any issues between children seriously. They make sure that all children feel heard. Staff create opportunities for children to engage in enjoyable activities together and this helps to build on their friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is respectful and differences are celebrated. An example of good practice is how staff supported a child to prepare for Ramadan and undertake fasting for the first time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Promotion of learning and education is integral to how staff care for children. Staff advocate tirelessly for children to receive individually tailored learning support and have any barriers to their engagement in education removed. One child received a certificate of achievement from school for having 100% attendance in the last term.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children spending time with their families. One parent stated that she is happy with her child’s much-improved behaviours, which she believes has led to their improved relationship.

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

Staff are aware of children’s vulnerabilities and know how to keep them safe. Comprehensive written risk assessments and management plans provide clear guidance to staff on how to best safeguard the children in their care. Staff follow these plans, which results in children’s increased safety.

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

Appropriate sharing of information with children’s professional networks ensures that children receive holistic safeguarding support. For example, professionals worked together to assess the risks to one child of being radicalised and provided the necessary support. Another example is how closely staff work with the police to safeguard children from exploitation.

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

Staff help children to develop a feeling of belonging. Children’s positive engagement with staff minimises the risk of them going missing from the home. Effective multi- Inspection report for children’s home: SC067810 4 agency procedures for safeguarding children when they are missing from the home result in children being found and returned to the home safely. Staff also undertake outreach work with some children, who are absent without authority, to help them to return to care.

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

Not all staff are trained in the use of physical intervention. On one occasion, staff physically restrained a child to secure everyone’s safety. The record of this incident has not been completed in required detail. There was no debrief with the registered manager, who was involved in the intervention, and she countersigned her own record. The location where the intervention took place was not clear.

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

Regular health and safety checks ensure that the home environment is physically safe. However, one large window on the top floor presented a risk of falling. Staff confirmed that the necessary work to make the window safe was completed on the day after the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff have a shared vision of making a difference in the lives of children. They show high commitment to children and fulfil the home’s statement of purpose. They do not give up on children and do what they can to provide a stable home for children to grow up in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The effective recruitment of permanent and bank staff helps maintain appropriate staffing levels without the need to use agency staff. The stability of the staff team provides consistency to children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have developed a thorough induction process for all new staff to complete during their probationary period. However, the induction records were missing for some staff, so it is not clear if all staff have undertaken a thorough induction.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have good opportunities to reflect on their practice and develop professional insight. They receive regular individual supervision from their line managers. Additionally, the home’s therapeutic trainer contributes their specialist knowledge to the discussions at team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records are completed to a high standard. Key-working records show how children’s views shape their care and outcomes. Monthly monitoring reports evidence that staff closely monitor the impact of their support on children’s progress. All three of the children’s social workers spoken to provided positive feedback about children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The last two review of quality of care reports completed by the manager have not been shared with Ofsted. This compromises the regulator’s oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC067810 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 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

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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any risks from falling through windows are addressed. 2 March 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;

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff are suitably trained in the safe use of physical intervention. 3 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— 12 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC067810 6 the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are suitable records of the use of physical interventions.

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (4)(a)) 3 May 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they can evidence that all staff receive an appropriate induction to their roles at the start of their employment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC067810 7

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Inspector

Seka Graovac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC067810 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 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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