Children's home run by Lioncare Ltd Operating as The Lioncare Group in Epping Forest

Inspection report for children’s home: SC014235 1 SC014235 Registered provider: Lioncare Limited Operating as The Lioncare Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to seven children who experience social, emotional and/or mental health difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 25 February 2016.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

Outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected Outstanding

p.1

Outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

p.1

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.1

Outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

Outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC014235 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/06/2021 Full Outstanding 09/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/05/2019 Full Good 12/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC014235 3

p.2

outstanding

Children thrive in this home. The highly motivated managers and staff know the children extremely well. Staff engage with children in a way which promotes compassion and trust. This gives children a positive sense of belonging and promotes a calm and family feel in the home. As a result, children flourish.

p.3

outstanding

When children come to live at the home, they receive individualised information about the way the home is run. This is age appropriate and detailed. Another child is nominated as a buddy, which helps new children to feel less anxious. As a result, children quickly build comforting relationships. Children speak positively about coming to live at the home.

p.3

outstanding

The highly motivated and dedicated staff provide meaningful support to children. All children benefit from consistent boundaries, expectations and responses from staff. Children have made exceptional progress in developing effective strategies to understand and manage their emotions. As a result, the outcomes for children are extremely positive and some children can return to live with their family.

p.3

outstanding

Staff are persistent and strive to deliver informed and purposeful care to children. The model of therapeutic care which underpins the ethos of the home is understood and implemented well. All staff and managers are exceptionally child focused and organised. All children attend education and have made excellent progress from their starting points. There are examples of children who did not attend school before they came to live at the home now being able to engage with education full time.

p.3

outstanding

Children’s wishes and views are considered and acted on swiftly by managers and staff. For example, one child expressed their wish to live with older children and was supported to share this request with external professionals. The inspector observed patient interaction when managers told the child that this had been agreed. The child was given the opportunity to share their news. The reaction and positive responses from children demonstrate the genuine relationships between them.

p.3

outstanding

All staff actively support children to participate in a wide range of activities and hobbies. Children speak with pride about how they have made friends outside the home. This has improved children’s confidence and self-esteem. One child has received their first birthday party invitation.

p.3

outstanding

The home environment is child friendly, clean and welcoming. Personalised bedrooms provide children with a sense of belonging and give the environment a homely feel. Mealtimes are interactive and provide opportunities for children to discuss their experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: SC014235 4

p.3

outstanding

Excellent safeguarding practice is a continuous thread throughout this home. Managers have high expectations of staff, whose performance is regularly assessed by managers to ensure that they are competent. Meticulous and proactive staff demonstrate a commitment to keeping children safe. Children say that they feel safe and believe that adults genuinely care for them.

p.4

outstanding

Children benefit from a stable staff team. This promotes children’s ability to form trusting relationships. As a result, children feel able and confident to approach staff when they are worried about something. One child asked for help to write a letter explaining his feelings about family time, and arrangements were adjusted in response to his request.

p.4

outstanding

Dedicated staff help children to understand their feelings and behaviours. Individual risk management is excellent. Effective de-escalation techniques are used by staff to minimise the use of physical restraint. Therefore, children’s behaviour is managed in a calm and supportive way.

p.4

outstanding

Managers and staff receive training to meet children’s individual needs. Staff were able to describe to the inspector examples of the way they have implemented training. Children benefit from being looked after by well-informed staff.

p.4

outstanding

Allegations and complaints are taken seriously and are thoroughly investigated and acted on. External safeguarding professionals are informed without delay. Where reparation is appropriate, this is child led and sensitively managed. This provides children with reassurance that their voices are heard.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A strength of this home is the committed, empathetic and determined registered manager. She is supported by an equally dedicated deputy manager, who strives to inspire children to reach the goals that are important to them. Children are undoubtedly the focus and centre of the managers’ high expectations.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior staff model professionalism and self-motivated practice. Staff are committed and enthusiastic. They strive for excellence. Morale is high. Consequently, children live in a home that has a positive atmosphere.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team understands the importance of working in partnership with other professionals. Managers keep other professionals fully informed about children’s progress. Managers proactively advocate for children and challenge decisions made by other professionals when they believe those decisions are not made with children’s best interests in mind.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Working therapeutically with children is deeply embedded in practice. Staff and managers speak positively about the day-to-day support they receive from leaders. Inspection report for children’s home: SC014235 5 However, not all staff and managers receive regular formal supervision. As a result, records do not fully demonstrate how leaders are assessing and auditing staff and managers’ performance.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has monitoring systems in place which ensure that she has good oversight of the quality of care provided to children. However, a shortfall identified during the inspection relates to the scrutiny of physical restraint records. The registered manager does not have formal systems in place that enable a thorough understanding of patterns, trends and themes. In practice, physical restraint is appropriate and proportionate, so this shortfall is not having a negative impact on children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager carries out their own comprehensive quality of care review. In addition, the independent person visits the home monthly. However, the views of other professionals are not always obtained. Inspection report for children’s home: SC014235 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

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 1 July 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 1 July 2023

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person they appoint has the skills and understanding necessary to assess all relevant information and form an impartial judgement about the quality of the home’s care. This is in relation to obtaining feedback from external agencies and the level of scrutiny to support the registered manager to improve outcomes for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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: SC014235 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lioncare Limited Operating as The Lioncare Group

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lioncare House, 58a Livingstone Road, Hove, Sussex BN3 3WL

p.7

Inspector

Jill Sephton-Wright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC014235 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