Children's home run by Champion Children (NW London) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2567267 1 Registered provider: Champion Children (NW London) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children. In its statement of purpose, the provider states that care is provided for children who experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in March 2020. The manager registered in November 2020 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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

Date of last inspection: 12 October 2021

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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: 2567267 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2567267 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress living in this home. For example, since coming to the home, children’s school attendance has improved. A schoolteacher said, ‘I think one of the key strengths of this home is that they tailor a service for the specific child and make a large home seem smaller due to the quality of relationships with the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. They listen to children and support and encourage them to have ambitions and goals. This helps the children and staff to form positive relationships. Children’s views are obtained through regular consultation with them at children’s meetings and in day-to-day discussions with staff. Furthermore, children can share their views in a suggestion box. A child said, ‘Staff make me feel happy and make me think about my actions.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Complaints are rare at this home. Children know how to make a complaint and understand the process. Children feel valued as their complaints are taken seriously and the manager responds to them swiftly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. Additionally, children enjoy holidays outside of London. The activities offered help children to develop their social skills and provide them with new experiences to develop their knowledge and improve their physical abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The communication with the child’s professional network is strong, which results in child-focused care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met well. All children are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician. Staff form effective relationships with health professionals to promote healthy living for children. When additional health needs are identified, for example regarding children’s emotional well-being or issues with substance misuse, arrangements are made for children to access services to support their needs. The support from these services helps children to have their holistic needs met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote equality and diversity. This ensures that the children form positive attachments and have positive experiences with their peers.

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

Staff know and understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Staff follow risk assessments that identify risks and include effective strategies to reduce risk. Plans to safeguard children are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that the identified strategies help to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567267 4 There have been incidents of bullying in the home. However, the manager’s and staff’s response to these is appropriate and has kept children safe. Children have individual and group discussions to speak about their behaviours. Planned moves take place for children when their behavioural needs cannot be met in the home. This child-centred care helps children to feel safe and secure.

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

Children say that they feel safe. They can identify a trusted person to talk to if they have any worries or concerns. The stable and consistent home environment helps children to feel safe and secure.

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

Discussions with children focus on their individual needs and are in line with their plans. Staff use information about children to plan effective discussion sessions. This helps children to receive appropriate help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been several changes in the staff team. The recruitment of new staff is thorough, and the staff employed are suitable to care for children. Staff have a clear understanding and knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures and whistle-blowing guidance.

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

Behaviour management strategies are effective. Incidents in the home are managed well and staff use a range of techniques to help them to de-escalate difficult situations. Consequently, the use of restraint is minimal.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a qualified and skilled manager. Leaders and managers have high aspirations for children and high expectations for the service. Leaders and managers regularly review the quality of care and service provision for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff induction, probation and appraisals are well managed. The manager takes swift action to address poor staff performance and supports staff through this. Staff supervision is regular and effective and considers staff development and the progress and plans for children. A member of staff said, ‘I feel supported by my manager and team. I feel I can make a positive impact with children and make progress within the service.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The assessments carried out before children move into the home are effective. The manager and staff work proactively with other professionals to support children to settle into the home. If children are not settling, there is a prompt review of their plans. Children who are unable to settle receive additional support, and decisions to move them on from the home are carefully considered and sensitively managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports children to challenge the local authority plans when decisions and plans are not in their best interests. One child has received support from an independent advocate to share their views about the decisions made about them. This resulted in a change to the plan to ensure that care planning is in the child’s best interests and meets the child’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567267 5 The training for staff helps them to meet the specific needs of the children in their care. The training provided is predominantly online and includes training about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder and child exploitation. However, not all staff feel competent to access the training online and struggle to learn from online training.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home and ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 2567267 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Champion Children (NW London) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Moran House, Units 7 and 8, 449 to 451 High Road, London, Middlesex NW10 2JJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Matthew Wakeling

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Inspector

Melvin Davies, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2567267 7 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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