Children's Home run by Gims Care Solution LTD in Thurrock

Inspection report for children's home: 2689453 1 Registered provider: GIMS Care Solution 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 organisation. The home provides cares for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2689453 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home: 2689453 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. Staff know the child well. Staff prioritise their time to be with the child. They help the child to understand that building positive relationships can reduce their anxiety and develop their cooperation skills. The child said, ‘I used to hurt a lot of people, damage buildings, fight other children, fight with staff constantly. I don’t need to do that here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child moved into the home quickly. Despite this, the manager worked with people involved in the child’s life to gather information to help the move go smoothly. The manager used this information to ensure that staff have the correct skills and knowledge to support the child. One external professional said, ‘The staff know the child well. They know the child’s needs and triggers and how best to support the child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child’s hobbies and interests. Staff are proactive in keeping the child busy. The child enjoys basketball, pool, football, the gym and swimming. Staff have organised new experiences such as go-karting, boxing and going to Premier League football matches. Staff help the child to build self-esteem and confidence while having fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child had not been in education for three years before living at the home. The manager worked closely with the child’s social worker to organise a bespoke education package. The child now attends school three days a week and has home tutoring two days a week. Attendance is good and the child is making progress. The child has started to think about their career and the qualifications that they need to fulfil their aspirations. All professionals spoken to agree that this has been significant progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the child’s health needs. They make appointments and referrals to specialist services. The child attends therapy. Staff sensitively balance the child’s needs for confidentiality with maintaining a good level of safety. Staff’s approach helps the child to talk about their past and their feelings in a comfortable and private environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to see people who are important to them. They help the child to organise activities for these meetings. This helps the child spend quality time and share positive experiences with others. Staff know that these relationships help the child to feel valued and maintain a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Records of the child’s experiences and activities are sometimes written in a child- blaming way. Some words and phrases are institutional. This does not ensure that the child can read about themselves in a positive way when they access their records. Inspection report for children's home: 2689453 4

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

The child said that they feel safe living at the home. This is because staff follow the child’s plans effectively. Staff speak to the child about their plan. This helps the child to understand why staff may make decisions that keep them safe.

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

Behaviour plans and risk assessments are comprehensive. Information is clearly written and easy to understand. This helps staff to use appropriate responses consistently and reduce the child’s anxieties. At times, the child finds it difficult to use words to say how they feel. Staff offer the child mood boards at these times. This helps the child let staff know how they feel without needing to talk. As a result, there has been a reduction in the number of incidents.

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

Staff understand and manage the child’s vulnerabilities. Consequently, significant risks to the child have reduced. Staff know that, despite the level of support needed, the child likes to spend time with friends. Staff recognise when these friendships are not healthy and act immediately. This approach has helped the child to recognise for themselves when people may not be true friends and to make healthy decisions.

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

Since the home registered with Ofsted, there has been one physical intervention. This was used for a minimal amount of time to keep the child, staff and members of the public safe. The manager talked with the child after the incident. This helped the child to understand why they needed to be held and to discuss what happened. The manager met with staff to enable them to reflect on the incident and consider alternative approaches.

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

The child has not left the home without permission. There are clear processes for staff to follow if this were to happen.

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

Staff understand their roles and their responsibility to report any safeguarding concerns. Managers share information with relevant professionals. This makes certain that there is external monitoring. This helps professionals to make appropriate changes to the child’s plans. One external professional said, ‘I am really pleased with the placement and how they worked with us as a local authority.’

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

Staff use consequences to help the child learn from their mistakes and make better choices. However, the consequences are not consistently recorded in the same place. The duration of the consequence or its effectiveness is not recorded and there is no manager’s oversight. This means that there is limited scrutiny of the effectiveness and proportionality of the consequences. Furthermore, consequences are not restorative in their nature. This means that the child’s opportunities to apologise and take responsibility are limited.

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

The grass in the front and back garden needs cutting and the weeds need to be removed. A neighbour’s fence panel is leaning into the garden, where the child spends time. The inspector found a fire door propped open with a chest of drawers. This increases the risk of the child being harmed if there is a fire. Inspection report for children's home: 2689453 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is working towards a relevant level 5 qualification. She has relevant experience to manage the home. A deputy manager supports the manager. Both managers are committed to improving outcomes for the child. Staff said that they feel supported by the managers. External professionals spoke highly of the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recruited a diverse staff team. There is a balanced mix of new and experienced staff. The manager follows safer recruitment processes. The child is involved in the selection of staff. This helps the child to feel that their opinions are valued and respected. Staff move through a detailed induction and probation period. Staff are fully considered for their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend team meetings and receive regular supervision. Managers help staff reflect on their practice and focus on the child’s progress and needs. In addition to this, staff receive clinical supervision from an external professional. Staff are encouraged to discuss the impact the work has on them and maintain a good standard of care to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff improve their practice through regular training. This helps them to increase their knowledge and learn new skills. Staff have completed the organisation’s mandatory training. They have also undertaken training in the home’s preferred model of care and had child-specific training to enhance their awareness of disability. This means that staff can meet the child’s needs. The child has also accessed the same online training as staff. This has helped the child to learn different ways of thinking and to make healthy choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is small and stable. Consistency of staffing means that the child has built close relationships with them. The child said, ‘I have a great relationship with the manager. She is the best.’ One external professional said, ‘Since living at the home, [the child’s] face is fuller, they talk differently and stand higher. Their rhythm of talking is slower. The child used to test responses from staff but tight consistency and stability from staff means that the child has stopped this.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors and reviews the progress and quality of care provided to the child. Monitoring systems are good. This contributes to consistent, positive and child-focused care. Inspection report for children's home: 2689453 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 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, ensure that fire doors can close effectively in the event of an emergency. Fix the fence, which is leaning into the garden. Cut the grass and remove the weeds in the front and back garden. 19 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—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences 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 signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vii)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, record the duration of any consequence and its effectiveness. Ensure that the manager records their evaluation of the consequence. 26 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2689453 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2689453 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: GIMS Care Solution Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 10, The Old Courthouse, Orsett Road, Grays, Essex RM17 5DD

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Inspector

Mandy Start, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2689453 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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