Children's home run by London Paramount Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2704264 1 Registered provider: London Paramount Care 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 run and provides care for up to five children with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in March 2023.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2704264 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2704264 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living in the home at the time of this inspection. The home registered with Ofsted in January 2023. The first child moved into the home in March 2023. No children have left the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have all settled well since moving in. Children say that they are happy and feel that this has been a positive move for them. They are establishing relationships with staff that are helping them to feel secure. Before children move into the home, the manager makes a very comprehensive assessment of their needs. One child’s relative said that the manager worked very well with a previous specialist placement to capture the progress that the child had made. The manager has used this information and ensured that staff at this home have continued to provide the same style of support. This means that the move has been very positive, which has helped the child to settle quickly and safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move to the home have a history of struggling to find or maintain suitable education. The manager has been a strong advocate for children to access to education. Professionals said that this advocacy has been constructive and welcomed during reviews. When children do not access suitable education, the manager arranges for them to engage in meaningful activity that helps their development and steps towards independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to learn about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and to develop skills to follow this independently. Children are encouraged to plan, shop for and cook healthy meals. For children with profound sensory impact of their autism spectrum disorder on food choices, staff are creatively introducing opportunities to encourage healthier options.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Opportunities for children to build their independence are encouraged by staff, who embrace positive risk taking, such as using household cleaning equipment and cooking. The design of the accommodation, with children having their own flat, complements this. The manager is adjusting the home’s communal spaces to meet the emerging needs of children as they move in. However, some areas require more frequent cleaning and tidying away of cleaning equipment so as not to detract from the homely environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in self-contained accommodation, which helps them to feel safe and settled. The manager is conscious that this opportunity could also be isolating, so staff actively help children to form friendships with their neighbours. Inspectors observed an impromptu ‘kick about’ between two children in the garden space. This was the first time that this behaviour had been observed by staff for one child. Staff seized the opportunity and encouraged and praised this interaction. Inspection report for children’s home: 2704264 4 Staff encourage and support children to maintain positive relationships with their families. Children’s relatives say that they feel welcome and are treated well by staff when they visit. All the relatives spoken with are very positive about the home, the staff and the impact that the support is having on their child.

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

Children say that they feel safe, and their parents confirm this. Staff have accessed training in how to keep children safe from the risks of abuse and exploitation. Staff have a good understanding of the additional vulnerabilities of children with autism spectrum disorder and learning disabilities. Staff know how to raise concerns to managers and appropriate external bodies.

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

Care plans and risk assessments are suitably detailed and reviewed regularly. The management team uses an electronic system that enables real-time review of incidents and likely escalation of risk. This is particularly important as children are active in their communities and are supported in individual accommodation.

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

Children’s plans emphasise the importance of proactive de-escalation techniques to avoid incidents. The use of physical intervention is minimal and only to keep children safe. Staff know the detail of each child’s triggers and responses to certain scenarios. Staff receive extensive training that is led by a qualified manager in therapeutic approaches to encourage positive behaviour. However, the provider’s process of reviewing incidents does not make provision for when the manager is involved in them.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home or being exposed to the risks of exploitation. The management team is very experienced in this area and has prepared staff well in how to respond. The location risk assessment is very detailed and highlights risks for exploitation along with mitigating actions. Children are kept safe from the risks associated with the use of internet-enabled devices.

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

When children have histories of self-harm, staff know about these and what they need to do to prevent incidents reoccurring. However, this information is sometimes kept in an inconsistent way, which means that staff may not be able to find it easily.

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

Safer recruitment processes are not consistently followed. The provider has not verified the reasons for staff leaving previous care jobs. Gaps in employment histories are not always accurately explored. The provider’s own policy for carrying out suitability checks for staff who have lived overseas has not been followed. The responsible individual took immediate action during the inspection to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that this newly registered home has been quickly able to provide good-quality care and support to children. Staffing has been very consistent, which has helped children to form positive and stable relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2704264 5 The manager is supported closely by two experienced deputy managers. Each member of the management team has a clearly defined role which helps them to focus on monitoring quality and planning for development as the home grows. The management team has been in place since the home’s inception and has a clear and collective view of its future progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are motivated and enjoy working at the home. Morale is positive and teamwork is strong. Staff say that they benefit from the high-quality and extensive face-to-face training that they receive. Staff found their induction programme to be comprehensive and enlightening on the experiences for children with autism spectrum disorder. Staff have regular supervision which covers their own personal development as well as the needs of the children they support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that managers are available, responsive and a source of excellent information and experience to help them provide good-quality support to children. Regular meetings take place, with staff able to join virtually. The manager provides creative minutes of these meetings to encourage engagement from staff. The meetings include training resources, case studies and examples of best practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are welcomed. The manager is committed to ensuring that the children have their say and contribute their views. Information is provided for children in bespoke alternative formats. Staff and children are working towards qualifications in sign language and the picture system. Staff look for ways that this system can be integrated into daily living, such as menu planning and shopping.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values diversity and individuality and ensures that children are treated with dignity and respect. The manager is very aware of the potential for a closed culture in the home due to children’s autism spectrum disorder and the impact that this may have on communication and self-advocacy. To counter this, the manager considers the dynamics in the staff team when recruiting to ensure that staff are open to challenge when required. However, staff do not always use children’s preferred pronouns and names when writing records. Inspection report for children’s home: 2704264 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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

verify, so far as reasonably practicable, the reason why previous employment with children or vulnerable adults ended;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that a full employment history, together with a satisfactory explanation of any gaps in employment, in writing, is obtained; and

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Requirement Due date

obtain suitability checks for staff who have worked or lived overseas. 9 June 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. Specifically, complete improvement to the garden area and ensure that communal areas are cleaned thoroughly and that cleaning equipment is stored away so as not to detract from a homely environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2704264 7  The registered person should ensure that records of restraint enable effective review to identify good practice and to respond promptly when any issues or trends of concern emerge. In particular, any incidents of restraint that involve the registered manager should be reviewed by another suitably experienced person. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to see the

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Recommendations

home’s records as ‘living documents’ and support children to view and regularly contribute to the records in a way that reflects their voice. In particular, ensure that children’s preferred pronouns and names are used in any documents that capture information about children’s progress and well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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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: 2704264 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Paramount Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mardoc House, Spinney Gardens, Breachwood Green, Hitchin SG4 8BW

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Inspectors

Jamie Cousins, Social Care Inspector Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2704264 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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