Children's Home run by Heartwood RSR Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 1 Registered provider: Heartwood RSR Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since December 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 requires improvement to be 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: n/a

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first full inspection of the home since registration in December 2022. The individual needs of the children were considered as part of a thorough process of them moving into the home. Children’s transitions are suitably planned by the manager and staff for each child. The children get on well and they spend time together enjoying each other’s company.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have formed positive relationships with the caring and committed staff team. Staff have spent time engaging children in meaningful activities. Children have responded well to this. Children feel able to approach staff and seek support and receive it. The response from staff has shown children that adults can be kind, caring and supportive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are attentive to children’s wishes and feelings. Weekly children’s meetings take place, and all the children contribute to these. This is an opportunity for children to express their views. Staff listen to their requests and, where possible and if safe to do so, the children’s wishes are met. Staff are open to considering children’s requests and reinforce to children that their views are important and that they matter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are in good health. Staff are proactive in supporting children to attend their health appointments. They advise children about activities that could negatively impact on their overall health. The children eat a varied and balanced diet. Physical exercise is encouraged and promoted by the staff. This all contributes to the children maintaining good emotional and physical health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children regularly access some form of education. However, educational timetables are, at times, limited. When this happens, the children do not always have a clear structure to their day. Greater structure to the children’s day would allow the children to participate in meaningful activities that will enhance their overall education and support their progression.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a large house that feels homely. There is a large, enclosed garden that all enjoy. Children have personalised their bedrooms according to their tastes, wishes and feelings. The bedrooms are at times cluttered and unhygienic. Staff have not always ensured that children’s bedrooms are a safe and clean environment for the children.

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

Children feel safe because of positive relationships and the quality of care they receive from staff. A child who was going missing on a regular basis before living in the home no longer does this. The home environment and care from staff support children to feel safe and protected in their home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 4 The manager and staff work hard to ensure the safety of the children. They understand each child’s particular vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are detailed and updated on a regular basis. When new risks emerge, the manager and staff respond quickly and work effectively with external agencies to safeguard children.

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

When incidents occur, they are well documented. Staff respond effectively to the children to stop incidents escalating. Afterwards, children can talk about the incident and explore why it happened. Staff do not criticise children for their behaviour during incidents. Rather, staff support the children to learn from what has happened. This helps children understand their behaviour, take responsibility for their actions and develop coping mechanisms.

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

Children have access to the internet and enjoy their time online. Staff manage a system that controls the time that children access the internet and sites they visit. Children are regularly advised about online risks and what they need to do so that they remain safe.

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

Staff undertake individual direct work sessions with the children. These take place on a regular basis. Staff use a variety of resources to reinforce key messages to the children. When necessary, topics are revisited to explore the children’s understanding and promote their safety and well-being.

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

The staff in the home have all been newly recruited as it is a new home. Thorough recruitment processes have been followed. This assures the manager that staff she has employed are safe to work with children.

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good

The home is led by a suitably qualified manager. She has a passion for caring for children. The manager is a positive role model for the team and leads by example. She promotes a culture of the home being a home for the children where they are cared for and safe.

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good

Newly recruited staff have a thorough induction process that is overseen by the manager. The manager has spent the last few months developing and supporting the team. This has enabled the team to build positive relationships with colleagues, and staff report that the team feels like ‘a family’.

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good

Staff receive regular, good-quality and reflective supervision. Team meetings are held monthly, and staff can talk about the children and the children’s needs. These activities are helping staff to learn and develop their confidence and skills to meet the needs of the children living in the home.

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good

The manager has good oversight of the activity in the home. She takes time to reflect on the intervention of her staff and will adapt working practices if required. The manager listens to feedback from staff and children and take their views into Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 5 account. She is open to new suggestions and, where possible, the staff make decisions together about the children’s needs and home. At times, the manager has recommended further actions to be completed to improve the outcomes for children. To support the manager’s oversight, a stronger system would help to give them assurance that required actions have been completed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 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, the 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered person having plans regarding the child’s education and structuring days for children not in school, so they continue to learn. In addition, they should evidence what is being done to promote this for the children in the home. 3 July 2023

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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. 3 July 023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 7 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

This specifically refers to children’s rooms being clean and a safe environment for them to be in.

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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; and

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place, are used regularly and recorded. 3 July 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand and, where necessary, work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being such as, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet, exercise, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception and use of legal highs, drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 35, paragraph 7.18) Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 8

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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: 2711833 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heartwood RSR Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 416 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 9JX

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 10 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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