Children's Home run by Momentum Residential Care Home Ltd in Essex

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2621215 1 Registered provider: Momentum Residential Care Home Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since March 2023. An application to register a new manager was received by Ofsted in July 2023. An interview date has been set for the new manager.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2621215 2

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Outcome from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection was brought forward following a complaint received by Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, one child moved into the home and left in a short space of time. Safeguarding incidents increased in this period, despite staff who were very responsive to the child’s needs. Once the child moved into the home, staff assessed that the child needed a specialist therapeutic placement to meet their needs.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers continue to implement improvements identified at the last inspection. These improvements need to be embedded in practice by managers who are sustaining oversight and raising standards of care.

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Findings from the inspection

The provider’s improvement plan from the last inspection has still not been fully implemented. The provision of increased supervision sessions for the manager has not been sustained. Supervision sessions provide the opportunity for the responsible individual and the manager to reflect on practice.

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Findings from the inspection

The independent visitor reports have not always been sent to Ofsted. These reports provide the opportunity for the manager and responsible individual to have independent feedback regarding the home. A failure to send these reports to Ofsted as the regulator reduces the oversight and monitoring intended.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager understands that providing feedback to staff following incidents is important. Debriefs take place regularly, and staff value the opportunity to learn from them. However, the manager does not have a comprehensive monitoring plan to explore incidents and identify patterns and trends in behaviour. Without effective monitoring, safeguarding incidents may not be addressed sufficiently or reported to external agencies.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are responsive to the needs of the child. They understand the plans and risk assessments and respond appropriately to any incidents. Additional risks to the child are identified, and plans are updated as necessary. Missing-from-home incidents are dealt with efficiently by staff, who are confident in the protocol and can respond quickly to incidents.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager and staff have good relationships with the local police, who respond quickly when the child is reported as going missing from the home. This relationship means that children trust the police and know that they will support them to return Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2621215 3 home. On one occasion, a child walked to the police station for support when they were distressed.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff talk to the child about taking risks and help them to identify behaviours that may be putting them at additional risk when out in the community. Talking to the child helps staff understand their wishes and feelings and how they can support them in a way that addresses their needs and helps them to keep safe.

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Findings from the inspection

Following a recent incident, the manager ensured that ligature training was revisited and checked that staff understood the risk assessment and knew how to respond to such incidents. Staff talk confidently about what they would do in the event of an incident.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are working with the child to help them understand the risks of self-harming and to enable them to talk about their feelings. The responsible individual and the acting manager have taken the decision to have a short period of time without any other children moving into the home. They feel that this will give the child living there an opportunity to spend positive time with staff.

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Findings from the inspection

The child has had the opportunity to decorate their room to their taste. The room is bright and cheerful, and individual touches help to show their personality. The child has fish and water snails in tanks in their bedroom. The child confidently cares for their pets. Caring for pets has meant that the child has taken on additional responsibilities, which have given them a sense of growing up.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff team is diverse. The staff are comfortable discussing culture and heritage. As a result, the child is confident talking about their heritage and how their cultural identity is shaped by their wider family. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2621215 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/05/2023 Full Inadequate 12/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/04/2022 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2621215 5

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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 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)) 30 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 November

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c)) 30 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. 30 November Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2621215 6 The independent person must provide a copy of the independent persons report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2621215 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Momentum Residential Care Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 68 Surig Road, Canvey Island SS8 9AG

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Inspector

Trudy Potter, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2621215 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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