Children's home run by SEVA CHILDCARE LTD

Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 1 Registered provider: Seva Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to five children. The home is registered to care for children with social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 12 June 2023. The registered manager left their post on 30 June 2023. This is the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection. Both children stay in the home during weekends and school holidays only. Despite this, the children have settled in very well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build positive relationships with staff. Staff provide them with care and attention, which has resulted in the children making good progress from their starting points. A parent reported that living at the home had a positive impact on their child’s well-being and confidence, and said that the home ‘feels like a family’. The parent also said, ‘I have not met all of the staff, but everyone I have met is attuned to [the child]. It’s almost too good to be true.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported extremely well to express their views with the use of their preferred methods of communication, which is British Sign Language (BSL). This has made an immeasurable difference, as both children had previously experienced carers who could not communicate with them. However, the children’s records do not demonstrate how children’s views impact on the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high aspirations for the children. Both children are in education. When they are at home, staff have been creative in enabling children to continue their learning. For example, one member of staff who is an experienced teacher has been using educational tools to help children to exercise their fine motor skills and improve their BSL. Furthermore, children are encouraged and supported to develop their independent-living skills, such as shopping, cleaning and their awareness of road safety. This helps the children to learn and develop important life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with opportunities to participate in a range of activities in the home and the community. Staff encourage the children to try new things to enrich their life experiences. Children visit museums, exhibitions and take part in activities for children with hearing impairment. For example, one child attended a practice session for deaf children with the local premier league football club. Staff and managers understand that this helps with building positive self-image and confidence. Staff capture some of these moments through taking photos. Together with the children, they arrange these photos in the children’s memory books.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand that it is important for children to maintain relationships with the people who are special to them. Parents are warmly welcomed into the home and staff support them to spend quality time with their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s premises are well maintained and comfortable. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their taste. The building is safe and secure.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 4 Children’s vulnerabilities are well understood by staff. Children’s risk assessments consider physical risks and safeguarding issues and set out specific actions of how staff should respond to manage any risks. This ensures that staff remain clear about all risks posed to children and the strategies to keep them safe.

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

Staff provide consistent supervision and clear boundaries for the children. As a result, the number of incidents is low. Incident records are detailed and provide a clear description of what happened, and the action taken by staff to manage the situation. However, recording of the use of emergency medication to manage behaviour could be strengthened by providing more details of how the protocol for its use was followed up.

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

Staff do not use consequences. Instead, they use the positive behaviour support and reflection on behaviour. This helps the children to understand the impact of their behaviour on others.

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

Staff receive training on how to safeguard children, including training that is specific to the needs of the children that live in the home. However, one staff member did not demonstrate a good understanding of what to do if an allegation is made against a colleague. This limits staff’s understanding of how to keep children safe.

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

The procedures for recording medication administration, and the management oversight of this, need to be strengthened. Medication for one child was not recorded on the day when the medication administration record sheets were changed to a different format. This was not identified until the day of the inspection.

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good

Leadership and management arrangements in the home are inconsistent. The registered manager left in June 2023, less than three weeks after the home was registered. Since then, one more manager had started working at the home but then left. At the time of this inspection, the home was being managed temporarily by an interim manager from a sister home. This management instability has an impact on management oversight and impairs consistency in staff practice.

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good

Leaders and managers work well with children’s parents and professional networks. Feedback from professionals and parents is positive regarding the quality of care provided, communication from staff and the proactive approach to children’s needs. This results in a shared approach to providing children with good-quality care and support.

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good

Leaders and managers do not use monitoring and review systems effectively. For example, one child was not debriefed following a significant incident, and one child’s care plan did not explore the child’s religious needs. Also, an error in recording medication had not been identified prior to this inspection. Furthermore, the home’s statement of purpose does not comply with regulations. Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 5 Staff say that they feel supported by the manager. Staff benefit from induction, training and regular supervision from the manager. However, there is no evidence of regular supervision or there being an induction provided to the home’s manager. This compromises the manager having the opportunity to talk about their practice and to have their learning and development reviewed.

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good

Management oversight of recruitment processes needs to improve to ensure that all relevant checks are carried out and that safer recruitment process are followed. One staff member was allowed to commence employment before their Disclosure and Barring Service check was issued. Furthermore, employment gaps have not been explored for all new staff.

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good

Leaders and managers’ communication with Ofsted needs to improve. Leaders and managers have failed to keep the regulator informed about the first child moving to the home and the most recent management arrangements. Furthermore, the updated statement of purpose was not provided to Ofsted, as required. This compromises the regulator’s external oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 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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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

In particular, this refers to the registered person ensuring that the monitoring and review systems are effective and lead to consistent improvement in the quality and consistency of recorded documents. 21 December

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirements Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirements Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirements Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 23 November

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirements Due date

The requirements are that— 23 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirements Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirements Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 21 December

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Requirements Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirements Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirements Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (2)(a)(b)) 23 November

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Requirements Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirements Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 1(a) (4)(b))

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Requirements Due date

This specifically relates to making sure that the registered person demonstrates that all staff have completed comprehensive induction and receive regular supervision. 21 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should encourage children to regularly contribute to their records in a way that reflects their voice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19) Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 8  The registered person should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise any signs that a child is at risk of harm. In particular, this relates to ensuring that staff are familiar with the home’s procedures when an allegation is made about a member of staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

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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: 2719705 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ

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Inspector

Aneta Wasilewska, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2719705 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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