Children's home run by Momentum Residential Care Home Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2714006 1 Registered provider: Momentum Residential Care Home Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted on 28 December 2022. This is the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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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: 2714006 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home make notable progress from their starting points. For example, previously, both children did not go to school regularly and since living in this home they have improved their attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a wide range of activities in the home and in the wider community. Activities include baking, craft designing, trampolining and trips to theatres in central London. The variety of activities provided helps the children to build their self-esteem and improve their emotional and physical development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience positive beginnings when they move into the home. Leaders and managers meet with children and give them the opportunity to visit the home to meet staff and the other children who live there. However, the assessments conducted when considering new children moving into the home are not sufficiently detailed and lack management oversight. This has caused some children to become unsettled in the home and creates instability for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular house meetings. However, leaders and managers do not routinely ensure that children receive a response to any matters that they raise. This is a missed opportunity to help children contribute to their care and to feel listened to.

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

Children have individual behaviour support and risk management plans in place. Children’s plans are under constant review and reflect any new or emerging concerns to improve children’s safety. Staff manage behaviour well and use a consistent approach to support children, and to distract or redirect any negative behaviour. If consequences are put in place, they are proportionate and relate to addressing the negative behaviour. However, the recording of consequences is not consistent for all children.

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

The staff know children well. Children receive individualised care based on their needs from a nurturing staff team who build positive and trusted relationships with them. Children say they feel safe in the home and can talk to staff about their worries and concerns.

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

Staff are proactive if children go missing from the home. They work with other agencies to ensure that children are safe. Records of missing-from-home incidents are thoroughly reviewed and debriefs are completed with staff and children.

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

Physical restraint is rarely used in this home. If restraint is used, relevant professionals are informed. Children are given the opportunity to debrief following the incident to ensure that they are safe and understand the reasons that physical Inspection report for children's home: 2714006 3 intervention was necessary. However, sometimes the incident record is not sufficiently detailed. For example, the length of the hold is not recorded, and some incidents lack management oversight.

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

Key-work sessions are regular. However, staff do not always make good use of key- work sessions to help children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, staff do not always support children to talk about their difficulties and risks.

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

Room searches are not always proportionate and justified. For example, the children are not always present during the search and there is no reason given to children or the search.

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

Safe recruitment checks are in place. However, the manager has failed to obtain explanations for gaps in employment, and the required number of references and overseas checks. This shortfall potentially places children at risk. Leaders and managers understand that safer recruitment is not robust and started to address these shortfalls during the inspection.

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

The home provides a warm and nurturing environment for the children. The physical environment of the home is clean and tidy, and repairs are carried out swiftly. However, the children’s bedrooms are untidy, with their clothes and other items left on the floor.

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good

The registered manager resigned from their position on 31 October 2023. The responsible individual failed to notify Ofsted of the changes to the day-to-day management of the home following the registered manager’s resignation.

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good

A new manager has been appointed who is due to submit an application to register with Ofsted. The new manager has implemented some positive changes in the short time that she has been overseeing the home and acknowledges the shortfalls found at this inspection. The new manager plans to work closely with the deputy manager to address the shortfalls identified.

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good

Leaders and managers’ internal monitoring systems have not been effective in identifying and addressing the home’s weaknesses. For example, leaders and managers did not identify shortfalls in staff supervision or the recording shortfalls in children’s records.

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good

Some staff are positive about working in the home. However, not all staff feel well supported by leaders and managers. One member of staff said, ‘I do not feel able to speak to management because they will not listen to my view.’

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good

Staff do not receive regular supervision and supervision notes are not always completed in a timely manner. When supervision has taken place, it has not been effective in identifying goals and objectives to support the development and Inspection report for children's home: 2714006 4 progress of staff. Additionally, team meetings do not take place regularly. The lack of management oversight and team building opportunities does not provide staff with opportunities to develop their practice, skills and knowledge.

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good

Leaders and managers have high expectations for children and are ambitious in seeking to give all children the same chances and opportunities. They understand the importance of staff training to meet the needs of children. A new training course is to be provided for staff to help them gain more understanding and develop the skills to meet the needs of children living in the home and those moving in. Inspection report for children's home: 2714006 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 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received.

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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)(a)(b)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that effective systems to monitor staff practice and recording are in place, including recording of information and responding to children’s requests. 15 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— 15 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2714006 6 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that room searches are proportionate and necessary to keep children safe, actions from children’s meetings are followed through and children are supported to develop independence skills, including cleaning their bedrooms.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 15 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2714006 7 The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that proof of address is obtained, employment gaps are explained and overseas police checks have been completed for all staff who have lived or worked overseas.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive supervision and that supervision is recorded in a timely manner. Also, that they have effective monitoring systems in place to monitor children’s progress and staff practice. 15 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2714006 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when incidents of control, discipline and restraint occur, there is appropriate management oversight and analysis, with recorded debriefs for staff and children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 46, paragraph 11.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful and clear recording. In particular, they should ensure that all record- keeping is consistent. (‘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: 2714006 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Momentum Residential Care Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Melvin Davies, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2714006 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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