Children's home run by Eliali MPC

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2675423 1 Registered provider: Eliali MPC Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered in February 2023 and is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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This monitoring visit

An assurance inspection of the home took place on 27 November 2023. At that inspection, serious and widespread concerns were identified. A compliance notice was served by Ofsted in relation to the leadership and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to establish the provider’s progress in meeting the steps set out in the compliance notice. Although the provider has made progress in some areas, they have failed to meet all the steps in the compliance notice. There are continued shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home and a further compliance notice has been served. Two of the requirements raised at the last visit are also unmet and have been restated. A restriction of accommodation has been adhered to and remains in place.

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This monitoring visit

The safeguarding systems remain ineffective. The children living at the home have complex needs. Staff are not safeguarding a child at high risk of child criminal exploitation. The managers have not provided clear, current and accurate guidance for staff on how to manage the child’s emerging behaviour. This failure to provide staff with the information they need to manage and mitigate risks does not keep the child safe. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2675423 2 Managers have not taken steps to reduce harm to a child when there have been concerns about their welfare. Following a missing-from-home episode, a medium- sized knife was found in a child’s bedroom. There has not been enough curiosity from staff in relation to this. This incident has not been sufficiently included in risk assessments. Risk-reduction strategies in place for such incidents are limited. The staff took the knife to the police. There was no follow-up or any strategy to discuss

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This monitoring visit

the incident and the lead-up to it. The leaders and manager have not sought a multi-agency response.

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This monitoring visit

Bail conditions in place for the child state they should have one mobile phone and SIM card for monitoring and safety purposes. There is a suggestion that the child may have more than one. In response to concerns about criminal exploitation and in line with the child’s bail conditions, staff purchased a ‘basic’ rather than ‘smart’ phone for the child. Since the end of November, staff have checked this phone only twice. One of these checks took place because the child was in police custody meaning the phone was available to staff. The second was when the child was given a new SIM card by staff. Aside from these two checks and in spite of emerging risks, staff do not check the phone because the child persistently refuses to allow this. The local authority has stated that these checks cannot be forced, however, leaders and managers have not thought about alternative options to ensure the child is not being

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This monitoring visit

The child is away from the home for hours at a time without sharing information about where they are going or who they are with. The staff have no specific knowledge of where the child is going and what they are doing. Staff have collected the child from an area of London some miles from the home. Leaders and managers have not linked this with the child having a knife and a mobile phone that has not been checked, which indicates that the child is not being kept safe. Managers have not considered the emerging patterns of behaviour and, as such, risks to the child are not fully explored, identified and reduced.

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This monitoring visit

There is an improved response when the child goes missing from the home. Staff contact the child regularly and leave messages to let the child know they are thinking about them. When the child asks to come home, the staff arrange transport and collect the child, whatever the distance. This shows the child that staff are concerned.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have been provided with training in relevant subjects such as criminal exploitation and substance misuse. The changes made to risk assessments are discussed at team meetings and followed up in supervision sessions.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and responsible individual have reviewed and improved the approach to the child’s education. When a school failed to respond, staff from the home went to the school to discuss the issue. This led to agreement for an admission meeting to take place. In the meantime, an enriching programme of home learning has been Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2675423 3 created. However, this programme has not yet started and therefore the child’s progress cannot be measured.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are supporting a child to make progress with their health. The child has attended appointments with the optician and with the local GP. There have been no further incidents of substance use at the home and a risk assessment is now in place to guide staff should this happen again. A substance misuse worker has been allocated and the child is now engaging in work with them.

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This monitoring visit

Feedback from two professionals is positive, with both saying they feel the home provides consistency to the child.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2675423 4

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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

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h)) 16 February 2024

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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.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 16 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2675423 5 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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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

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. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)) 16 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2675423 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tax Assist Accountants, 476 St Albans Road, Watford WD24 6QU

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Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2675423 7 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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