Children's Home run by Bayis Sheli Limited in Hackney

Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 1 SC490365 Registered provider: Bayis Sheli Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered in May 2015 and is privately owned. It provides full-time care or short breaks for up to eight children with physical disabilities or learning disabilities. The home provides care that meets the needs of Orthodox Jewish children in ways that are consistent with their culture and faith.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, six children were living at the home, and no children were staying for a short-break experience.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2023 Full Outstanding 15/02/2022 Full Good 20/05/2019 Full Good 29/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 3

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outstanding

Children say and indicate that they love living at this home. Children flourish and have excellent opportunities to learn and have fun in a safe environment. This is particularly important as many of the children are severely disabled, and most are non-verbal. Staff provide care that makes a marked difference to children’s lives, and children make significant progress from their starting points. A child’s parent said, ‘Words cannot express our gratitude for all the love and kindness that you have shown him. [Name of home] and all the care workers have gone above and beyond to treat our special son as family.’

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outstanding

Children benefit from staff’s skills in meeting their identity needs. This extends beyond staff’s expertise in working effectively with disabled children and includes providing care for children in line with the Orthodox Jewish faith. The registered manager has recently appointed an Ima Bayis (Home Mother). The role of the post- holder, a long-term volunteer at the home, is to ensure that children receive support to practise their faith as closely as they would practise it at their family home. The Ima Bayis is highly knowledgeable about the cultural and religious nuances of different sects within the Jewish Orthodox faith. This supports children’s individual religious and spiritual development.

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outstanding

Children have secure and trusted relationships with the staff, who are passionate and sensitive in caring for children. Staff know the children well and are skilled in meeting children’s specific needs as they understand the nature and impact of children’s disabilities. As a result, children’s experiences are creative and innovative. The home offers children opportunities that they often would not have otherwise. These experiences include ice-skating trips; frequent play and physiotherapy in the home’s hydro-pool; cooking and baking in the home’s adapted children’s kitchen; and creative play in the home’s soft-play, music and sensory rooms. There are plans in place to develop a dedicated children’s computer room for recreation and learning.

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outstanding

Children’s learning outcomes are excellent. Children attend and want to attend school regularly, and they are all making very good progress. Children’s care plans set clear targets and goals for children to work towards. Targets in the home are consistent with the goals that children are working to achieve at school. Children benefit from staff’s very regular communication with school staff, which helps to enhance their educational and general development.

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outstanding

Children’s views and opinions are highly valued. Staff take creative steps to ensure that all children have meaningful choices and make decisions about their day-to-day care. This includes easy-read consultations, activity sessions and the use of ‘feelings boards’. Children also take part in regular key-work sessions that explore children’s views, which helps to shape the home’s development. Children’s survey results Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 4 indicate that children are extremely happy with their care, and no complaints have been made by anyone since the last inspection.

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outstanding

Staff understand children’s complex health needs and meet these very well. Staff receive training in relevant health issues, such as first aid, moving and handling and epilepsy. They manage children’s medication safely and frequently communicate with healthcare professionals. This ensures that children receive primary and specialist healthcare services that help them to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible.

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outstanding

Children make significant progress and have remarkable experiences. A social worker said, ‘I am delighted that the child I visit is so happy and content. He is growing spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally, thanks to all the input from staff in the home.’

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

Children feel safe in the home and are at ease with the staff team. Children benefit from staff’s clear understanding of the home’s child protection policies and procedures, which they adhere to. Staff are skilled in safely caring for children with profound and complex disabilities.

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

Staff help children to understand and pay attention to boundaries that help to keep them safe. Staff’s management of challenging behaviour is measured and appropriate. Positive behavioural management plans are person-centred and tailored to provide staff with guidance about how to reduce inappropriate or challenging behaviour. Strategies are largely effective.

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

As far as possible, children are fully involved in their behavioural plans, and where possible, they commit to agreements about actions they will take to help keep themselves safe. Staff use rewards and incentives that children choose for themselves to promote positive behaviour effectively.

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

Children benefit from staff’s supervision and vigilance. Since the last inspection, there has been a reduced number of incidents of a child running from staff while in the community or going missing from home. Staff take quick and appropriate action when this does happen. Children are spoken with about the risks posed by this behaviour. For example, staff complete focused work with children on developing their road awareness to help children’s understanding. The activity room contains a model traffic light to support children’s practice and understanding of road safety.

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

Risk assessments identify known and anticipated risks to children. Staff keep these under review and up to date. As a result, assessments include detailed plans that help to reduce risks.

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

Staff recruitment and vetting practices are good, and the vast majority of required checks are in place. However, for one member of staff, managers did not gain confirmation of their formal qualification. Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 5 The home is a well-maintained, well-equipped and purpose-built building that is designed to meet the needs of disabled Orthodox Jewish children. Staff maintain specialist adapted equipment safely, and the building is physically safe and secure. The home’s kitchen is equipped and managed in strict accordance with the preparation of Kosher meals. This means that this aspect of children’s cultural needs is ensured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership and management of the home are strong and highly effective. Leaders and managers have very high expectations for what children can achieve and are committed to ensuring that children have every opportunity to reach their full potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is an able practitioner and leads the staff team ‘from the front’. Staff appreciate this approach, and they share managers’ high aspirations for children. They work tirelessly to provide children with high-quality, safe care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers’ oversight of the home is effective. This helps to support the home’s continual improvement. Senior staff’s close monitoring of children’s care ensures that the standards remain high. Regular monitoring visits by an independent visitor and the registered manager’s six-monthly review of care support the home’s continued successful development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Recent improvements to the home have also been guided by the views of children and other stakeholders. For example, the parents’ newsletter and training staff to support children in the hydro-pool originated from stakeholders’ suggestions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that care planning processes are in children’s best interests. They make child-centred decisions when considering new children coming to live at the home or staying for a short-break experience. Leaders carefully consider children’s needs before they stay at the home and ensure that any risks are well managed. In addition, leaders ensure that groupings for short breaks consider children’s interests and encourage friendships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers ensure that there are always sufficient staff to meet children’s needs at the home. Staff are very well supported and say they feel valued and fortunate to work at the home. They receive regular supervision and appraisals and complete relevant online training. However, some staff are yet to complete key face-to-face training, such as on Makaton, autism awareness and positive behaviour support, which will further enhance their skills in caring for disabled children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Parents and stakeholders identify staff’s communication with them as a clear strength of the home. This helps to ensure that everyone involved in children’s lives is aware of their progress and any concerns. This supports the effective coordination of children’s care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 6 A social worker said, ‘The home is like a huge family, including the staff, who all work together to make sure the children who live there and stay there feel included, important and loved. The child I visit is always happy and has lots of things to show me. He has changed considerably since moving into [name of home], and he is able to enjoy a good quality of life and feels like an important member of the home, school and the community.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 7

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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,

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must obtain confirmation of staff’s formal qualifications. 1 April 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff complete relevant training for their role, including on areas such as Makaton, autism awareness and positive behaviour support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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) Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 8 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bayis Sheli Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Burlington House, 1075 Finchley Road, London NW11 0PU

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Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC490365 10 regulates and inspects 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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