Children's Home run by Sankofa Care Ltd in Croydon

Inspection report for children’s home: 1244386 1 Registered provider: Sankofa Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to five children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 11 July 2017. The current manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023. The manager is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were four children living in 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 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1244386 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2023 Full Good 21/03/2022 Full Good 28/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1244386 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in this home are making good progress from their starting points. Some children who had not been in education for a long time before moving into the home are now starting to engage with education. Staff are advocates for children and work creatively with professionals to help children feel positive about returning to education and to a school setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a nurturing environment for children. Children say that staff care about them and that they like living in the home. They named their key workers and managers as people that they trust to help them with problems.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are able to decorate their bedrooms to their own taste. Some areas in the home are being refurbished. However, woodland-themed names on children’s bedroom doors, the storage of files and broken furniture, unused CCTV cameras and locks for children’s doors, alongside tired decoration in some areas, detract from the homely environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are treated with dignity and respect. Staff understand the trauma children have experienced and help them to understand their own behaviour without blame. Children know how to make a complaint, and they are clear that their views are sought and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. They attend all necessary appointments with the support of staff. Some children have accessed dental care where they had previously been long-term refusers. Staff also encourage healthy eating in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to engage in hobbies and activities that interest them. They are supported to develop their independence skills. Children who were previously anxious about going out of the home are developing confidence in new situations.

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

Children, and the professionals who work with them, are exceptionally positive about the safeguarding culture in the home. Children agree to send emergency messages if they feel unsafe in the community, and they know that staff will collect them if needed. Staff are proactive and divert children from going missing from home or disrupting activities. As a result, missing-from-home episodes are reducing. However, the recording of some missing-from-home episodes and the extensive safeguarding actions that were taken are not well organised. The case recording does not fully evidence the quality of practice this home undertakes for missing children.

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

Children benefit from targeted key-work sessions that focus on children’s individual safety and development needs. The recording of these sessions is variable. Some Inspection report for children’s home: 1244386 4 have detailed accounts of children being helped to understand and reduce risks, but other records are very brief or awaiting completion. Leaders and managers ensure that there are comprehensive chronologies of events that help to track the risks children face and the progress they are making.

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

Managers and staff understand children’s needs. They complete thorough risk and impact assessments for new children coming into the home. Risk assessments, alongside behaviour support plans, are live documents that develop as staff learn more about children’s behaviours and changing needs.

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

Safer recruitment practices for staff are mostly thorough. Risk assessments are completed if required, alongside the required checks to ensure that only suitable people work with children. However, for a minority of staff, gaps in employment had not been fully explored.

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

Significant incidents have been managed well. There is good communication between staff and other agencies, as well as the local authority designated officer (LADO). However, some incidents were not notified to Ofsted as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers regularly review the quality of care provided. They actively seek feedback from children, professionals and family members. Leaders and managers learn from practice and feedback. They promote an open culture where staff and children can learn from mistakes and influence what can be done better. The response to complaints is thorough, but it is not always well recorded against the complaint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback is positive from schools, social workers, family members and the LADO. One family member said, ‘The staff are amazing with us. We can always call them when we are worried or upset.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are aspirational for children. They are enthusiastic about helping children to overcome trauma and to learn important life skills. Team meetings are enhanced by the presence of a psychologist, who helps staff to understand the children’s behaviour and needs. This improves the quality of care provided to children. Training is effective, with a focus on ensuring that staff can meet the needs of the children in their care. However, it could be further developed in respect of substance misuse.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s case records are written to a high quality. The records reflect their everyday lives, experiences, views and voices. The language used in records is kind and thoughtful. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244386 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; and

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 31 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children and is a homely, domestic environment. The children’s home must comply with relevant health and safety legislations; however, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. This specifically relates to regular maintenance, decoration and repainting of damaged areas; the removal of woodland-themed bedroom names from children’s bedroom doors; the provision of keys for children to enter their rooms; the removal of unused CCTV cameras and CCTV signs; and the clearing of old files and broken furniture from the top floor spare room. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that records are kept detailing all individual

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Recommendations

incidents when children go missing from the home (Regulation 36 (Schedule 3 (14)). This specifically relates to the record-keeping around the management of missing-from-home incidents, the escalation of safeguarding concerns and the protective actions taken. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should ensure that recruitment checks include a review of gaps in employment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 1244386 6

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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: 1244386 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sankofa Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 15 Station Road, London SE25 5AH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Abby Osei-Asibey

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Inspectors

Claire Beckingham, Social Care Inspector Jenny-Ellen Scotland, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1244386 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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