Children's Home run by Heartwood RSW Ltd in Redbridge

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 1 SC461865

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Registered provider: Heartwood RSW Limited

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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 five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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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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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in November 2013. There has been no registered manager since July 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 20 September 2023

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children continue to make variable progress at the home. The home has recently strengthened its focus on educational development, with a weekly planner aimed at learning opportunities. One child has started to engage with staff and with a range of activities to increase their confidence and prepare them for a return to education. The other child, while they say they are happy living in the home, is not in education or attending health appointments and is rarely being successfully engaged in activities. The home has acknowledged that it is not able to meet this child’s needs and is helping to prepare the child for a planned move to a specialist placement. The home continues to encourage this child to engage in positive routines and learning on a daily basis.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s case records reflect their everyday lives and are well recorded. Important information about children’s lives and experiences is well evidenced.

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Findings from the inspection

There has been a strong start on improving the homeliness of the environment. Children’s bedrooms have been freshly decorated and personalised, most living areas have been renovated and work on the kitchen is scheduled.

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Findings from the inspection

The home now has children’s local authority plans on file. Some, but not all, key- work sessions are thoughtfully planned to improve children’s safety, well-being and independence in line with their plans.

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Findings from the inspection

The two children currently living in the home are reluctant to attend house meetings. Staff are not regularly seeking alternative ways to engage them in sharing their views, wishes and feelings about the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are only admitted to the home following an assessment that considers the risks and impact of them joining the home on themselves and other children. When children are leaving the home, staff have prepared them to move on.

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Findings from the inspection

The previous inspection identified a poor understanding of procedures to be followed when a child is missing from home. This has been improved with clear recording and procedures followed for one child who no longer lives in the home. Records indicate that staff liaised with the local authority for strategy meetings and tried to talk to the child about where they had been when they returned home. However, this could have been more robust considering the length and frequency of missing-from-home periods.

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Findings from the inspection

The newly appointed leadership team has increased management capacity in the home. However, the home manager is not registered with Ofsted, and recruitment to the registered manager post is ongoing. The current responsible individual has Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 3 completed a backdated quality of care review that was not submitted to Ofsted until the inspection. The leadership team has started to implement an action plan to meet the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. This appropriate focus and attention have led to some recent progress against most, but not all, areas identified.

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Findings from the inspection

The increased management capacity has very recently led to staff receiving more regular and reflective supervision, purposeful group supervision and team meetings, increasing staff’s ability to reflect on their professional development and adapt their practice when necessary. Staff have not been subject to performance reviews or appraisals since the previous inspection. Leaders have ensured that staff have the opportunity to attend training that is relevant to the needs of the children in the home. Staff are positive about the support they receive and the changing culture in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

No serious or widespread concerns were identified during this inspection. However, all of the requirements and recommendations from the last full inspection were not met and remain in place. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/09/2022 Full Good 07/09/2021 Full Good 06/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with the necessary financial support to enable them to support children’s emotional well-being and provide them with a suitable range of activities.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 12 April 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 12 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated, are robust and correctly identify risk levels and the strategies to help staff to manage and reduce children’s individual risks.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that missing-from-home protocols are followed and that they have clear oversight of missing-from-home episodes. They must also ensure that missing-from-home records include all relevant information.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; 12 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 7 regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iv)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s house meetings are held regularly and all children living in the home are given the opportunity to attend meetings to share their views, wishes and feelings about the home. Also, leaders and managers must ensure that discussions take place with children following incidents to help staff understand children’s experiences and provide the most appropriate support to children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they have a copy of all children’s local authority care plans.

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Requirement Due date

When considering new children moving into the home, leaders and managers must fully consider the needs of children already living there and those moving into the home as well as whether the staff have the skills to meet the needs of all children in their care. 12 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 8 Leaders and managers must ensure that children’s bedrooms are safe and comfortable and furnished and decorated to a good standard.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that all staff, including managers, receive regular and effective supervision and that their appraisals are completed annually.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 12 April 2024

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive the appropriate support and training to provide a good quality of care to children and ensure that their needs are met well.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 12 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 9 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. (Regulation 45 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the quality of care review is completed and sent to Ofsted within timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 12 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (2)(b) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the independent person has access to the home’s and children’s records to adequately develop a view and provide a detailed analysis of whether children are safeguarded effectively and their welfare is promoted.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 12 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

does not satisfy regulation 28; 12 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 10 or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must either provide details of the acting manager to Ofsted and ensure that the acting manager applies to register with Ofsted, or appoint a registered manager.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The registered person and staff should work closely with placing authorities to understand push and pull factors for children who go missing from home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that children are regularly and consistently offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home and that they are encouraged to participate in those activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heartwood RSW Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 416 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 9JX

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Inspector

Claire Beckingham, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC461865 12 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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