Children's home run by 5ab Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2512898 1 Registered provider: 5ab 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 owned by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Since the last inspection, two children have left the home and two children have moved in. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced manager, who is registered with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2512898 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2023 Full Outstanding 23/11/2021 Full Good 02/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2512898 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care. Staff know children well and understand their needs. Staff show children genuine emotional warmth and compassion. Children feel valued and cared for. Consequently, children who have had several moves before moving to the home settle and make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to pursue leisure activities, such as swimming lessons, football and gymnastics. Their achievements are enjoyed and celebrated by staff. For other activities, such as roller-skating, children can invite friends. This helps children to maintain and strengthen important friendships. As a result, children’s confidence and self-esteem improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health. Staff help children who suffer with long-standing and neglected health needs to access treatment. Children’s mental health is also well supported. Staff seek additional support from appropriate agencies, such as mental health services and the home’s systemic and psychodynamic therapist. This ensures that children’s health and overall well-being improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do well in education. Staff understand the barriers to learning and support children to overcome these. Staff have supported one child to attend school regularly for the first time. Staff help children to engage with homework. For example, staff have supported one child to make good progress in mathematics through an online learning platform.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain close relationships with those who are important to them. They enjoy regular sleepovers with siblings who do not live with them. This helps to reduce children’s feelings of loss and supports their sense of belonging and identity.

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

Staff use a trauma-informed model of care. This focuses on building trusting and meaningful relationships with children. Staff implement firm boundaries with warmth and empathy. This helps children to feel safe. Through regular discussions with children, staff help them to process their experiences, feelings and emotions. For one child, behaviours that are difficult to manage have significantly reduced.

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

Staff respond well to children who go missing from the home. Staff liaise with the relevant professionals, such as police, social workers and parents. Staff make every effort to find children and follow the appropriate procedures. Staff try to find out why children go missing so that they can provide the relevant support.

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

Staff know the risks that children can be exposed to. Risks are regularly assessed and updated. However, safety plans do not always contain enough information for Inspection report for children’s home: 2512898 4 staff to know how to respond and are not always duly followed. This has placed children at increased risk of harm. While the manager has been quick to address these shortfalls, time is needed for the improvements to be embedded into practice.

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

Staff use physical restraint as a last resort to keep children and others safe. The least restrictive measure and force are used. Children and staff receive appropriate support following each incident of restraint. However, staff do not always provide sufficient details in their recordings. This is an area for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate and dedicated. She sets high expectations for staff and aspires to achieve the best outcomes for children. She leads by example and uses her knowledge and experience to upskill the team. Staff feel well supported and value her leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team. Staff enjoy working at the home and have positive relationships with each other. This provides children with stability and consistency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well trained in their role. Training is provided in relation to children’s specific needs, such as child sexual exploitation and deprivation of liberty. On a monthly basis, and as the children’s needs arise, the manager uses relevant research and practice to upskill the team. This helps staff to meet children’s developing needs and maintains good standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes a strong culture of learning and development. She is quick to reflect on and learn from incidents, and staff embrace this opportunity to improve their practice. Regular team meetings are used to hold reflective practice discussions, where the team of staff bond and grow together. The home’s therapist provides monthly consultations to further aid staff practice and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home. There are effective monitoring and quality assurance systems in place. This ensures that she has a good understanding of the service’s strengths and areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2512898 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 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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that risk assessments are in place that detail how staff should respond to each risk and that staff are consistent in following such plans. 31 May 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept which enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2512898 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Jones Hunt Limited, 71 Knowl Piece, Wilbury Way, Hitchin SG4 0TY

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Inspector

Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2512898 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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