Children's home run by The Little Flower

Inspection report for children’s home: SC462631 1 SC462631 Registered provider: Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children with physical or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2013, when the home was registered.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child and one young person aged 19 were living at 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 requires improvement to be 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: 28 February 2023

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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: SC462631 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 22/02/2022 Full Good 05/03/2020 Full Good 29/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC462631 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Providing children with a family-like atmosphere and supporting them to develop strong and trusting relationships with the staff caring for them are two key strengths of this home. Children are comfortable and relaxed, and staff are warm and attentive towards them. Consequently, children settle very well and make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of children’s individual health needs and know how best to support them. Staff ensure that children take their medication as prescribed. Staff support children to attend medical appointments and ensure that they have access to specialist advice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children attend school. When one child was unable to attend school for a period of time, staff put in place positive arrangements at home. The child’s teacher said, ‘ The staff were accommodating to me visiting [child] and were keen to learn new skills such as “attention” sessions and TACPAC ( tactile approach to communication package).’ Children are also encouraged and supported to develop their independence skills in line with their abilities, such as helping with their personal care or dressing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are non-verbal, so they are reliant on staff understanding their needs. Staff demonstrate a good ability to interpret what children are conveying through their body language and vocalisation. Staff encourage children’s participation in decision- making, for example making choices about their clothing or activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents are warmly welcomed into the home, and staff support children and arrange for them to spend time with their family. For example, parents are invited to Christmas dinners and are actively engaged in the preparations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite their complex needs, the children are encouraged to participate in activities in the home and the community, such as arts and crafts, planting plants in the garden or visiting the local library for story time. Staff capture these moments by taking photos that are added to the children’s life-story work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, comfortable and decorated to a good standard. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and adapted to their individual needs. The home’s garden is planned with careful consideration of the sensory needs of the children. There are photos of the children displayed throughout the home. This all adds to the homely atmosphere.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practices are not consistently robust. Extensive reference and police checks are caried out for new staff recruited from abroad in their countries of Inspection report for children’s home: SC462631 4 origin. In contrast, there were delays to the verification of Disclosure and Barring Service checks. This is a weakness in staff recruitment.

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improvement to be good

Children’s vulnerabilities and risk are detailed in their risk assessments and are well understood by staff. Furthermore, safeguarding issues are regularly discussed in team meetings. This ensures that staff remain clear about all risks posed to children and the strategies to keep them safe. Additionally, a specific risk assessment has been completed for the young person who is 18, to consider all potential risk factors and how to mitigate them.

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improvement to be good

Any safeguarding concerns are addressed swiftly by the registered manager and information is shared with children’s networks. When necessary, referrals are made to the local authority designated officer without delay.

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improvement to be good

Staff have the right training to understand children’s behaviours and meet their emotional needs. As a result, they are able to help children to reduce their anxieties. Subsequently, there have been no incidents of unwanted behaviour since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

There have been no physical restraints since the last inspection. Some restrictive measures are used to support children’s safety, such as wheelchair straps or safe space beds. Any use of such measures is reflected in children’s plans and regularly reviewed.

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the policies and procedures relating to the management of allegations against staff. Staff are introduced to the whistle-blowing policy during their induction. However, staff members were unable to say which external agencies they could contact to raise concerns about other staff. This indicates a weakness in essential safeguarding knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. She knows each child well and is committed to providing excellent standards of care. The manager creates a culture where staff strive to make a positive difference to children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager prioritises the needs of the children in her care. One social worker said about the vacancy in the home, ‘The manager could fill it already, but turned down referrals as they were not a right match for [child]. She puts the children’s needs first.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the home’s strengths and areas for development. There are effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that the manager constantly reviews the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One child has moved in since the last inspection. Prior to the move, the manager visited the child several times in the hospital where the child was admitted. This Inspection report for children’s home: SC462631 5 helped the manager to understand the child’s needs and allowed the child to get to know the manager. This made the child’s transition to the home easier. However, the manager has not challenged the placing authority to provide all relevant plans for this child and to ensure that the looked after process was being followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with children’s networks. Feedback from external professionals and parents regarding the quality of care provided and communication from staff is extremely positive. One professional said, ‘The manager is very welcoming and encourages unannounced visits at any time. [The manager] and the staff are at hand to share information and work closely with us to ensure the young person is getting the best support available to them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff at the home feel well supported by colleagues and the manager. Regular team meetings and individual supervision sessions provide staff with opportunities to reflect on their practice and share their views and ideas. Safeguarding issues are discussed, as well as staff development needs. Furthermore, staff have access to training relevant to the needs of the children in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC462631 6

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that DBS checks are completed before staff commence their employment. 27 May 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s whistle-blowing procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9)  The registered person should ensure that they challenge the placing authority when it does not provide the input needed to meet the needs of the children in the registered person’s care. In particular, this relates to ensuring that all children’s relevant plans are shared with the provider and that the looked after child process is followed up. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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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: SC462631 7

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Cheridah Caesar-Mejias

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Cheridah Caesar-Mejias

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Inspector

Aneta Wasilewska, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC462631 8 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC462631 9

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