Children's Home run by GAC Family Services Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2748501 1 Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at time of inspection.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2748501 2

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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. They are skilled in building relationships with children who find it hard to trust adults. The home provides a family environment, where children and staff enjoy spending time together, doing things such as cooking and listening to music. As a result, children settle quickly and like living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health. Staff help children to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Staff and children enjoy activities together, such as playing football and going to the gym. One child is learning healthier strategies to improve their mood, such as doing exercise. Staff proactively seek support from relevant professionals such as substance misuse counsellors, mental health services and speech and language therapists. As a result, children’s overall health and well-being improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to learn and achieve. When children are unable to attend school, staff are creative in their approach to home learning. One child who initially did not speak any English is supported by staff who speak their first language. This is helping the child to learn quickly. The tutor said, ‘[Name of child] has made unbelievable progress.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Great consideration is given to meeting children’s cultural needs. Children are supported to follow their chosen religion. Staff who practise the same religion share their knowledge and customs. This gives children the confidence and know-how to live according to their cultural heritage and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s wishes and feelings are sought. Children have a say in decisions affecting their day-to-day care. A variety of communication tools are used to help staff to obtain children’s views, and an interpreter is also used. However, the home’s children’s guide is not accessible to all children. This is an area for development.

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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. Each risk is assessed and regularly reviewed. Decisions about risk are made in collaboration with other professionals, such as police, school staff and social workers. There is a balanced approach to risk management, which helps to keep children safe while allowing them to take age-appropriate risks. This ensures an effective approach to safeguarding children.

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

The risk of exploitation is well managed by staff. The manager attends regular network meetings, where pertinent information is shared. When risks of exploitation arise, appropriate safeguards are implemented. This proactive approach to safeguarding helps to reduce the risks children are exposed to. Inspection report for children's home: 2748501 3 Staff respond well to children who go missing from home. They make every effort to find children and support them when they return. Staff liaise with relevant professionals, such as social workers and the police. They try to understand why children go missing so that they can provide them with the relevant support. For one child, having friends to sleep over has reduced the risk of them going missing from home.

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

Staff are skilled at dealing with behaviours that are difficult to manage. Consistent boundaries are implemented with empathy and understanding. Through regular discussions, children are helped to understand how to keep themselves safe. As a result, children feel safe and trust staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a strong leader. She dedicated to providing the best outcomes for children. She is knowledgeable and experienced and leads by example. She sets high expectation for staff, and they value her leadership. Staff feel well supported and enjoy working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well trained. They receive training in relation to children’s needs, such as child exploitation and substance misuse. Staff also receive trauma-informed training, strengthening their understanding of how children’s experiences can shape how they think and behave. As a result, staff are effective in supporting children when they are struggling.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with other professionals, such as the police, teachers and social workers, and the manager communicates effectively. This ensures effective care planning and provides children with coordinated care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home. She has good monitoring and quality assurance systems in place. She knows what is happening in the home daily. She has a good understanding of the strengths of the service and areas for development. Learning from incidents is used to improve processes and staff practice. This helps to maintain good standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings provide staff with opportunities to bond and develop as a team. Staff also receive supervision with the manager or senior staff. However, supervisions do not always take place within the appropriate timeframes, and staff are not encouraged to reflect on their practice. This is an area for development. Inspection report for children's home: 2748501 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home if the placement is made in an emergency) and must be age appropriate and provided in an accessible format. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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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: 2748501 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 29a, The Link, 49 Effra Road, London SW2 1BZ

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Inspector

Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2748501 6 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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