Children's Home run by SV Care Services Limited in Havering

Inspection report for children's home: 2720618 1 Registered provider: SV Care Services Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and manager were registered with Ofsted in February 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2720618 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2720618 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home where staff make them feel welcomed and valued. Children get on well with each other and form important friendships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress at the home. Staff take time to get to know the children and find out their special interests. Staff encourage children to engage in activities inside and outside the home. This includes going on trips to the zoo, joining youth clubs and going out for celebratory meals. At home, children enjoy cooking, creating art and watching TV together. One child has a pet gecko, a birthday gift from a member of staff. Staff build trusting and nurturing relationships with the children. This helps make them feel settled, cared for and valued.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have mental health needs that require support. Staff collaborate well with other professionals to ensure children’s needs are met. Staff speak with children about how challenging situations can be better managed in the future. Suggestions are incorporated in their plans. The staff celebrate children’s progress and offer praise and encouragement.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take children’s views seriously. Children complete ‘voice of the week’ sheets once a week. Children can raise any concerns they have with staff and think together about workable solutions. Children help with menu and activity planning. Children know how to make a complaint, and they say that they feel listened to.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is a priority. Some children attend local mainstream schools and are supported by staff to do so. The staff speak with immense pride about the progress children have made settling back into education and making new friends. Staff recognise that children who have been out of school for a while need support. Careful plans are made by staff in consultation with the child and school. Staff advocate for the children and form close working relationships with education providers. Children’s progress at school is kept under review by the management team.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered promptly with health professionals and supported to attend appointments. Strategies are put in place by staff for children who find meetings and appointments difficult. The home has a system to ensure the registered GP is kept informed by staff about a child’s health, including any incidents of self-harm.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain their family relationships. This has been a strength of the home. Staff make sure that all the children have an opportunity to see their siblings as well as their parents and other important relatives, if safe to do so. Staff take children to see their family, even when they are some distance away. They make regular calls to family members to keep them updated about the child’s progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children personalise their bedrooms with pictures and colourful lights and posters. They choose their favourite colour scheme. There is a large comfortable communal Inspection report for children's home: 2720618 4 sitting room where children spend time chatting and watching TV. There is a small space under the stairs next to the office with beanbags and books. The door to the office is kept open and children enjoy sitting there and chatting to staff. The home has a large back garden. One child organised a summer fete at the home, with children and staff from the sister home, to raise money for charity and it was a great success. There is a happy feel to the home and the children are relaxed and comfortable with staff.

p.3

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

Children feel safe. Risk assessments are clear and detailed. Staff use planned and informal discussions as an effective way of speaking with children about risks.

p.4

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

Staff are trained in physical intervention. This is only used as a last resort if there is a concern that a child is putting themselves at risk of physical harm. The use of physical intervention is proportionate and recorded appropriately, and statutory procedures are consistently followed. Positive behaviour is encouraged through effective reward and praise. The trusting relationships that staff build with children are a key protective factor for them.

p.4

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

There is a robust missing-from-home protocol in place and episodes of children going missing are infrequent. On the few occasions when a child has not returned to the home, staff have ensured that they stay in close contact with the child, their family, any known friends and the child’s professional network.

p.4

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

Staff receive a broad range of safeguarding training. Their learning is supported through regular supervision and team meeting discussions. Staff know how to recognise, report and act on any safeguarding concerns that may arise.

p.4

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

Recruitment procedures follow safer recruitment guidelines, which provides assurance that the staff who are caring for the children are suitably vetted. The leadership team continues to recruit new members of staff. There is an established induction plan and ongoing programme for training in place.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a wealth of experience and is skilled at ensuring children have the support they need. She and the deputy manager make an aspirational leadership team. The deputy manager is a consistent presence in the home, actively modelling the care she wants to see the staff deliver. Her commitment to the children is appreciated by the leadership and management team, the staff and the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager oversees new staff’s induction and she provides feedback to staff on their performance. Supervision and team meetings are used effectively. Children’s needs are discussed and goals are set for the staff. The manager recognises the importance of supporting staff to reflect on their practice. A psychotherapist has recently been employed and the management team is in the initial stages of defining her role. Inspection report for children's home: 2720618 5 The manager and deputy manager keep in close contact with external professionals and parents, to promote an open and transparent approach to safeguarding. Feedback from professionals and families about the care provided to children living at the home has been positive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team works well together and is supportive. Staff well-being is a priority for the management and leadership team. Staff say they enjoy working at the home. There are some vacancies in the team and the leadership team is actively recruiting new members to join them.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

As the children have settled, there has been a reduction in the number of staff working during some periods of the day. This has, in part, been to try and ensure that the children do not have new or different people looking after them. The aspiration for consistency in staffing needs to be kept under careful review to ensure that there are sufficient staff to look after the children and enable them to continue enjoying activities outside the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2720618 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that contingency plans are prepared in the event of a shortfall in staffing levels. If it is likely that there might only be one member of staff on duty at any time, the manager should make a formal assessment of the implications for children’s care, including any likely risks. This assessment should be recorded and available for inspection by Ofsted and placing authorities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that they monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able to understand and, where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.9)

p.6

Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2720618 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: SV Care Services Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 71 Knowle Piece, Wilbury Way, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG4 0TY

p.7

Inspector

Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2720618 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8