Children's Home run by My Tribe Homes Ltd in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 1 Registered provider: My Tribe Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties. According to the home’s statement of purpose, staff provide children with a sense of belonging, connection and self-belief. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022 and is suitably qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/04/2023 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 3

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improvement to be good

In March 2024, the registered manager received a serious complaint from a healthcare professional, which the inspector was aware of before this inspection took place. The head of care carried out a full investigation, which subsequently led to the registered manager being suspended on the first day of this inspection.

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improvement to be good

This investigation identified several actions, including an immediate review of one child’s healthcare plan. This was carried out in collaboration with staff and the child’s allocated nurse. On the day of the inspection, staff spoken to were clear of their roles and responsibilities in helping the child to manage their health condition.

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improvement to be good

Since the last full inspection, senior leaders have reviewed processes for children moving into the home, including how multi-agency information is requested and shared. However, health planning arrangements for one child lacked rigour and challenge. Furthermore, staff said that the training they received before the child moved in was confusing and did not fully prepare them for the level of support needed to safely manage the child’s condition. The head of care has arranged face-to-face training and staff have been supported with additional online learning and resources in the interim.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy the time they spend with staff. Staff know the children well and arrange activities that are enjoyable and, at times, educational, such as trampolining and mystery games. This is helping staff to build trusting relationships with children. However, staff plan activities for children on the day, which means that they are often limited and repetitive.

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improvement to be good

Children have made progress since living in the home. There has been a reduction in staff’s use of physical intervention and in incidents of children leaving the home without staff supervision. One child has learned to swim, which they said is something they thought would never be possible, and has recently worked towards purchasing a new bicycle. This means that children are rewarded for positive behaviours and are achieving their personal goals with staff support.

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improvement to be good

On occasion, some staff have been subject to children using racist language. Staff are quick to intervene and discuss with children the importance and power of language. However, there is a lack of leadership direction in positively promoting different cultures and diversity. This is a missed opportunity for staff to help children to develop empathy and respect and to celebrate the differences in all people.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff support children to attend their routine health appointments and ensure that these are booked in regularly. However, on one occasion, staff forgot that a health professional was visiting the home and took the child out. This meant that the child’s health needs were delayed in being assessed. The registered manager’s tool for Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 4 monitoring health appointments and outcomes has not been regularly updated, which makes it difficult for leaders to evidence if, and when, children attend their appointments.

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improvement to be good

Since the last full inspection, three children have moved in and remain living in the home. In recent weeks, the dynamics between children have changed, and staff say they are worried about the emotional impact this is having on one child. To support this, staff relaxed boundaries in the home as they hoped this would help the child to feel safer. These decisions were not discussed with senior managers and the wider staff team, nor was the child’s care plan updated. As a result, there are inconsistencies in guidance and boundaries and risks are left unassessed. The head of care was quick to recognise this during this inspection and addressed this practice with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff keep good records of incidents that occur in the home and there is clear leadership oversight, including identifying outcomes and actions. For example, children have been spoken to about respecting neighbours and being mindful of language and loud music. However, not all actions from the manager’s reviews have been addressed. This is a missed opportunity for staff to help children to reflect and learn new ways to manage their behaviours positively and safely when they are upset or frustrated.

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improvement to be good

Children’s prescribed medical equipment and non-prescribed medicines are not adequately stored or included in regular stock counts. This has the potential to hinder safe medication practices. During this inspection, the head of care carried out a full medication audit, and no discrepancies were noted against staff medication administration records. This means that staff have given children the right medicines in line with their healthcare plans.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has reviewed vetting and induction procedures for agency staff. As a result, the requirement from the last full inspection has been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last full inspection, a new head of care has been employed. She previously supported the registered manager and responsible individual as an independent consultant. Therefore, she has a good knowledge and understanding of policies, procedures and children living in the home. At the time of this inspection, the head of care had been in post for two weeks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders have reviewed the staff induction process to ensure that new staff coming into the home shadow senior staff while they learn about the children and the home’s policies and procedures. There were some good examples of this in practice. However, a recent member of staff started working in the home while the registered manager was on annual leave. As a result, their induction was extremely poor, and the new induction process was not followed. This was recognised by the head of care during the Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 5 inspection, and the member of staff was supported away from the home as part of a wider group induction.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The new head of care has brought an abundance of change, including a new quality assurance and auditing monitoring tool for managers. This is in its infancy, so there is little evidence of continual reviews of managerial oversight and subsequent actions. However, new leaders demonstrate a clear commitment to children, staff and the quality of care and support they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The responsible individual visits the home regularly and has a good knowledge and understanding of children’s individual support needs. Children know him by name, and he actively pursues and enjoys spending time with them. For example, he takes the children swimming. This approach endorses good leadership and instils positive messages to children and staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 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 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 are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(c))) 20 July 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 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must report child welfare concerns to senior leaders and not alter practice in isolation. Additionally, senior leaders must ensure that all medication and medical equipment are stored appropriately and routinely stocked checked in line with the provider’s policies that protect children. 20 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 7 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h)) 20 July 2024

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that: internal admission policies are followed; children’s risks are clearly identified and assessed. 20 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and 20 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 8 make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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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: 2682262 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Tribe Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Bromley Lane, Chislehurst BR7 6LH

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Adam McCormack-Fuller

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2682262 10 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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