Children's Home run by DOONAMIS LIMITED in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 2672782 1 Registered provider: Doonamis Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company and provides care for up to three children. It provides emergency, short-term and long-term care for children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2672782 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/01/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2672782 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home. One child has left the home and two children have moved in since the last inspection. The children who have moved in have good relationships with the staff team and the other child, who has lived in the home for almost 18 months.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children to have a sense of belonging and create a nice home for them. A new kitchen is being installed and complete redecoration is taking place. The staff have involved the children in choosing the colours for the rooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are being educated with a mix of mainstream, virtual and alternative education. Children have aspirations. One child hopes to get a place at college and is planning a career in motorsport and another child wants a career as a beautician. Staff and the manager understand the needs and goals of children and adapt their education to meet their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities with the staff, including going to the gym, trips to the beach, doing arts and crafts and baking. One child is planning to go fishing with their key worker as they become more familiar with the area. Staff support children to express themselves creatively and provide them with positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are building trusting relationships. Staff create safe spaces for children to feel comfortable to share sensitive information. One child who recently moved into the home has started to open up about previous behaviours and reflected on how these have affected them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to and support children creatively. One child was supported by staff when they requested to explore aspects of their past through drama. This was effective and the child appreciated the staff team’s efforts.

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

Children are safer as a result of the support they receive. Children sometimes spend time away from the home without permission. When this happens, staff take all necessary steps to ensure the children are safe by bringing them home safely and involving outside agencies when necessary. One child who recently moved in has a long history of being missing from home. On the one occasion the child went missing from this home, the staff and manager located them and made every effort to demonstrate to the child they were missed, and the child returned.

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

Children know how to raise concerns. Staff make sure the children understand how complaints are managed. One child said they will speak to their key worker if they have any worries about safety but will go to the manager if it is serious. Inspection report for children's home: 2672782 4 Risks are well understood and staff respond appropriately to them. Care plans are clear and offer good guidance to staff on how to manage and support children who are struggling emotionally. Staff demonstrate good practice to show that they are attuned to the needs of the children. Staff use effective strategies to keep children safe.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that fire drills and tests take place. One child did not take part in a fire drill until several days after they moved into the home. This delay meant that the staff and manager did not know how the child would respond in the event of the alarms sounding.

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

Staff help children to stay safe online. The staff show curiosity when children access inappropriate material. This curiosity helps them to understand what has happened and why and to implement extra safety measures without incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024 and worked as the home’s deputy manager before then. The manager is suitably experienced and working towards the level 5 diploma. The manager is supported by a responsible individual who is involved in the home and has good relationships with children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision, which they say is effective. Supervision is of good quality and allows them the space to talk about their work as well as difficulties outside the home. One staff member said, ‘It’s so nice to just to be able to sit there and be listened to. It’s really helped me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended by staff. The content of the meetings is good, with clear agendas. The manager provides opportunities for the staff to experience fun team building activities, which brings them closer as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have appropriate and regular training. The manager has recently ensured all staff have had training in the provider’s chosen model of care. This means the staff learn skills to work in a way that is well understood and supported by research and theory.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and reviewing of documents is of a good standard. The management team pays close attention to the way records are written. They are mindful of how children may want to access information in the future. As a result, they have developed new ways to capture children’s stories to help the children understand their experiences after they have left the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2672782 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff support children to stay safe and that the home is an environment which supports this. In particular, ensure that children are made aware as soon as possible after they move in of how to respond in the event of a fire. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)

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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: 2672782 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 117 Kingfisher Close, Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea SS3 9YB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kirandeep Jamwal

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2672782 7 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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