Children's home run by Heartwood RSL Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2528264 1 Registered provider: Heartwood RSL Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in August 2019. There has been no registered manager since 13 January 2023. A new manager has been in post since September 2023 and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of this 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

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: 2528264 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/06/2022 Full Good 23/06/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2528264 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress from their individual starting points. One child has made significant progress since the last inspection and is now attending a mainstream school. Another child attended an alternative educational provision until a mainstream school place was secured for them. The manager advocates for children to receive education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their families. Staff assist children to meet their families in the community, and sometimes far from the home. The manager also encourages parents to celebrate children’s birthdays with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and met consistently. The manager strongly advocates for children to access appropriate services to promote their emotional health and well-being. Staff support children to attend and engage with their healthcare appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Significant changes have been made to ensure that children can access a range of activities. The manager promotes a fun atmosphere in the home and encourages staff to play games with children. Staff support children to enjoy fun activities in the community, such as going on a beach holiday, swimming and visiting an aquarium.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed positive relationships with the manager and deputy manager, who understand their behaviours and emotional needs well. However, while some staff are developing a rapport with children, other staff find it difficult to build positive relationships with children and have struggled with behaviour management.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s risks and needs. They carry out key-work sessions to address areas of concern. Children’s risk assessments include clear strategies to mitigate risks and there are specific actions for staff to follow. The risk assessments are regularly reviewed and the manager works closely with children’s professional networks to address concerns when risks persist. This ensures that appropriate actions are taken to safeguard children.

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

Staff take prompt and appropriate action when children go missing from the home. They inform appropriate safeguarding agencies and maintain communication with parents. They make efforts to contact children to locate them and encourage their safe return home. The manager oversees episodes of children going missing effectively and requests strategy meetings to address associated risks. Key-work sessions take place with children to address these concerns and children are provided with mentors and given positive activities to reduce the risk of them going missing. Inspection report for children's home: 2528264 4 Incidents in the home are reducing. For one child, incidents have significantly reduced since the last inspection and they are making progress in all areas. The behaviour management plans provide clear guidance and direction for staff. However, some incidents involving another child have not been managed well. This has resulted in

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

multiple police callouts to de-escalate situations. The manager acknowledges the shortfalls in practice and is supporting staff to improve their knowledge and skills through appropriate training and supervision.

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

The location risk assessment for the home is outdated and lacks recent consultation with safeguarding partners. This oversight hinders the ability of leaders, managers and staff to respond effectively to risks associated with the location of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management of the home have significantly improved since the last full inspection. The new manager is supported by an effective deputy manager. They understand the home’s strengths and weaknesses and are taking effective action to improve staff practice to support good outcomes for children. The responsible individual closely supports the manager, to ensure that children receive good care and the service continues to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place on a regular basis to support staff and provide constructive challenge. This fosters an environment where good practice can thrive. The managers engage staff in role-playing exercises to help staff develop their childcare skills, improving both staff capabilities and the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are recognised for their good work. Staff morale has notably improved since the last inspection, with staff feeling better supported through regular monthly supervisions and training opportunities. They say the specific models of practice that have been introduced have been particularly beneficial and enhance their ability to relate to children to improve their practice. Staff also demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions. However, the quality of supervision varies. Supervision includes discussions about staff skills, training and development, however, the records do not effectively capture crucial information about the safeguarding and progress of children. Despite this, the manager maintains good oversight of staff practice and identifies actions to improve staff’s child-related practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works closely with children’s professional networks and families and strongly advocates for children to receive high-quality care and support. This has resulted in children engaging with mentors and services that help them to work through personal experiences and the impact of trauma. The managers also raise concerns for children when their risks remain high, to agree safety plans with the network, which further helps safeguard children. Inspection report for children's home: 2528264 5 Feedback from external professionals is positive. One social worker commended the manager and staff, saying that they worked very closely with the local authority and child’s parent before the child moved into the home, which supported a successful transition. Inspection report for children's home: 2528264 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 review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account, the views of each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 17 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff reflect during supervisions on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care and that the records of supervision are clear for staff to use. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that the behaviour management strategy is understood and always applied by staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.33)

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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: 2528264 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 416 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 9JX

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Inspector

Amena Begum, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2528264 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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