Children's home run by Solace Care East Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2739006 1 Registered provider: Solace Care East Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in October 2023. The registered manager post has been vacant since December 2023. A new manager has been appointed, and submitted an application to register 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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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

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2739006 2

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improvement to be good

Only one child has lived in the home since it was registered. Shortfalls in the child’s plans and a lack of information about the child’s previous experiences have meant that there has been a delay in effective support being put into place. As a result, the child has made limited progress in terms of settling in, establishing trusting relationships with staff and engaging with external services.

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improvement to be good

Procedures are in place to ensure that a child is registered promptly with health professionals and an education provision. This has happened, but the child has yet to see an optician or dentist or engage in education in a meaningful way. Plans do not set out how a child will be supported to attend appointments or engage with support when they struggle to do so. The home has two in-house therapists, who plan to work with the staff team to strengthen planning and support for the child.

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improvement to be good

The child has been given opportunities to participate in activities in the community, including going on bike rides and taking part in go-karting. They have joined a local gym. They are supported to develop life skills, such as managing their personal care routines. There have been positive key-work sessions carried out with the child, and staff continue to think about how they can improve their relationship with them. There has been some progress in this area, and the child now gets on well with a number of staff in the home. To further improve the relationship with the child, staff engage them in more activities both inside and outside of the home.

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improvement to be good

The plan and arrangements for the child to see their family have not been clear. This has had an impact on the time the child spends at the home. The manager has made efforts to discuss this with the social worker and recognises the need for better, joined- up working and planning. The manager is working hard to rectify this issue and recognises the importance of clear plans, and contingency plans, being in place to avoid uncertainty and inconsistent boundaries for the child.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious and newly decorated. No concerns have been raised about the home environment. Children are encouraged to personalise their own rooms. The child in the placement has chosen their own wallpaper and lighting and has been supported to have their pet in the home. In consultation with the child, the manager and staff team have plans to make the home feel more welcoming and ensure there are activities within the home for the child to enjoy.

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improvement to be good

Information about the child’s behaviour, about risks outside of the home and about effective strategies and routines lack detail. Plans are not routinely updated after Inspection report for children’s home: 2739006 3 incidents. This lack of detail makes it difficult for the management and leadership team to have effective oversight and monitoring of the service and care provided to the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff have been successful in de-escalating situations without the need to use physical intervention or call the police, but the child frequently leaves the home when things become difficult. Staff are committed to working with the child to help them feel more settled. During the inspection, staff were on a two-day training course on behaviour management. The team members have regular discussions about how best to manage behaviour in the home and are reviewing their current strategies.

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improvement to be good

There is a clear missing-from-home protocol in place, and this has management oversight. When the child has been away from the home and staff have known the child’s whereabouts, the response has been variable. On some occasions, they have been proactive about going to see them and encouraging them to return. On other occasions, this has not been the case. A delay in reaching an agreement with the placing local authority about what to do when the child is absent from the home has resulted in confusion for the child and for the staff.

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improvement to be good

The manager is present at the home during the week. At other times, staff have been lone working. Because they are lone working, less-experienced staff are not able to benefit from learning from more-experienced staff. The home’s induction plan sets out expectations regarding training, but the induction process does not ensure that staff have consolidated their online learning.

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improvement to be good

The child knows how to make a complaint. This is set out in the children’s guide, and they have been spoken to about the complaints procedure by staff. Complaints are taken seriously by the manager. The child has been vocal about their views and a number of changes have been made in response to the concerns raised. The fact that the child feels able to express their views is positive.

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improvement to be good

During the recruitment process, leaders and managers undertake the necessary checks to ensure that staff are suitably vetted, but they do not always ensure that these checks are recorded in line with their policy. A new manager is in post and has applied to Ofsted to be the registered manager. The management and leadership team continues to recruit new members of staff.

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

The home has only been operational for a few months. The previous manager was promoted within the organisation in December. The subsequent manager, although experienced, is yet to be enrolled onto the relevant course for their management training.

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

There has also been a change in the responsible individual. The new responsible individual has only been in post for eight weeks. She oversees three homes within the organisation and has met the staff team on one occasion. A new director has Inspection report for children’s home: 2739006 4 been in post since January 2024; Ofsted was not notified of this. The changes in leadership and management have meant that there has not been consistent oversight of care planning in this newly opened home.

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

Several members of the staff team have been recruited recently and recruitment is ongoing. The delay in a stable staff team being in place when the first child came to live at the home has meant the child has not had continuity of care.

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

The first team meeting was held the day before the child was placed. These meetings take place once a month. Recent team meetings ensure there is a focus on the child and on staff’s practice, and the plan is that the in-house therapists will work regularly with the team to ensure that there is an opportunity for reflective practice and team-building.

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

The leadership and management team members understand the home’s strengths and areas that need to be developed. They believe the foundations are now set up to ensure there is effective planning in place not only for the child currently living at the home but for any child who may join in the future.

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

Staff report that they feel supported by the home’s manager. The staff team members recognise the need to work together to ensure that they provide consistent care for the child. This will support the child to build trusting relationships with the staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2739006 5

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission; or

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Requirement Due date

the child requests a review of the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(i)(ii)(iii)) 30 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 30 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2739006 6 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is an organisation—

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Requirement Due date

any change of director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the organisation. (Regulation 49(e)(ii)) 30 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs.

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Requirement Due date

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (1) (2)(a)) 30 May 2024

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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: 2739006 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solace Care East Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2a, 420 Eastern Avenue, Ilford IG2 6NQ

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Inspector

Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2739006 8 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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