Children's home run by Area Camden Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2506101 1 Registered provider: Area Camden Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in March 2019 and is privately run. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2020 and is suitably qualified. At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2506101 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good 16/02/2022 Full Good 05/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2506101 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The atmosphere in the home is warm and joyous. Staff and children choose to socialise together in the kitchen area, and children appear happy and relaxed in the company of staff. After dinner, some children relax by watching videos and singing their favourite songs together, which creates a homely feel. Children and professionals speak positively about the home and the care that staff provide. One professional said that a child has made progress because they feel supported and listened to by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the children’s health and support them to understand their own health needs. Children are registered with all relevant health services and are taken to their respective health appointments. One child has been supported to access specialised services. This has resulted in the child having access to important services that significantly help to reduce potential risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager works alongside education professionals to consider and overcome any barriers to education that the children may face. Staff help the children to prepare for a return to school by promoting education and supporting them to study at home. Children make progress from their starting points, and education and social care professionals acknowledge staff’s efforts in encouraging the children to learn. However, staff do not always update education staff promptly on children’s absences. The manager has considered this feedback and has introduced a system to promote better communication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to raise worries or concerns. Children’s worries are considered, and staff take action to reduce any anxieties the children may have. For example, one child lives far from where they grew up and they said that they did not feel comfortable in the local area. Staff have supported the child to build their confidence. As a result, the child said that they have recently been able to access the local community without staff support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support from staff at a pace that considers their needs. This has resulted in the children continuing to make progress despite challenging circumstances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children contribute to their care planning, make decisions regarding meals and suggest weekly activities. They are encouraged to learn about each other’s cultures and religious beliefs during weekly home meetings. This has created an environment where the children learn informally and develop their people skills. Subsequently, the children said that they get on well with each other, and there have been no reported incidents of bullying.

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

There has been a high level of incidents involving children going missing from the home. When children go missing, staff make efforts to remain in contact with them and follow Inspection report for children’s home: 2506101 4 the appropriate protocols. Staff respond speedily and alert the police, where necessary. This has resulted in one child being found quickly, and they returned to the home without experiencing harm or increased risks.

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

Staff collaborate with professionals in the child’s network to identify and reduce risks. For example, staff support the children to have return home interviews with social workers. The local police coordinator said that staff maintain contact with him and fully comply with police protocols for reporting children who are missing from home.

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

Staff use formal and informal conversations to discuss risks with the children. Children are encouraged to contribute to their own safety planning and staff implement the suggestions that the children make. This helps children to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe.

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

Children have trusting and warm relationships with staff, which helps staff to protect them. For example, a child shared her online content with a member of staff. As a result, the staff member was able to discuss inappropriate online interactions with the child. The child had been reluctant to share information in the past, and this area of progress was pivotal in promoting the child’s safety and understanding of risks.

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

There have been no incidents in which it has been necessary for staff to manage children’s behaviour by using physical intervention techniques.

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

Children benefit from individualised plans and risk assessments that consider their specific needs. Plans are child-centred and consider the children’s experiences. Staff understand the risks posed to the children, and they implement relevant protocols to promote the children’s safety. However, the plans do not always specify the time limit for the completion of actions. While this is not presently impacting on the care provided to the children, it poses a clear potential risk.

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

Leaders and managers have not always ensured that recruitment records relating to temporary staff provide assurance that all necessary checks have been carried out. On occasion, it is unclear whether the reasons why temporary staff have left previous employment with children or vulnerable adults have been explored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have consistently ensured that there is a good standard of care provided to the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are invested in safeguarding children. They attend multi-agency meetings and maintain links with local groups and support services. This ensures that they can work effectively with professionals in the local area to safeguard the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has implemented monitoring processes to review the care that the children receive. For example, the manager commissioned an independent review of their processes and responses to incidents. The independent review was used to identify how Inspection report for children’s home: 2506101 5 practice in the home could be further improved. Another example is the manager’s response to the high level of missing-from-home incidents. Following a review of the incidents, the manager now ensures that a thorough consultation takes place with children during initial meetings. This has resulted in a reduction in missing-from-home incidents, as the manager has increased the likelihood that staff can meet the children’s needs before they move in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a mixture of permanent and agency staff. The manager ensures continuity of care by using the same agency staff in the home. This ensures that the children are not impacted by staffing challenges, and staff can build rapport with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses supervision sessions and team meetings to discuss the care provided to children. The manager reviews the progress that the children make and supports staff to identify how they can better help children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff complete the organisation’s induction programme and receive ongoing training that is relevant to the children’s needs. The manager facilitates training that will equip the staff to promote children’s health and well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: 2506101 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained, as set out in Regulations 31 to 33. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, during the recruitment process, managers should ensure that there has been verbal verification of references from previous employers. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that they build a strong safeguarding culture in the home. In particular, ensure that staff are clear about the time limits for completion of tasks in plans and risk assessments. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.8)

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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: 2506101 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Area Camden Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Monet St. Rose-Johnson

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Inspector

Natalie Marshall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2506101 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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