Children's Home run by NET PEX LTD in Redbridge

Inspection report for children's home: 2672490 1 Registered provider: NetPex Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022. At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2672490 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2672490 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move into this home settle quickly. Staff welcome children and understand their needs. Children said that they enjoy living at the home and want to remain there. This is significant, as some of the children have moved home several times, and this demonstrates that they now feel settled. Children move freely through the home and interact playfully with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team is stable and experienced in supporting good outcomes for children. Children respond well to the key-worker sessions that are planned and focused on the needs of children. Staff use planned and informal discussions to address concerns that may impact on the children’s outcomes. Key-worker sessions cover a wide range of topics and include the views of both children and staff. Children engage well in these sessions and they benefit from the discussions.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to achieve their goals, and they celebrate the children’s positive outcomes with rewards. These incentives help the children to steadily progress from their starting points and help build the children’s confidence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children contribute to their own care and behaviour support plans. Children’s meetings take place regularly and staff listen to the children’s requests enthusiastically. This process allows children to share what is important to them and encourages the children to take ownership of their care planning. Great care is taken to capture the views of children who may find it challenging to express themselves.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have enjoyable experiences, including bowling, go-karting and going to theme parks. Staff take the time to discover the interests of children. Children are supported to pursue their talents and interests; one child makes jewellery that they sell and another child plays football. This supports children in developing a strong sense of identity and confidence in their ability to be successful at things they enjoy.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager works in partnership with teachers and the virtual school to ensure that children’s educational needs are met. This has ensured that children who have not had positive experiences of education are now engaging in educational activities. This helps the children to build their confidence in their learning abilities. Staff work in a child-focused manner to support the children’s educational needs. For example, staff will attend school with a child until the child is confident to attend by themselves. This shows children that they are supported through difficult transitions and that their concerns are taken seriously.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are prioritised by staff and they are encouraged to attend all their health appointments. When children choose not to attend, staff support them to understand the importance of addressing their own health needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2672490 4 Staff ensure children spend quality time with friends and family. Staff are sensitive to any challenges children face following family time and are attuned to any need for further support. Children are supported to practise their religious beliefs and encouraged to celebrate their cultural traditions.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment of the home is not always maintained to a standard that demonstrates to children that their preferences and comfort are a priority.

p.4

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

The children’s plans are detailed and comprehensive. The plans contain practical strategies to keep children safe, and staff follow these plans to provide good care to children. Staff are responsive and they place children at the centre of their practice, supporting children to develop the skills needed to keep themselves safe.

p.4

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

Staff are professionally curious and vigilant about children’s new and emerging risks. They are confident in challenging external professionals, to advocate for the children’s well-being. This includes requesting a professionals meeting when it is clear children are at risk and there is a need for a multi-agency safeguarding response. Staff have well- established relationships with partner agencies, which ensures safeguarding issues are addressed in a timely way.

p.4

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

The registered manager supports staff to work in a child-centred manner when they are responding to children in distress. Staff manage incidents well and ensure that relevant records are detailed. Staff and children discuss incidents and management oversight supports staff to improve their responses. Staff are skilled at distracting children and de- escalating behaviours that could be harmful to them and others. Staff ensure children are supported to manage their feelings and respond to frustrations in a positive manner.

p.4

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

The manager thoroughly investigates allegations made by the children and ensures children are told about the outcome. Children said that they know how to make a complaint and that the registered manager responds promptly to their concerns.

p.4

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

The majority of missing-from-home incidents are unauthorised absences, when children have returned home after their curfew time. Staff implement relevant protocols when children are missing from home and ensure that external professionals and parents are informed. There is sometimes a delay in carrying out return home interviews. This is an area for development that the manager is working with staff to improve.

p.4

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

Staff are well trained and confident in responding to safeguarding issues. This is reflected in their practice with children, who know they are safe in the home. However, when room searches are undertaken, records are not routinely kept. This prevents the registered manager from identifying themes in relation to searches and limits their oversight.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment practices require strengthening; in particular, gaps in employment should be fully explored and managers should ensure that the relevant evidence is on Inspection report for children's home: 2672490 5 file. This will ensure that staff are vetted to make sure they are safe to work with children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a workforce development plan that demonstrates how staff are supported, developed and trained to work effectively with children. The staff team contributes to the home’s vision and supports improvements in the care that the children receive. Staff reported that they feel supported by the registered manager and feel they are able to develop professionally.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager supervises staff effectively. Staff receive thorough supervision that supports their training needs and equips them to be more attuned to the children. The progress of children is at the heart of supervision and appraisal targets also focus on how effectively children are supported to achieve positive outcomes.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is comprehensive and in line with the needs of the children. Staff receive a thorough induction and training is regularly updated. This ensures staff have the skills they need and are confident in supporting children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team are enthusiastic about supporting children to achieve good outcomes. Staff are able to talk about the progress of children and know them well. They have high aspirations for children and children know they can request support from staff as needed. Inspection report for children's home: 2672490 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff understand their responsibilities in protecting children from harm. Leaders and managers must also ensure that all room searches are appropriate and that records of searches are kept which are reviewed by the registered manager. 30 July 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2672490 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. This includes ensuring the lounge and overall home is decorated to a good standard, and children’s relaxation spaces reflect their tastes and interests and are appropriately furnished. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained, which safeguards children and minimises risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

p.7

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: 2672490 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Offices rear of 93c Upper Clapton Road, London E5 9BU

p.8

Inspector

Angela Reid, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2672490 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9