Children's Home run by Ownlife Residential Limited in Lewisham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025664 1 SC025664 Registered provider: Ownlife Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in June 2001. The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC025664 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/10/2021 Full Good 12/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC025664 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children settle quickly at this home and make steady progress considering their starting points. Children have warm relationships and lively conversations with the staff. Consequently, children enjoy living in the home and using the facilities, including playing in the garden, jumping on the trampoline, and using a boxing bag.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to all relevant health professionals. Children’s plans and records are detailed and include their relevant healthcare needs. Staff help children to attend all their routine health appointments, and work closely with health professionals to ensure that children receive appropriate care and support. Staff consider children’s views in relation to their health; staff manage children’s medication and seek medical advice if children raise concerns about their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a strong emphasis on education and encourage the children to learn. Staff have a child-centred approach and encourage children to access educational provisions. One child who has specific educational needs has recently started to receive home tutoring. Two children have been supported to maintain full-time education with good attendance despite recently moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff who are empathetic and understand how to de-escalate situations. This results in children developing the ability to reflect on situations with staff and to consider healthy reactions when they are upset.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain positive and safe relationships with the people who are important to them. Staff support the children to spend quality time with their family and friends, inside and outside of the home. This creates a homely environment for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value and promote the children’s diversity. Children are well supported to explore their identity and develop a positive self-image. The members of the diverse staff team introduce the children to different cultures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they like staff and feel able to talk to them. This means that children more readily engage in key-worker sessions with staff about issues that affect them. Children listen to the guidance that staff offer and are comfortable sharing their views on topics relevant to their care. Children views are listened to, and children know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy about aspects of their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of creating a homely atmosphere for children, and they do this well. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their taste. The home is comfortably furnished and clean. Minor damage to a television and a bathroom panel was swiftly repaired. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025664 4 How well children and young people are helped and protected: good.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s needs and vulnerabilities. Staff work well with external professionals and children to explore risks and to help children learn how to keep themselves safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s risk assessments are reviewed and updated regularly. Children’s views are included as an integral part of their risk assessments. This ensures that children contribute to their own care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff advocate for ongoing health support to promote the children’s well- being. One child had stopped taking their prescribed medication, and staff used informal and formal conversations to help the child understand possible risks. Managers and staff liaised with health and social care professionals to ensure the child’s health was not negatively impacted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take appropriate action when children are missing from home. They stay in contact with the children and update their families; staff work with other professionals to help ensure that protocols are followed. Records of missing-from-home incidents are reviewed, and interviews are completed between staff and children. Staff work collaboratively with families, friends, and key professionals to ensure there is a clear plan of action in place to safeguard children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have undertaken safeguarding training and demonstrate a good understanding of relevant policies and procedures. Furthermore, staff have a good understanding of whistle-blowing procedures and know whom to contact if there is a concern. This increases children’s safety in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers ensure that staff are safely recruited and suitable to work with the children. Managers carry out thorough checks of staff who apply to work at the home. This includes obtaining appropriate references from previous employers and completing criminal record checks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers recognise the strengths of the home and the areas where they need to focus further development. Leaders and managers have clear action plans in place regarding the development of the home and the care offered to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are strong advocates for children and challenge responsible authorities effectively when they do not fulfil their statutory obligations. For example, managers raised concerns regarding the level of social work support and educational provision for a child. This resulted in the responsible authority taking action to provide the appropriate support to the child. A police officer stated, ‘Without her [registered manager] advocating for the young person, I believe this young person would have no access to education and this would have gone on indefinitely.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC025664 5 Staff report that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. Staff benefit from a thorough induction, regular supervision, and appraisals. Supervision sessions are reflective and offer staff support and guidance. Managers and staff consider the needs and progress of children within supervision sessions. The training provided to staff builds

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

their confidence in meeting the children’s specific needs. Team meetings are used for staff to reflect on practice and the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work well with external agencies and professionals. Feedback from professionals is positive, and professionals praise the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers consider the needs of children before they move into the home. However, managers have not always ensured that all relevant records have been received prior to children moving in, and have not followed the admission process reflected within the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds timely debriefs with children and staff following any incidents. This helps children and staff feel cared about and listened to. The manager learns from incidents and makes changes to reduce the risk of further incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025664 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. In particular, all children should be admitted in line with the home’s statement of purpose and have all needs identified recorded in the home care plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home provides a homely, domestic environment. In particular, they should ensure that repairs are made promptly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC025664 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Legion House, 75 Lower Road, Kenley CR8 5NH

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Inspector

Ann Adesoye, Social Care Inspector Natalie Marshall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025664 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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