Children's home run by Safe Support Ventures Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2739888 1 Registered provider: Safe Support Ventures 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 August 2023 and is privately run. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since December 2023. A manager has been appointed and they have applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 30 January 2024

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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: 2739888 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2739888 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good and trusting relationships with staff. Staff know the children well and provide them with consistent and individualised care. Consequently, children make good progress from their starting points in all areas of their development. A child returning from school was happy to tell the manager about their day. This shows that children feel comfortable and settled at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled in the home and feel listened to. Children’s views are sought regularly and are valued. Children are supported to contribute to their care planning and to share their views. For example, children are encouraged to share their views during key-work sessions and children’s meetings. Children choose their meals, activities, and incentives to help them to learn new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the children’s health needs are met and that children have access to a range of professionals to promote their well-being. By working closely with other professionals, staff ensure that the children get the care they need in a timely way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make steady progress in education. Staff help children to develop their confidence in attending school and to overcome any barriers to their learning. Children who had not been in school before moving into the home are now attending. Staff encourage school attendance and support children to get to school on time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with the people who are important to them. Staff understand that spending time with family members is important for the children’s identity and well-being. A social worker said that staff are supportive of family time. Staff take children to visit their family, and they remain with them during this time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Respect for diversity and equality is embedded in all areas of staff practice. Children are supported well to explore their identity, learn about different cultures and develop a positive self-image. Diversity is celebrated at the home. There are photos of the children wearing different cultural outfits and flags displayed on the walls.

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

Children feel safe in the home, and they can approach staff if they have any worries or concerns. Staff are friendly and provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere, which helps to build rapport with the children.

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

Staff understand the provider’s safeguarding policies and processes. They know how to raise concerns and who to contact for immediate advice or support. There are many opportunities for staff to talk about how they will keep children safe. The manager works with other professionals to ensure that risks to children are managed safely. Inspection report for children’s home: 2739888 4 Safeguarding incidents are managed effectively to ensure that children and staff are safeguarded.

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

There are processes to ensure that staff recruitment is carried out in a safe manner. The provider has a good system to ensure that all the necessary checks are carried out before new staff work at the home. This reduces the potential of unsuitable adults being employed at the home. Staff receive a thorough induction, training and support to ensure that they have the right skills to support children safely.

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

The manager and staff are aware of their responsibilities to ensure that they follow effective health and safety processes in the home and when they are out with the children. This ensures that the home is safe for the children, staff and visitors.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The home has not had a registered manager since December 2023. The current manager has applied to register with Ofsted. Despite this, the leadership and management of the home are good. The manager has significant experience and is supported by the responsible individual and deputy managers to oversee the day-to-day management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have developed good relationships with external professionals. Professionals receive regular updates on children’s progress and experiences. This means that staff and professionals can work together to create positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff said that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. Staff say that training and support from the managers are very good. Managers are responsive and encourage staff to have a say in how the home is run. This shows that there is good teamworking and support in place to help develop the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Team meetings support staff to reflect on their practice and consider the needs and progress of children. Staff benefit from regular supervision in addition to clinical supervision provided by a therapist. Clinical supervision sessions are reflective, and staff receive support and guidance on how to help children with specific needs. However, supervision and appraisal records do not show evidence of staff’s views or discussions about their support of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers are strong advocates for children and challenge responsible authorities effectively. For example, leaders and managers communicated concerns to professionals regarding the insufficient level of educational provision for one child. This resulted in the responsible authority taking action to provide the appropriate support to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2739888 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of supervision are kept for staff, including the manager. The records should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b) and include staff’s views and discussions about their support of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised. This appraisal should consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member. Staff should contribute to their appraisal to reflect on their role. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 2739888 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Safe Support Ventures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31 Eresby Place, London NW6 4JT

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Inspectors

Ann Adesoye, Social Care Inspector Thobekile Bandama, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2739888 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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