Children's home run by Champion Children Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2595340 1 Registered provider: Champion Children 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

The home provides care for up to four children who have social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2020. The manager registered in August 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in 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: 2595340 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2023 Full Good 18/05/2022 Full Good 02/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2595340 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop positive and warm relationships with staff at this home. This is evident from the number of children that keep in touch after leaving the home. Staff work well with parents, professionals and the children’s social workers. One social worker reported that, ‘I will have [the home] at the top of my list for any further placements I may need to make for a young person. Overall, a lovely home where I believe many young people will have the opportunity to thrive.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to undertake a range of age-appropriate activities to develop their independence; for example, swimming, shopping, going out with friends and going to the gym.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to make decisions about their lives considering their age and understanding. One child obtained good GCSE grades and has chosen to develop other life skills while taking a gap from education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to relevant health professionals. Children’s plans and records are detailed and include their relevant healthcare needs. Staff help children to attend their routine health appointments and work closely with health professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to learn, and ensure that the children’s educational needs are being met through joint working with the child, educational professionals and the children’s social workers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from staff who care and understand the needs of children from different backgrounds. They balance the child’s wishes and feelings and their actual needs creatively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have good communication skills and use interpreters and translators to actively engage with children in the home who have a variety of emotional needs. They effectively communicate considering the needs of the children and use de-escalation techniques.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The well-being of children is at the centre of practice. Staff think creatively when trying to engage with new children. One child’s family contact was organised with the child, when the child’s father and siblings spent a day at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is welcoming and decorated with photos of children and staff. This gives the impression of a home where children are valued and nurtured. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595340 4

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

Children can identify a trusted adult at the home, and they know who to speak with if they have any concerns. Concerns and allegations from children are taken seriously by the manager. This ensures that the children know that their views are important and valued.

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

Each child has a clear risk assessment and behaviour management plan in place. This helps staff understand how to keep children safe from harm. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed by staff and incidents are well recorded.

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

Staff understand the home’s missing from care protocol and adhere to it when children go missing from home. Staff ensure that all relevant professionals are notified if a child is missing to expedite the children’s return and minimise future risks to children.

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

Staff work with a range of professionals to share information and keep the children safe. This promotes joint planning and, consequently, the children benefit from having well- informed care plans.

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

Managers ensure that safe recruitment practices are in place. This ensures that staff working in the home have been properly vetted.

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

The home benefits from the input of a psychotherapist. Children have established a positive relationship with the therapist, and this intervention aids the children’s emotional well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post for over two years. He is passionate about the well-being and development of the children and staff. Leaders and managers learn from practice and regularly review the journey and experience of children who have lived at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides a good level of support to staff. Staff are positive about the support they receive, and the support allows them to care for children with confidence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a strategy in place to ensure that the home has a consistent and stable staff team that knows the children well. Managers and staff discuss the progress of each child, and staff contribute to the care plans for each child. The location of sister homes has been strategically positioned so that staff are able to support both homes when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with professionals and family members. However, written records of this collaborative working are not fully evidenced. The manager intends to address this gap to improve their oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595340 5 The manager ensures that the recruitment of staff is thorough, and staff are appropriately vetted before they care for children. The manager makes a conscious effort to recruit staff from a variety of backgrounds to reflect the identity needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from the support of an in-house therapist, who explores both their emotional well-being and their experiences of caring for children in the home. This support helps the manager and staff to identify areas for further staff development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595340 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a system in place that allows them to monitor the matters as set out in Regulation 45, at least once every six months; also see regulation 13(2)(h) (the leadership and management standard). The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 2595340 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Champion Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Champion Children (fig Tree) Limited, Moran House Unit 7-8, 449-451 High Road, London NW10 2JJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Matthew Wakeling

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Inspectors

Nurnahar Bhuniya, Social Care Inspector Thobekile Bandama, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2595340 8 and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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