Children's home run by Personal Security Service Limited in Enfield

Inspection report children’s home: 1228092 1 Registered provider: Personal Security Service 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 home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. It is run by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2023.

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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 outstanding

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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 children’s home: 1228092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/06/2023 Full Good 16/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/11/2019 Full Good 12/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1228092 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, five children have lived at the home. Two children returned to families. The manager gave notice on one child as they could no longer meet their needs. They worked alongside the local authority until another placement was found. At the inspection, two children were living at the home, and they both took part in the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with children. Children said that they like the staff and can name staff members they get on with particularly well. This has provided children with stability. Children’s social workers provided positive feedback about these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage practical day-to-day routines for children, such as keeping their rooms tidy and bringing their laundry down. Children’s self-care and hygiene are encouraged. Creating consistent routines for children helps them to have predictability. Good routines and self-discipline help children to build independence skills for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to access specialist services. One child is working with an organisation that helps them to consider safe choices in the community. The staff encourage the child to participate in this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have education plans that are tailored to their individual needs. Children have made great progress in their attendance since moving to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are consistently met. The manager and staff are proactive in ensuring that children get the support and medication they require. The looked after children’s nurse spoke very positively of the staff team and how it supports children’s health needs and challenges other professionals when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make complaints, and these are followed up thoroughly. These are recorded, and children always receive a response. Children are encouraged to have advocates, and the manager supports this well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a range of one-to-one conversations with children that help them talk about important topics, such as their emotions. One child’s social worker said she has noticed that the child is more able to reflect since moving to the home. Offering children time and space to take part in these sessions is helping them develop their own thinking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well furnished and very comfortable. There are nice photos of children and activities they have recently done. One door frame is marked to show children’s growth and height. This creates a homely environment. The garden has some Inspection report children’s home: 1228092 4 beautiful shrubs and trees, but one part of it needs some work to make it a more welcoming space. This remains outstanding from the last inspection.

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

Staff regularly update children’s plans. They are individual to each child and offer staff clear direction and strategies to help support children and keep them safe.

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

The manager and staff work very well with the local police. The police gave positive feedback and said that the staff were proactive in building the working relationship. These links with the police help to keep children safe.

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

Children have experienced exploitation, and one child is highly vulnerable. The social worker and the police commented on the excellent progress this child is making. Since moving in, the child’s missing-from-home episodes and worries around exploitation have reduced. Missing-from-home records are comprehensive and give a detailed account of the event. Staff look for children and constantly try to keep in touch. Children are always offered the opportunity to talk to someone independent when they return.

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

On one occasion, a child alleged that another child had hurt them. This was taken very seriously, and the manager acted swiftly to ensure that both children were kept safe. Effective multi-agency working took place, and the manager took appropriate action. The manager received positive feedback from the police and child’s social worker for the actions she took.

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

There have been occasions when staff have had to physically intervene with children. Staff always try to de-escalate situations first, and this is clear from the records. The manager checks in with children and staff. The staff use good reflection about where behaviour has come from.

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

Staff use a reward system to recognise children’s positive behaviour. This is helping to build on positive characteristics or children’s acts of kindness. Children earn reward money for this. They can see that this system is helping to encourage positive behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a dedicated, confident and dynamic manager. She has high expectations for children and is highly motivated to help them succeed. Her oversight throughout the home is meticulous.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager consistently role models a caring and nurturing approach. This approach is replicated by the team. The staff team understands the importance of consistency and boundaries. The children make excellent progress. Inspection report children’s home: 1228092 5 Staff said the manager is ‘amazing’ and ‘supportive’ and that they are ‘able to learn from her’. The manager is highly valued by the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager understands the importance of caring for the staff team so that it can care for the children. She enthusiastically organised a team-building day, and another one is being planned. This thoughtful approach has created a stable and motivated staff team that provides consistent and effective care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is highly organised. She monitors the day-to-day running of the home with efficiency. She has purposeful systems that help her to look at children’s behaviour and progress and inform their care planning. The manager sends a thorough monthly report to each child’s social worker. These are in line with the local authority care plans and show how children are meeting their goals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s reflection on incidents is child-centred and helps the staff to think about children’s behaviour and the underlying cause of it. These reviews are carried out in a timely manner. The manager has a comprehensive pack for each incident that includes the correspondence to other professionals and her evaluation. This helps her to increase her extensive knowledge on children’s lived experiences and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The feedback from a range of professionals is excellent. Professionals highlight the manager’s communication skills and the positive impact she has on the children. These strong relationships help her to ensure that children receive well-planned holistic care that is provided by a range of people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has reflected on her own practice and on areas that have been challenging over the last year. She evaluates these incidents and takes learning from them. She is extremely motivated to learn and develop the home. She strives to achieve the best outcomes for children, helping them to flourish. Inspection report children’s home: 1228092 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the garden is suitably maintained to create a more usable and welcoming space. (‘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 children’s home: 1228092 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Personal Security Service Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Laser Quay, Culpeper Close, Kent ME2 4HU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Frederik Booysen

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Inspector

Mary Costello, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1228092 8 regulates 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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