Children's home run by Lavender Grove Cares Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2733827 1 Registered provider: Lavender Grove Cares

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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 four children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024. This is the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was 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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2733827 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently one child living at the home; however, this report also considers the experiences and progress of children who have previously lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children generally make good progress compared to their starting points, particularly in relation to accessing education. The child living at the home said that they enjoy education and learning, and feel they can focus on developing themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is building trusting relationships with staff, which are further strengthened by the community activities that staff undertake with the child. The child says they have been inspired to become a support worker to help other children, because of the positive impact of staff support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respond to children’s health needs and support children to access necessary health services. The in-house therapist is available to support the children, to promote their emotional well-being. The therapist said that children who live at the home feel heard, seen, safe and stable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to share their views and are included in decision-making. For example, children contribute to choosing weekly activities and meal planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is warm, clean and welcoming. The decor and furnishings have been put in place to make children feel settled and well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have sometimes moved out of the home in an unplanned manner and following emergencies. This can be destabilising for the children moving out. However, staff work with external professionals to support the children when they leave.

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

The registered manager is passionate about promoting the welfare of children in her care. She knows the children well and has created clear risk assessments for children. She has advocated on behalf of children to contribute to their care plans.

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

Children do not always have individualised plans when moving into the home. This has impacted on the quality of care provided to children and contributed to some emergency moves. This can create instability for children. Leaders and managers have considered and implemented actions to reduce the number of unplanned moves.

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

Staff have worked hard when facing challenges and are clear on protocols to keep children safe. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly. Staff have made significant efforts to work with social workers to ensure the safety and protection of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2733827 3 There have been a high number of police callouts to the home, although this has reduced in the last two months and things appear to have settled. Staff have learned techniques to de-escalate challenging situations.

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

Restraint is proportionate and only used when necessary to protect children. Any use of restraint is well recorded and overseen by managers.

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

Children can identify a trusted adult at the home. They know who to speak with if they have any concerns. Complaints and allegations from children are taken seriously and followed through appropriately. The manager takes action to ensure that children are safeguarded while investigating allegations against staff.

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

Staff use informal and formal discussions to help children understand the risks posed to them. Discussions are informed by emerging risks and support children to understand and manage risks. This supports children to make safer decisions and choices.

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

Managers ensure that safe recruitment practices are in place, which ensures that staff are appropriately vetted before working with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leader and managers learn from practice and regularly review the experiences of children who have lived at the home. They use this information to share knowledge and develop staff practice. Reflective supervision and team meetings are used to discuss children and their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a clear workforce development plan which includes plans for the staff team to use the in-house therapist. These sessions offer staff the opportunity to consider their practice and how they can better engage with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision. The emotional impact of the work on staff is recognised and managed well by leaders and managers. Consequently, some staff have grown and developed in their confidence to care for and protect children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use the independent visitor’s advice and recommendations to make improvements to the home and their managerial oversight. This has resulted in managers no longer reviewing their own work, ensuring improved accountability and scrutiny.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers do not always have the information needed to make child-centred decisions about the children coming to live at the home. This means that staff do not always have the skills to meet children’s needs at the time they move in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The local area assessment has not been updated to consider risks to children with harmful behaviours or suicidal ideation. This could hinder managerial oversight and pose additional risks to children moving into the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2733827 4

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers to ensure that children have individualised plans at the point of moving into the home. This will ensure staff have the information needed to keep children safe. 30 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— 30 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2733827 5 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers to ensure that staff have the skills and experience to meet the needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers to ensure that they obtain the information needed to make child-centred decisions when children are moving in or out of the home. 30 August 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that risks linked to the location of the home are reviewed and children are effectively safeguarded (see regulations 12(2)(c)). Under Inspection report for children’s home: 2733827 6 regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2733827 7

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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: 2733827 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lavender Grove Cares

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Gothic Cottage, Moreton Road, Ongar CM5 0EZ

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Inspectors

Nurnahar Bhuniya, Social Care Inspector Natalie Marshall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2733827 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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