Children's Home run by Woodford Children's Services Ltd in Tower Hamlets

Inspection report for children’s home: 2661346 1 Registered provider: Woodford Children’s Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children aged between 11 and 17 who have social and emotional needs. The home is part of a commissioning partnership contract with eight local authorities.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified and experienced registered manager has been in post since June 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: 24 January 2024

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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: 2661346 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/01/2024 Full Good 08/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2661346 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and welcoming environment. Staff are thoughtful, culturally sensitive and nurturing. Children participate in planning meals, cooking and playing games with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build meaningful and warm relationships that enable children to trust their carers so they can talk about their worries and have help to manage their early trauma experiences. Children understand how to make a complaint and have access to advocacy. Their wishes and feelings are central to the ethos of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff write about children sensitively, taking into account that they may wish to read their records in the future. This provides a record of their childhood and the care they receive, adding to their sense of belonging and identity. Children are supported to understand their culture and are offered creative and innovative ways to understand their heritage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a wide range of enrichment activities. Children are supported to access education, and there is a focus on attending school full time. There is a relentless focus on children’s development and providing opportunities for them to excel and achieve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to stay healthy. Children receive support from mentors, are helped to understand the risks of vaping and have access to sexual health advice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful thought is taken when children are moving into and out of the home. The manager plans for children who are new to living in the home, ensuring that they visit before they move in and are welcomed by both the staff and other children.

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

Children feel safe in the home, and this allows them to build trusting relationships with staff members who they get along with well. One child described a staff member they were close to as ‘auntie’.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and what to do when a child needs to be protected. Staff have access to attend regular training that is relevant to the children who are living in the home. However, not all staff are sufficiently informed of the organisation’s whistle-blowing policy.

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

The provision of therapeutic oversight allows children to have bespoke responses so that risks reduce and children are safer. However, it is not always recorded that children who are at considerable risk of mental ill health are afforded the protection of shared safety planning by both the home and the placing local authority. Inspection report for children’s home: 2661346 4 The staff know what to do when a child goes missing from care. Since the last inspection, the manager has shown tenacity in escalating concerns with the police and local authorities so that agreed interventions can be introduced to reduce the risks for children. Multi-agency strategy meetings are held to share information. However, these minutes are not always added to children’s records.

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

When a local authority agreement is in place for children to spend time with their parents and relatives, staff ensure that they stay in touch with the children. However, it is not always clear if children are where they are reported to be. For these children, there are agreed protocols in place with the local authorities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual supports the energetic and responsive registered manager. The leadership team, along with a therapist, works together to understand and respond to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and training. The statement of purpose informs the relationship-based practice. However, there is incorrect information about professional roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Progress has been made since the last inspection. However, further work is needed to ensure that records tell the story of the child’s journey and include the information about the involvement of multi-agency partners and social workers. For example, key-work sessions do not always align with the risks and issues noted in placement plans and risk assessments or strategy meetings. Furthermore, key-work records do not always capture the discussions that help children to stay safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals, parents and children is overwhelmingly positive, emphasising the strength of communication between the registered manager and the networks for individual children. The tenacity of the registered manager in the work with the children and professionals is consistently highlighted by professionals, and this allows children to progress and do well. Inspection report for children’s home: 2661346 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that any care that is arranged or provided for a child that—

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Requirement Due date

relates to the child’s development (within the meaning of section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989) or health; and

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Requirement Due date

is not arranged or provided as part of the health service continued under section 1(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006,

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Requirement Due date

satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

that the care is approved, and kept under review throughout its duration, by the placing authority. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(i)(ii) (3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that mental health concerns are responded to with safety plans that include the local authority as the lead agency with responsibility for the child. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2661346 6 mutual respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that key-work sessions align with the areas noted in placement plans, risk assessments and safety plans.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that this is discussed in key-work sessions. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16 (3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, update information in relation to police contacts. 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2661346 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the policies for the protection of children include information about whistle-blowing, with clear procedures for how a staff member should report to an appropriate authority any concern they have about a child within the home being either at risk of, or already experiencing, significant harm. This should include ensuring that staff are aware of the policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.15)

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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: 2661346 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Woodford Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Abacus House, Forest Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1DX

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Inspectors

Naintara Khosla, Social Care Inspector Monique Lindsay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2661346 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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