Children's home run by Eliali MPC

Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 1 Registered provider: Eliali MPC Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. Two of the children spoke to the inspectors.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

An acting manager has been in post since July 2024 and has not yet submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. The children have settled well and developed positive relationships with the staff. Staff respond to children with kindness and compassion. In response, children listen to staff and accept their guidance.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s cultural and religious identities and their languages are supported. The diverse staff team reflects the children’s religious and cultural backgrounds. This helps children to feel positive about themselves.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s educational needs are supported well by the staff. When children have not been in school, home tuition has been sought and staff help children with their work. Staff work with external professionals to plan children’s transition back into education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Strong advocacy from staff enables children’s wishes to be heard. Staff identified that an outreach worker was a significant person in a child’s life, and someone they trust. Through consultation with the outreach worker and child’s social worker, the outreach worker is able to continue working with the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is supported to maintain positive relationships with their family. The quality of the time that they spend together has improved. As a result, their family relationships have improved.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from staff who are active and playful. The staff’s approach inspires them to engage in activities such as boxing, trampolining, swimming, going to arcades and gaming. Children learn life skills such as cooking and doing household chores, according to their age. One child grew strawberries in the garden.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have had very traumatic early life experiences. A referral to mental health services has been made for the child. However, there is not enough urgency to this, and the delay in receiving specialist help is detrimental to the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who know them well. There are plans for staff to be trained in the model of parenting used. The staff have a basic knowledge of this and engage with children as best they can.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home requires redecoration and repairs in several areas, inside and out. The home is not providing a well-kept or homely environment that children can feel proud of. Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 4

p.3

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

High staff ratios and close supervision of children provide the level of attention and support that they need. Staff have positive relationships with children. They use these to encourage the children to make positive choices. Generally, children’s risks have reduced.

p.4

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

Staff help children to understand complex and important matters to prevent them from contravening their bail conditions and to understand the constraints of the law.

p.4

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

At the start of the inspection, one child was missing from the home. They were found and collected. The child has had six overnight missing-from-home episodes in three months. Staff understand the missing-from-home protocol well. When the child leaves the house, staff follow and encourage the child to come back. Staff liaise with police and other agencies to share information and try to intercept the child before they travel. Staff are relentless in trying to get the child to return. Numerous phone calls are made to friends and family to ascertain the child’s whereabouts. Staff go to known addresses in other local cities, in the middle of the night, to look for the child. This approach demonstrates the commitment of staff to ensure that the child is safe.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers do not demonstrate enough professional curiosity about the reasons why a child is going missing. There are no obvious indications of child criminal exploitation, however, there are pieces of information that together suggest a potential risk. Emerging information about a child’s location is not shared with external professionals in a timely way. These pieces of information have not been risk assessed, meaning that the overall picture is not understood. This means that potential interventions, such as those from criminal exploitation specialists, are not taking place.

p.4

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

All children have safe access to mobile phones or the internet. Children’s phones are regularly checked by staff. Staff have provided a child at risk of going missing with a mobile phone so that they can be contacted when they are away from the home. The phone identifies the child’s location. The children have appropriate access to mobile devices that support their safety.

p.4

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

Behaviour management plans are thorough. When necessary, these plans consider neurodiversity and how staff should help children. This means that staff have tailored guidance to support children when they need this.

p.4

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

One child set fire to a sock on their windowsill. Staff managed the situation well. The fire brigade has been contacted to educate the child on the dangers of fire-setting. The incident has been referenced in the child’s behaviour management plan and their social worker has been informed. Despite all this work, managers have not identified this emerging risk as needing a full risk assessment. Therefore, there is no strategy to prevent this from happening again.

p.4

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

One child made an allegation about a member of staff. This has been recorded in the child’s behaviour management plan. Strategies to keep staff and the child safe have Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 5 been discussed in a team meeting to make all staff aware. However, an incident report has not been written and the context of the child’s comment is unclear. The child’s social worker has been informed, however, the local authority designated officer has not been consulted. This means a full multi-agency approach to an allegation has not been taken.

p.4

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

Managers have not ensured full references have been received for new staff. Managers have not explored the reasons for staff ending previous employment. This means that managers cannot fully satisfy themselves that adults are safe to work with children at the home.

p.5

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

The location risk assessment includes information about the benefits of the local area and crime statistics. However, there is no evidence that the police or local authority have been consulted. The document has not been updated to acknowledge the risks of the children who are living at the home. This is especially important given the cultural needs of the children and recent race-related events.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager resigned in July 2024. A new manager has been appointed. She has previous experience of managing a children’s home. She is committed to providing nurturing care for children. Managers and leaders are eager to learn, and recognise that improvements are needed in the running of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home’s statement of purpose states that staff use a therapeutic model to work with children. Staff have not yet had training in this model. Some staff have an understanding of the model, however, it is not being used by all staff. The staff are not providing the service described in the statement of purpose, which is misleading for local authorities .

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some staff have not had training in neurodiversity or working with refugee children. This means that staff do not yet have the knowledge to meet the needs of children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has a clear understanding of the home. However, evidence of her monitoring is not always in place. Some key-worker sessions do not have the manager’s oversight. The key-worker records of conversations staff have with children are written in a way that lacks empathy, understanding and curiosity. This has not been identified by the manager and therefore not raised with staff involved, to help them develop their skills.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

One child lived at the home for less than a week. The placement broke down quickly as staff were unable to manage the child’s behaviour. There has been no learning review of this period for staff. This is a missed opportunity to consider what information the staff need to prevent future placement breakdowns.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly. However, neither of these forums discuss the children and their needs in enough depth. They fail to provide reflective spaces for staff to discuss incidents that they have been involved in. This means that staff are not being given the opportunity to improve their practice. Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 6 Feedback from external professionals is positive. The social worker for two of the children said, ‘I believe there has been progress.’ In reference to another child, another social worker said, ‘They are the happiest that they have been in a long time.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 7

p.5

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

staff understand and recognise emerging risks and risk assess these effectively;

p.7

Requirement Due date

staff use professional curiosity, gather information and risk assess child criminal exploitation. 30 September 2024

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 30 September 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 8 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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.8

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

p.8

Requirement Due date

the approach offered reflects the home’s statement of purpose;

p.8

Requirement Due date

staff have adequate training to equip them with the skills to use the therapeutic model described;

p.8

Requirement Due date

staff receive training in neurodiversity and working with refugee children;

p.8

Requirement Due date

children are referred for therapy with pace and urgency;

p.8

Requirement Due date

documents are signed, dated and evidence good managerial oversight;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the manager identifies staff practice issues and deals with these appropriately;

p.8

Requirement Due date

supervision sessions and team meetings provide an opportunity for staff to improve their practice;

p.8

Requirement Due date

provide a learning review to identify opportunities to improve staff resilience and prevent future placement breakdowns.

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s living spaces are welcoming and stimulating for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraphs 3.8 and 3.9) Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 9  The registered person should ensure that appropriate checks and references are carried out for all new staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that the police and local authority are consulted about any risks related to the home’s location. The location risk assessment should also take account of any current societal and environmental issues that may have a direct impact on staff and children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

p.8

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: 2675423 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tax Assist Accountants, 476 St Albans Road, Watford WD24 6QU

p.10

Inspectors

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Nurnahar Bhuniya, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 11 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.

p.10

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11