Children's Home run by The Prospering Place LTD in Surrey

Inspection report for children’s home: 2789231 1 Registered provider: The Prospering Place Ltd

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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 is owned and run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. One child had recently moved out.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024. This is the first inspection of 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 requires improvement to be 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: 2789231 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are being looked after by staff who provide good-quality care and are committed to them. Interactions between children and staff are warm and nurturing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support children to understand their feelings and behaviours. They help them to explore strategies for managing these and seek advice from external professionals when needed. One child is now naming their feelings and feeling more confident in talking to staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to and value children’s views. Weekly meetings occur with children where they are involved in planning their meals and activities. Regular planned conversations with children are reflective and give children the opportunity to talk about the things that are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a strong emphasis from staff on enhancing the children’s understanding and respect for differences. Children are cared for by a diverse staff team whose members encourage children to think positively about difference. The staff’s inclusive approach and effectiveness in promoting diversity and equality result in children being open and accepting of others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to explore their interests and are encouraged to try new opportunities and leisure activities. Staff are creative in finding alternative ways to get children’s interest when they are reluctant to engage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Neither of the children are in formal education. There has been a significant delay in finding the right school for the children, particularly as they joined the home in the school summer holidays. However, managers have raised their concerns and appropriately challenged relevant professionals to promote their return to formal education. In the interim period, the manager has ensured there are plans and guidance for staff to support the children in accessing structured education and learning with staff in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a comfortable, safe and well-equipped home. Clear plans are in place to address those areas which require repairs.

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

The manager and staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe. Comprehensive risk plans linked to children’s known risks support the staff in managing the children’s times of difficulty. When concerns arise, staff take appropriate action to ensure children get the support that they need to stay safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2789231 3 The staff genuinely enjoy caring for the children and being able to influence positive change for them. They speak positively about the children and are skilled at developing relationships with them. They help the children better understand and manage risks such as alcohol and drug misuse, as well as self-harm. One child has shown significant improvement in their personal safety as a result.

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

Staff respond effectively when children go missing and follow agreed protocols. When children return home, they are sensitively supported by staff. The manager ensures that independent return home interviews are completed in line with statutory guidance. The staff continue to support the children who are at high risk of going missing and celebrate small steps in their progress.

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

The staff work in a trauma-informed way. They understand that children’s experiences inform how they react to situations and how they use behaviour as a means of communication. Staff use de-escalation techniques effectively, which minimises the need for physical intervention. Staff recognise and praise positive behaviour. As a result, children’s behaviour is managed in a calm, consistent and supportive way.

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

Children and staff have access to a therapist. The therapist spends time developing relationships with the children in the home to encourage them to feel safe in the therapy space. This has enabled one child to start weekly sessions. Staff meet with the therapist to reflect on children’s behaviours and how they can best support the children.

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

The manager ensures that recruitment processes are managed efficiently. An effective system is in place to ensure that all necessary checks are carried out and recorded. This helps to ensure that the adults working in the home are suitable.

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

The registered manager, on occasion, has not taken quick and appropriate action to escalate safeguarding concerns to the local authority safeguarding team or notified Ofsted. Consequently, partner professionals have not been able to take any actions that they might have.

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good

The registered manager does not maintain effective oversight of children’s records. This has led to ineffective monitoring that has resulted in statutory records and other vital information not being held on the children’s files. Information management is ineffective and it is not easy to locate important information that staff need to know about the children.

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good

Since the home opened in June 2024, three children have moved into the home. The matching of children with each other and with staff skills has not always been effective; nor has the placement planning process. In one instance, the manager did not ensure that all potential risks for all children were known and that plans to mitigate these risks Inspection report for children’s home: 2789231 4 Staff receive a comprehensive induction, which includes training specific to the needs of the children in the home. Staff speak confidently about the training they receive and how they put their learning into practice. There are good processes in place for recording and monitoring the training that staff, including agency staff, undertake.

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good

The registered manager is due to leave the home. However, clear contingency arrangements for the change in manager include a handover period. The responsible individual understands the home’s strengths and areas for development and she is committed to supporting the children and staff. were in place before the child moved in. This undermined the ability of the child to settle and for staff to meet their needs. As a result, the child moved on in an unplanned way and other children were disrupted.

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good

The staff are positive about the support from the senior leaders and how they work together as a team. However, some staff have not received any individual supervision. This is a missed opportunity for the manager to understand staff performance, as well as for staff to reflect on their practice and promote their development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2789231 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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; and

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that all relevant safeguarding matters are referred to the appropriate professionals. They should ensure that they have sufficient oversight of all work completed. They should ensure that work is evaluated to establish patterns and trends, and identify areas of learning in order to make continuous improvements. 21 October

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that each child’s records are completed and maintained. 21 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2789231 6 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 21 October

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Recommendation

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: 2789231 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Prospering Place Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 401, Coventry Chambers, 1–3 Coventry Road, Ilford, London IG1 4QR

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Inspector

Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2789231 8 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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