Children's Home run by Children To Prosper Limited in Luton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2770937 1 Registered provider: Children to Prosper 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 is owned by a private organisation and provides care for up to four children who have learning disabilities. There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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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

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: 2770937 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has not been previously inspected. Four children have moved in since the home was registered. All children continue to live at the home. All are making progress since moving to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s needs. They have created a safe and comfortable home for the children. Rooms are decorated in neutral colours with a coloured feature wall. The home has a nice sensory room for children to use at their leisure and this was well used by two of the children throughout the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy a range of activities. Staff have taken children to safari parks, the beach, to local parks and a high ropes course. Children are offered many experiences that help them to feel included in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children well with their health needs. Children have made progress with their diets. One child who would only eat certain unhealthy meals now has a varied diet. Staff have clear guidance to help them safely support a child who had a particular medical condition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All four children are registered with a local school. They all have good attendance. Staff communicate with the children when they return, using their methods of communication. They find out about the children’s day, and any worries or concerns they may have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their culture and identity. The children enjoy cultural evenings, where they can try new foods and learn about the cultural heritage of other children in the home. This is carried out through well-devised visual stories for the children. Staff actively support children who wish to explore particular faiths by contacting groups and clubs for them to join.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One parent said: ‘I see [child] every week and [make video phone calls] and they communicate that they are very happy there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Another parent spoke about how staff support their child to use their communication device to communicate with her. They also said that when ‘I see them, their body language is always positive. Their smile and behaviour is always positive too.’

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

Staff help children to feel safe. The manager creates bespoke visual stories to educate the children on dangers in and around the home and community. This helps children to potentially identify warning signs in the community as they become more independent. Inspection report for children’s home: 2770937 3 The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024. She has extensive experience in working with disabled children, holds a relevant level 5 diploma and a master’s degree in understanding autism.

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

The manager has carefully recruited a staff team, the majority of whom have a wealth of experience. She has extremely high expectations of them.

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

The manager has an excellent insight into and understanding of the children’s individual needs. She recognises the barriers that children experience and takes action to help reduce these. Staff manage incidents well. When children are overwhelmed or act out their frustrations, the staff remain calm, make the immediate area safe and show the children empathy and understanding. This allows the children to calm themselves naturally.

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

The manager works closely with external professionals and parents to ensure safe moves for children. Staff and managers have a good understanding of how children can struggle with changes.

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

Children are given tools to help keep themselves safe. One child is taking on more independent tasks, which involves the handling of hot foods and using appliances. The staff make sure communication aids are used to help the child understand how to use the appliances and the dangers of using them incorrectly. This enables the children to take measured risks.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff work diligently to ensure a quick response to locate the child and bring them home safely. The manager has contacted the local police liaison officer and helped them to understand the children’s needs so that the police will be able to respond appropriately if a child goes missing.

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

Children are aware of and respond appropriately to fire drills. When the children first move into the home, staff take them into the garden when the alarm sounds, so they experience the process of an evacuation.

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

Staff use restorative methods to help children understand natural consequences. When children break items in the home, staff first look at what could have triggered the behaviour.

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

Staff are aware of safeguarding processes and safeguard children effectively. However, on one occasion during the inspection keys to areas containing potentially harmful products were left accessible to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report for children’s home: 2770937 4 The manager has ensured that staff have access to the development opportunities that they need. This has particularly enabled staff with less experience to develop their skills and knowledge highly effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff are provided with extensive training. They are all trained in the therapeutic models of care the manager has implemented. This has enabled the staff to understand the children’s needs and communication methods.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has many resources for the staff, including communication books, visual stories and individual boxes. These are used with the children to provide them with additional ways to communicate and express themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works with staff to succession plan. She provides mentoring to help staff to fulfil their potential and develop the capacity to progress within the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have excellent support. They receive regular supervision. In addition, the manager meets the senior staff weekly for small team meetings. The manager has devised her own induction booklet that is tailored to map the staff member’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has ongoing support from her senior team, with regular supervision sessions. The manager ensures that there are resources available to create a lovely home for the children, meeting their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

One parent said of the home: ‘They are very professional, know [the child] well and are able to meet [the child’s] needs. I couldn’t wish for a better one.’ A staff member said: ‘I was scared as I wasn’t experienced. They have guided me, and I am now very confident and they are very supportive.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2770937 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, they should ensure that keys are removed from doors when cleaning children’s bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2770937 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children to Prosper Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Jones Hunt Ltd, 71 Knowl Piece, Wilbury Way, Hitchin SG4 0TY

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2770937 7 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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