Children's home run by Canary House Care Limited

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 1 Registered provider: Canary House Care Limited

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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 with learning disabilities. Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager is in post and is yet to apply to register with Ofsted.

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Inspection date: 10 September 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection was carried out to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection in June 2024, one child has moved into the home. They moved out of the home two weeks later. This was because the staff were not able to meet this child’s needs. Three children remain living at the home. Three children were seen and two children were spoken with during this inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have good relationships with the staff, who know the children well.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have been able to spend time with their families over the summer holidays. They have participated in clubs and spent time doing fun activities in the community. The manager invited children’s families, other professionals and other important people in the children’s lives to a summer party. The party included a barbecue and bouncy castle. This helped to broaden children’s positive experiences at the home by including their families.

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Findings from the inspection

Two children are likely to move out of the home later this year in line with their age and independence plans. At the last inspection, the lack of detail in these plans was highlighted as a recommendation. Due to the time frame between inspections, the progress could not be tracked effectively because children’s moves have not yet happened. The recommendation is therefore restated.

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Findings from the inspection

Despite some positive arrangements for one child to move into the home, leaders and managers failed to be sufficiently professionally curious about this child’s needs and did not collect all the relevant information about the child before deciding if the child should move in. This resulted in the child moving out very quickly.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager had not sufficiently identified how staff could meet the child’s needs. Leaders did identify additional staffing ratios for this child; however, staff did not provide consistently skilled responses. As a result of this, on two occasions, incidents occurred with the child. Staff were not able to meet this child’s needs in an individualised way to help them understand their feelings and experiences. Leaders and managers have considered learning outcomes from this event.

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Findings from the inspection

The inspector was aware during this inspection that concerns about staff practice were under internal investigation by an independent person. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the home in response to the incident were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 3 Since the last inspection, the manager has ensured that notifiable events have been referred to Ofsted and relevant professionals in a timely way. However, the detail in incident logs is not always clear, such as which staff were involved with the children and when. This does not help the manager to have effective oversight of incidents and to monitor these over time.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of the last inspection, the registered manager was leaving their position. The deputy manager was appointed as the manager and has since been acting in this role. A new deputy manager has been recruited and started working at the home the week before this inspection. The manager is yet to apply to register with Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, three staff have left the home and four new staff have been recruited. Staff said that team morale has improved and previous issues with negative staff team dynamics are no longer evident due to changes of staff. Issues raised by staff are still being investigated internally. However, staff said that they are confident in the support provided by the new manager. Staff did not share any concerns about children’s safety or well-being.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager ensured that staff had additional face-to-face training, such as training on autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This helps staff to better understand the individual needs of children. The manager has improved the monitoring of staff training and identified gaps in staff practice.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager has identified areas for improvement. She has an action plan to continue to make these improvements, such as to the garden area to enable children to make better use of it.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, the responsible individual took steps to address the frequency of unannounced visits by the independent person. An unannounced visit has taken place and children were spoken with as part of that visit to their home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff say that they receive regular supervision. However, the recording and monitoring of supervision sessions for some staff, including the manager, are not complete. This does not help the manager or staff to reflect on their professional development needs. Therefore, the requirement on management oversight is restated.

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Findings from the inspection

Until the last inspection, agency staff were frequently used. Since then, only two agency staff have been used, infrequently. Children are benefiting from more consistent care from staff who know them well.

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Findings from the inspection

Full recruitment checks, including employment history for agency staff, are not evidenced as explored. This does not help leaders and managers to assure themselves that all necessary checks have been completed for all staff. This requirement is restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 4 Two out of four requirements and three out of four recommendations from the last inspection are met. Two further requirements have been raised, and one further recommendation. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/06/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 23/05/2023 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 6

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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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)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff turnover is monitored and reviewed to understand and, when possible, address any negative trends;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that when supervision sessions are held with staff, a written record of this meeting is shared with them. 31 October 2024

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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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that careful consideration is given to children’s full information before they move into the home and how they move out of the home. 10 October 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 7 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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have the skills to respond to the different needs of children living at the home so that children receive consistent, kind and caring responses. 10 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that recruitment records for agency staff include assurances that full employment history and any gaps in employment have been obtained. 31 October 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 8 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, ensure that recording of incidents is clear and detailed about what actions staff take to support children and when. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children are fully prepared to move into adult care. In particular, children’s progress in their wider independence should be systematically monitored. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Canary House Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 36 Glebe Road, London N3 2AX

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Inspector

Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2718127 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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