Children's Home run by Freshstart Care Solutions in Bromley

Inspection report for children's home: 2745168 1 Registered provider: Freshstart Care Solutions

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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 privately owned home cares for two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted on 25 April 2024. The manager is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child 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 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: 2745168 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers planned well for the child’s transition into the new home. They made the admission process inclusive and had discussions with the child about the home and what to expect before they moved in. The child’s thoughts and feelings were listened to and taken into account. This approach helped to prepare the child so that they understood the home’s rules, routines and expectations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to build good relationships with them. The child said they felt cared for and that sometimes they felt the staff cared ‘too much’. Parents also said that staff care for their child well and that their child is happy in the home. The child has personalised their bedroom, and they have photos of the people who are important to them on display.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child stays in touch with their family and friends. The child’s parent said that the staff welcome the family into the home. Staff value the child’s wishes about spending time with important people, and plans are in place to ensure that this happens on a regular basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making good progress. For example, there has been a decrease in missing- from-home incidents. Setting clear rules before the child moved into the home helped the child to understand what was expected. There are also consequences in place if boundaries are not adhered to, and the child understands the reasons for these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff play a vital role in supporting the child’s education. The home promotes a commitment to learning. Staff ensure that the child attends school consistently. This is having a meaningful impact on the child’s life; they are making good progress in education and socialising with other children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Weekly reports show the positive progress the child is making. The child’s views are captured in key-work sessions. The child has participated in activities and said that they enjoy them. Some of the activities have been to develop independence skills, such as cooking. The child’s social worker said that they receive these reports and are kept informed of the child’s progress.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and know their role and responsibilities to keep children safe. Staff acknowledge the importance of reporting any worries or concerns to the relevant people. A recent example of this involved staff notifying leaders and managers about a mistake made by a colleague, which enabled the issue to be addressed and corrected promptly. Inspection report for children's home: 2745168 3 Staff follow the home’s own protocols when the child goes missing from the home. They keep in contact with the child during these times, and conversations take place with the child when they return. This enables staff, family members and the child’s professional network to better understand the child’s vulnerabilities. The child’s social worker confirmed that there have been fewer missing-from-home incidents since the child has lived at the home. Despite this good practice, leaders and managers fail to challenge the

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

child’s placing authority to provide an independent return home interview. This potentially prevents the child from receiving the support that they may need.

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

The child confidently voiced their concerns to leaders and managers during this inspection. Despite differing views, a thoughtful discussion took place and resulted in a sensitive resolution. This demonstrates that the child can raise issues and that leaders and managers respond to their complaints.

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

Professional support is available to the child. A therapist has recently been employed by the provider to work with the child. Leaders and managers are of the view that it will take time to establish trust, but initial meetings have taken place with the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Leaders’ and managers’ oversight is not effective. The quality and accuracy of the child’s records are not consistent. For example, the child’s risk assessments lacked all of the relevant information about the child. Recordings of incident debriefs and outcomes were not available at this inspection. This makes it difficult to understand the learning and improvements that have been made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff and the registered manager do not receive regular supervision. Supervision needs to be regular and effective, as there are shortfalls in identifying gaps in staff’s skills and giving feedback on their performance and areas of development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The induction process for new staff in the home is robust. Staff receive a handbook and resources created by the management team to ensure that staff are given the information needed for their role. Mandatory training is an important part of the induction process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers share passion and commitment to creating a safe and supportive environment for children. The staff team, social worker and parent echoed this. Staff said that they felt supported and that leaders and managers are approachable. Leaders and managers recognise the weaknesses and shortfalls in their systems and have plans to make improvements. Inspection report for children's home: 2745168 4

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they monitor and review the quality of care provided to children and take effective action to address shortfalls in practice. Leaders and managers must ensure that children’s records and risk assessments are accurate to support staff to care for children. 31 October 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report for children's home: 2745168 5  The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with Regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: 2745168 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Freshstart Care Solutions

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Orchard House, 114-118 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon CR0 6BA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Greg Ugorji-Everest

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Dillon Ugorji-Everest

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Inspector

Jo Tarbie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2745168 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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