The Banyan Tree

Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 1 SC396186 Registered provider: Living Life (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. They were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2021.

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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 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: 23 January 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2024 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Good 02/03/2022 Full Good 30/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned and individualised admissions to the home. Managers and staff use creative methods to provide children with information about the home before they move in. For example, during the recent admission of a child, a video tour of the home was completed, including staff introductions. This helped the child to get to know the home and staff before moving in. Overall, children experience a good level of support and reassurance about what they can expect before moving to the home, to make the move a successful one.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s histories and care experiences are well understood by staff and managers. This information helps staff to get to know the children quickly and provide them with good care. They know children’s hobbies, interests and the things the children dislike. Children are also able to identify staff they can talk to and seek support from, should they need this. As a result, children and staff build positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large and suitably furnished. It provides ample space for children to relax and enjoy their home. There is a large garden that provides plenty of space for outdoor play. Children’s bedrooms are spacious and well-furnished. However, two of the rooms were messy, and one room had a piece of broken furniture. One child said they are helped to tidy their rooms regularly by staff. However, children’s bedrooms are not yet being kept clean and well maintained or having broken furniture repaired or replaced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged and supported to access an educational resource that meets their needs. When mainstream schools are not able to meet children’s needs, the manager is proactive in ensuring that alternative provision is arranged. The manager works hard with education professionals to secure the right provision for the children. Good arrangements are in place for two of the children. One is being supported by a tutor at the home until a school is identified. The other is attending school and has made significant progress following a long period out of education. This is remarkable progress for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good arrangements are in place to help children with their mental health and emotional well-being. Children are supported to access mental health services. Managers and staff receive regular supervision and consultation from a clinical psychologist. As a result, the care and support children receive promote their mental health and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain links with their family and friends. They are also encouraged to join clubs and activities that offer opportunities for fun and socialisation with peers. This ensures that the children maintain strong links with those important to them and are supported to engage in stimulating activities. Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 4

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

Managers and staff know the children well. They understand the children’s risks and vulnerabilities. The manager and staff complete good individual risk assessments to support and safeguard the children. These assessments and plans are regularly reviewed in collaboration with external safeguarding agencies. As a result, children receive a well- coordinated response to protect and safeguard them. Children are supported through focused individual key-work sessions. These are used to develop their understanding of their risks and vulnerabilities. As a result, children are supported to take appropriate risks according to their age and development.

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

Staff support the children to express their wishes and feelings. There are regular house meetings at which children provide their views and opinions. These provide children with opportunities to contribute to decisions about their care, activities and the daily routines of the home. External professionals report that children are successfully encouraged and supported to participate and contribute to reviews of their care plans. This means that the voices of children are heard.

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

Managers and staff have effective links with local authorities, key safeguarding professionals and agencies. Professionals report that there is good communication through regular reports and updates on how the children are being cared for. They also said children are well cared for and safeguarded.

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

Staff support children to understand the impact of their behaviour on others. Staff implement good and consistent behavioural boundaries with the children, which are appropriate for their age and understanding. When children are unable to manage their emotions and behaviour, staff use distraction and de-escalation to prevent situations escalating. As a result, the use of physical intervention is low and is only used as a last resort to keep the children and others safe.

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

Children are supported to maintain positive peer relationships. Managers and staff act swiftly when there are any difficulties in the relationships between the children. These difficulties are discussed, and staff seek to help children resolve any conflict quickly. Staff encourage the children to develop shared interests and activities. Consequently, children develop positive relationships, which helps to prevent problems in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of this inspection, the manager had taken an extended period of planned leave. The home was being led by an acting manager who has applied to become registered with Ofsted. The acting manager is dedicated and ambitious for the children, staff and the overall development of the home. She is a reflective manager who is eager to ensure children’s experiences of living in the home are good and help them to develop and make progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 5 External professionals reported that the manager is proactive and central to professional meetings held about the children. As a result, children receive the help and support they need from other external agencies, are kept safe and are making progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular supervision. This is reflective and helps them to develop their care practice. Additionally, team meetings take place regularly. These help staff to discuss approaches to caring for the children or any issues or concerns they may have. Staff are supported through annual performance and development appraisals. The manager has high expectations of staff and takes swift action when practice falls below expectation. Staff are provided with guidance and where required, additional training and monitoring to ensure their practice meets required standards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are robust systems in place to ensure the safe recruitment of new staff coming to work at the home. There are good systems in place to monitor and review their continued suitability to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff talk very positively about the manager; they said they feel supported and valued. They said they are encouraged by the manager to contribute to the development of the home and take the lead on areas. They said they receive regular training and consultation with the clinical psychologist to support then to meet the individual needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by a committed responsible individual. The responsible individual is equally dedicated to ensuring the needs of children are met and that children are provided with positive experiences. The responsible individual said she is very confident in the manager’s abilities, as she has demonstrated strong adaptability in her change of role and the change of ownership of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 6

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Recommendation

 The registered provider should ensure that necessary routines are established to allow for rooms to be cleaned regularly, particularly children’s bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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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: SC396186 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Living Life (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 212 Ballards Lane, London N3 2LX

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Rebecca Dalton Lucy Campion

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Inspector

Angela Duffus-Palmer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC396186 8 regulates and inspects 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 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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