Children's home run by Holibrook House Limited in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children's home: SC037248 1 SC037248 Registered provider: Holibrook House 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 run home provides care for up to six children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in November 2003 and the manager registered in April 2011.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children 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 outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: SC037248 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2024 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Good 17/11/2021 Full Outstanding 09/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC037248 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a warm welcome when they arrive at this home. Staff understand how challenging moving into the home can be. They endeavour to enable children to feel supported and build relationships with staff and other children at a pace which is comfortable for them. As a result, children quickly settle and feel a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children remain living at the home for long periods and do not wish to move away. The matching process is robust, and this supports children to feel safe and build good relationships with other children in the home. Children who have left the home continue to visit and see staff as members of their family. One child said she ‘loved living at the home’ and that her key worker was her ‘favourite person’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of this home is that most children maintain good school attendance. Staff and managers are enthusiastic about every child. They work closely with the virtual school team to promote positive educational outcomes. Children who find school challenging are supported to attend by receiving incentive rewards. Children enjoy using their rewards to buy things that they have saved up for. One child had not attended school for several years but since moving to the home has attended school on a regular basis. Staff ensure that children who are waiting for a school placement engage in educational activities in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a wide range of activities that help them to develop their social skills and are tailored to their interests. Staff are attuned to the wishes and feelings of the children. Children can participate in one-to-one activities until they feel ready to engage in group activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and emotional needs are met. Children who require more specialist support receive help from the in-house therapist and can receive health assessments and crisis plans expediently. Multi-agency working is effective in ensuring that when children are distressed, they are responded to appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

While children’s overall experiences and progress are positive, more thought needs to be given to improving the home environment. For instance, the walls need repainting and new furniture is needed to replace furniture that has become worn.

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

Children at risk of exploitation are supported effectively. Their risk assessments are regularly updated to ensure that interventions are effective. Staff are trained to meet the needs of the children and to recognise behaviours that may indicate criminal and sexual exploitation. Staff carry out one-to-one discussions with children following incidents of concern. Staff ensure that return home interviews are carried out with children and that all relevant agencies are updated. Children are helped to understand when they may be Inspection report for children's home: SC037248 4 at risk of harm and appropriate action is taken, such as restricting access to social media. As a result, children who were experiencing exploitation online are now safer in the home.

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

Episodes of children going missing from home have significantly reduced. Disruption and distraction techniques have been effective with some children in encouraging them not to go missing. Staff understand the push-and-pull factors impacting children who are missing from home and try to develop routines and activities which support children to make better choices.

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

A strength of this home is supporting children to develop positive behaviours. The restorative approach is highly effective in equipping children with the abilities to express themselves in more positive ways. Behaviour support plans are effective in enabling staff to understand children’s behaviours and the support they need.

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

When incidents occur, staff use de-escalation techniques effectively. Recording of incidents is detailed and debriefs following incidents are reflective and lead to an improvement in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have high expectations of staff. They have developed a culture that consistently sets high aspirations for all the children. This ethos is shared by all staff, who enable children to achieve excellent outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are ambitious, enthusiastic and experienced. They lead the staff by example and ensure that staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers interact with children and staff with kindness and attentiveness. Staff feel supported by the registered manager. One member of staff said, ‘It is like working home from home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a high level of expertise in the team, which provides a consistent care approach for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team has regular meetings to discuss the needs of children, seasonal activities, policy and procedures, and staff dynamics. This promotes clarity and consistency of practice for staff that enables cohesive working to meet the needs of children and ensure that positive outcomes are achieved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is effective management oversight in relation to staff development. Staff receive regular supervision which is thorough and informs practice well. The staff are committed to continuous learning and feel they can progress. Training is effective and appropriate to meet the needs of children living in the home and this contributes to the progress they are making. Inspection report for children's home: SC037248 5 The performance of the home is scrutinised effectively. The registered manager makes effective use of the home’s internal systems to understand the strengths and areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a strong partnership between the home and partner agencies, and the registered manager appropriately challenges other professionals in working together to meet the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager needs to update the statement of purpose and workforce development plan to ensure that details of new staff are included and the qualifications and experience of staff are clearly detailed. Inspection report for children's home: SC037248 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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose is updated to reflect the changes in the staff team. 28 February 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a supportive domestic environment. In particular, that furniture that becomes worn is replaced and walls that are marked are redecorated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 9.3) Inspection report for children's home: SC037248 7

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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: SC037248 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Holibrook House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Jhumat House, 160 London Road, Barking, Essex IG11 8BB

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Inspector

Angela Reid, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC037248 9 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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