Children's home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065378 1 SC065378 Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Limited 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 company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023. They are currently working towards attaining the required qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC065378 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2024 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Good 28/07/2021 Full Good 21/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC065378 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All three children living in the home spoke with the inspector. They have good experiences and are making progress across the various aspects of their lives. The children have lived in the home for between one and three years. They have positive relationships with the staff and each other and are settled. No new children have moved into or out of the home since the previous inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is pleasant. The interior and exterior of the home are well maintained. The home is decorated and furnished to a high standard. There is lots of space for the children to engage in activities. One child was seen enjoying a game of football with a member of staff in the garden. The children like their bedrooms, which contain items that are important to them. This helps to give the children a sense of belonging and a home they can be proud of.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support children to engage with their education. Staff work with professionals to ensure that children attend education settings that are right for them. As a result, children are enjoying school and have good attendance. Staff work hard to overcome barriers in education. For example, one child was at risk of losing their education placement during the last academic year. As a result of staff’s support, this has turned around with educational professionals now reporting significant improvements in the child’s engagement and behaviour at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive experiences. They are happy living in the home and have good relationships with the staff. Staff provide children with opportunities to engage in various activities and experiences. The children speak warmly about a holiday they have been on and other activities they have participated in. One child enjoys spending time with their friend and has been able to invite them over to the home. This enables the children to have fun and increase their social confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Progress in building children’s memories and exploring their cultural background is limited. While staff have started to collect memories for the children and tentatively discuss their cultural heritage, these are yet to be put together in a personalised way to help the children fully explore their life story.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with the people who are important to them. Staff prioritise the children’s family relationships. For one child, family time has continued to increase and there is the potential that the child could return home. This has been a positive experience for all involved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop some of the skills needed for living independently. During the inspection, one child was seen confidently cooking a meal that they had budgeted for. They also told inspectors that they regularly catch a bus to school. However, there is a lack of a clear plan and goals in place to ensure that the child Inspection report for children’s home: SC065378 4 develops a wide range of skills. This would ensure that they are well equipped for when they move on from the home.

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

Children feel safe living at the home. Staff have established clear routines and boundaries, and children know what is expected of them. Staff understand children’s needs, and children are at ease in their company. Children are settled. As a result, incidents are minimal. Since the last inspection, children have not gone missing from the home or made allegations or complaints. This helps children to feel settled and supports their positive behaviour.

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

When incidents occur, staff work sensitively with the children to help them reflect and challenge their behaviours. Equally, staff also reflect on their actions to support ongoing learning. In one incident, where there had been extensive damage to the property, the child showed genuine remorse for their behaviour. Staff quickly rectified any damage so that the child was able to move on from the incident. These measures help to minimise the risk of similar incidents from reoccurring.

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

Staff have a good understanding about what they must do if children are at risk of harm. For example, they can describe the processes in place should a child go missing from home. Staff use their knowledge and understanding to minimise the risks to children’s safety. This gives the children confidence that staff will help keep them safe and protected.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour in the home. They use rewards and consequences to help children understand what is expected of them. Children can earn additional money for reaching set goals. Consequences are rarely used. When they are, they are appropriate and proportionate. This helps the children to reflect on their behaviour and learn from it.

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

Safe recruitment processes are in place. Appropriate checks are carried out on new staff before they work at the home. This ensures that children are cared for by suitably vetted staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have clear ambitions for the children. They want children to progress and provide the support needed to help facilitate this. There is mutual respect between the staff team and children. For example, as children have shown maturity in their behaviour, they have been given more freedoms. This shows children that they can be trusted to make positive choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported. They are confident in their ability to meet the children’s needs and have built positive relationships with them. Staff are happy in their work. As a result, there is minimal absence and use of agency staff. Staff have regular opportunities to reflect on their performance and review any learning and development needs. This Inspection report for children’s home: SC065378 5 provides children with the security of a stable and consistent team of staff who know how to care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are heard and, when possible, acted on. Children have frequent opportunities to provide feedback on their care and to identify any activities or requests they might have. There is good engagement from the children in the children’s meetings. The manager maintains oversight of the information provided by children, carefully considers any requests, and provides a response where needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a good uptake of staff training. Staff are provided with a wide range of training that they are expected to complete. All staff are up to date with this. New staff receive a comprehensive induction programme to help prepare them for their role. Following one child’s recent diagnosis, staff have been enrolled to undertake specific training so that they will be better equipped to support the child. This ensures that children are supported by staff who have the knowledge and understanding of their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive about the care and support staff provide for the children. Managers and staff work with the children’s wider professional networks to support them to engage in education. Professionals say that children are making progress and that there is good communication with the staff. One professional particularly praised the manager’s response to a recent incident that occurred in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065378 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff play a key role in helping children to understand who they are and where they come from. Specifically, the registered person should seek to support children to understand their cultural heritage and capture the positive memories that they have built while living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. Specifically, the registered person should ensure that a clear and structured plan is in place to guide staff in supporting children to develop practical life skills. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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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: SC065378 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Castle Homes Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Barton Close, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester LE19 1SJ

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Inspector

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065378 8 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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