Habod Care Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Habod Care Ltd 1 Habod Care Ltd Registered provider: Habod Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is operated by a private provider in the southeast of England. They can accommodate up to seven individuals in two shared or group living premises that are not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers. At the time of the inspection, four looked-after children aged 16 or 17 were being accommodated.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates : The inspection was announced on 13 January 2025 and started that day. The inspector was on site from 15 to 17 January 2025.

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Outcome

Consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive experiences and progress for children. Where improvements are needed, leaders and managers take timely and effective action. The next inspection will be within approximately three years.

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Summary of findings

Children enjoy living in their accommodation. Staff are curious about children’s cultural backgrounds and are sensitive to their needs. Diversity is celebrated and children feel respected. This helps staff form positive relationships with children.

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Summary of findings

Most children living at the service are seeking asylum and separated from their families and home countries. Several children who have recently left the service are part of the national transfer scheme. These children are supported by the provider for a few weeks before moving on to other destinations in the UK.

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Summary of findings

The service manager ensures that children are supported to develop independent living skills as a priority. Children are empowered to keep themselves safe and have resources to help them settle into a new home. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Habod Care Ltd 2 Children’s relationships are valued. Staff ensure that all children have a working mobile phone to contact people who are important to them. Staff welcome visitors into the home and have good communication with children’s friends, family and others in their support networks. Children build relationships which they can depend on for support in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children live in clean and comfortable accommodation which is safe and well maintained. Children’s bedrooms are private and individualised to their taste. The accommodation resembles other homes on the street. Children feel part of their neighbourhood and do not experience any stigma around being in supported accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are positively welcomed into the home when they move in. Staff receive all the information they need from the local authority to support the child. Staff speak with children already living in the accommodation to help them to prepare when children move in. This helps children to get along with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff manage disagreements between children by holding meetings to resolve any issues. They support children to express their feelings towards each other, allowing children to learn to compromise and develop tolerance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Step-by-step instructions to learn daily living skills are written in children’s native language. In addition, the service manager has monthly meetings with children to check on their progress and obtain feedback on staff practice. This helps to ensure that children’s support is meeting their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff know that past trauma may impact on children’s emotional well-being and development of new skills. Therefore, children’s achievements are celebrated by staff at every opportunity. This means that children feel valued and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff understand the specific cultural needs of each child. Staff helped one child to find a place of worship of their choice. The child went to visit several before they felt comfortable and made friends. The child also plays football with other children twice a week and is part of this community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children are allocated a key member of staff to plan their support with them. They say that they can speak to staff about any worries they may have. The service manager and staff team are available when children feel ready to talk about their experiences. Staff also complete referrals to charities to seek therapeutic support for children’s mental health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children attend formal education or training regularly. When children are not in education, staff prioritise college applications and find apprenticeship schemes. Staff offer a range of resources to support children with English literacy when they are not in college. Education is valued as key to children’s aspirations and making a valuable contribution to society. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Habod Care Ltd 3 Children who are separated from their families overseas are supported with their immigration claims. The registered person works with the local authorities and Home Office to support the process and ensure that children have legal support. One child is volunteering in the community to support their immigration claim. Children feel optimistic that they will have a stable home in future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The service manager accepts emergency placements. He is positive in his approach to children and tries to support them and meet their needs. However, children do not have access to independent advocacy support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

When a child’s needs become more complex and they need more care than support, the manager will challenge the accommodating authority to find an alternative placement for them.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff understand the specific vulnerabilities of 16- and 17-year-old children who are becoming independent. Staff complete regular safeguarding training and discuss child protection concerns in team meetings. Staff can identify signs of radicalisation, extremism and exploitation.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers complete a regular assessment of the local area for their supported accommodation. This is useful for identifying any concerns in the local community and the resources and amenities available for children to use.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children rarely go missing from their accommodation. When children are not contactable by phone and their whereabouts are not known, there is a clear plan for how staff should respond. Staff communicate with the local authority and the police until the child is located. However, the local authority does not routinely offer independent return interviews when children return. The registered manager does not challenge the local authority on this entitlement for children.

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How well children are helped and protected

Serious incidents of challenging behaviour are rare. Staff are skilled in helping children remain calm and manage their feelings, so staff do not need to use restraint. When one child caused damage to the premises, staff were skilled in helping the child to become calm. Staff teach children about the possible consequences of their behaviour and enlist police to support them, which can prevent them from being criminalised.

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How well children are helped and protected

The service manager has a safer recruitment policy and maintains staff records. This demonstrates due diligence is carried out to recruit staff who can offer safe support to children. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Habod Care Ltd 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager is permanent and is devoted to the service. They are aspirational for children to have positive experiences and to prepare for adult life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Children are supported by a stable staff team. Staff complete an induction plan with their manager when they begin working at the service. Regular performance reviews help staff to develop their practice and consider their needs. Staff regularly offer feedback to the registered service manager which is used for the manager’s development as a leader. Staff feel invested in and valued by the manager and share the manager’s child-centred ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff work well with other agencies involved in children’s plans. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘They are always able to provide really clear and individual updates and have excellent knowledge of their young people. I always get a sense that they are caring.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff ensure that statutory reviews of children’s plans are held at the right time and place for them. This means children are central to decision-making in discussions about their support and can decide on their goals to prepare for independent living and adulthood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager ensures that staff have the skills to support children, and this is discussed at team meetings. Staff complete training which helps them keep children safe and understand their individual needs. As a result, children receive consistently high-quality support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager has good oversight of the service. They are regularly present in the accommodation and are also contactable by phone. Regular audits of children’s plans and feedback from children, staff and agencies help the registered service manager to develop the workforce plan. This helps to maintain high-quality service delivery. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Habod Care Ltd 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to advocacy support to express their wishes and feelings. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 41)  The registered person should ensure that they challenge the accommodating authority to provide independent return interviews. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 55)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Habod Care Ltd 6

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 6 Longsole Way, Maidstone ME16 9FF

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Supported accommodation provider details

Nominated individual: Dickson Habomugisha

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Dickson Habomugisha

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Inspector

Sue Garner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Habod Care Ltd 7 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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