Children's Home run by North Star Children’s Homes Ltd in Surrey

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2788764 1 Registered provider: North Star Children’s Homes Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in September 2024. It offers care for up to five children aged between eight and 17 years who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is vacant.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 19 November 2024. This visit took place to review the home’s progress since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The child living in the home benefits from good-quality support from caring and dedicated staff. The child has made progress in her social and personal development. She has positive relationships with staff, full of warmth and good humour. Staff are meeting the child’s needs, and the child said that she is happy with the quality of care provided, her access to activities, and the home environment.

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This monitoring visit

A new manager, who is yet to register with Ofsted, is in post at the home. They have made rapid progress in developing positive and trusting relationships with the child and the staff team. This has allowed them to deliver much-needed changes to systems and processes at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has clarified the criteria for referrals in the home’s statement of purpose so that the range of children’s needs is specified. Leaders and managers Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2788764 2 have also enhanced their pre-placement planning protocols. However, the home has not yet tested these systems due to a notice restricting accommodation being in place at the time of the visit.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are now receiving regular and timely supervision from senior staff, which currently exceeds the levels specified in the home’s supervision policy. As a result, staff feel well supported during this period of management change.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have a much better system of probation in place for the manager, which includes a clear induction pathway and regular supervision and oversight from the responsible individual.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager has overhauled the home’s risk management systems to emphasise the child’s voice, and they are more involved in their safety and support plans. Staff have worked with the manager to create much clearer risk assessments with clearly defined safety plans. These records are now written using child-friendly language. Children are encouraged to get involved in the management of their own risks, learning about self-care and safe choices in the process.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has included a section in the home’s statement of purpose that outlines all the current staff team’s skills, qualifications and experiences. This provides a clearer description of the needs of children that can be met by the staff at this home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have used recent weeks to enhance the training offer for staff. A new training provider, who is attached directly to the organisation, received very positive feedback from staff. They said that recent courses, including training in the home’s therapeutic approach and positive behaviour support, were engaging and interesting. Staff say this has enhanced their understanding of supporting children who have experienced trauma in their lives.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager has already taken significant steps to improve their monitoring and oversight of the quality of care. He has enhanced systems and ensured that there is a more consistent approach to how information is recorded and stored. The organisation’s appointment of a team leader who focuses specifically on quality assuring record-keeping has improved the quality of written information and plans.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has made one notification to Ofsted in the period since the last full inspection. He identified weaknesses in the home’s medication systems. As a result, he improved systems regarding medication recording, monitoring and administration practice. All staff have been retrained and there are arrangements to assess their competency to promote safe medication practice.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has implemented tracking systems to help spot patterns and trends which identify concerns about children. Staff can then support children more proactively than reactively. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2788764 3 The requirements raised at the last inspection relating to the admission and induction of children to the home could not be tested at this visit and are carried over to the next full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2788764 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2788764 5

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (2)(a)(i)) 3 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)) 3 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2788764 6 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the reg- istered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with ar- rangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(iii)(c)) 3 March 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they consider the frequency of incidents and judge whether their cumulative effect makes notification appropriate, even if in isolation each event would not warrant this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.11)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2788764 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Star Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Oliver Clive & Co Ltd, 14 David Mews, London W1U 6EQ

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Inspector

Peter Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2788764 8 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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