Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd 1 Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd Registered provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation provider was registered on 27 September 2023. The service manager registered with Ofsted at the same time.

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provider

The provider can accommodate up to 51 children across nine group-living homes that are not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 13 children aged 16 and 17 were living at the provider’s shared supported accommodation.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection began on 13 January 2025 when we announced the inspection. 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

The leaders and managers make decisions which are in the best interests of children. They advocate for children and work in close partnership with other professionals to ensure that children receive the support that they need to successfully progress to the next stage of their lives.

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Summary of findings

The leaders and managers embrace regulation of the sector and ensure that their service is run in line with the supported accommodation regulations. They have put Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd 2 in place comprehensive systems, policies, procedures, and arrangements to enable staff to consistently provide effective support to children.

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Summary of findings

Children have meaningful and supportive relationships with staff members, which contributes to the children’s increasing feeling of safety. Children make progress in many areas of their lives as staff help them to prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children live in a nurturing environment. The warm welcome they receive from staff helps them to quickly settle into their home. This includes children who are in care for the first time and those who are care experienced and previously lived in places where they were not able to settle. For example, one child lived in four different supported accommodations before moving here and settling with ease.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff’s abilities to form positive relationships with each child contribute to children’s overall positive experiences and engagement with staff. One child said, ‘The staff have helped me a lot. I like talking to them and enjoy going on activities.’ Another said, ‘Staff are lovely, very friendly and nice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The staff appropriately balance promoting children’s independence with providing support to them. One child said, ‘They helped me as much as I need but do not overdo it. Just right,’ and another said, ‘I like it here. I feel safe and supported with things that I need to be supported with.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children receive individualised support that meets their needs. Staff follow a comprehensive independence programme that provides a breadth and structure to the overall offer of personalised support. The support sessions have a flexible focus and are child led.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children make progress in developing life skills, such as budgeting, cooking, healthy living, well-being, and self-care, together with social skills and maintaining healthy relationships. Staff support children to complete their education, gain qualifications and find jobs or volunteering opportunities. Staff celebrate children’s interests and involvement with hobbies, such as boxing, ice-skating and animal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The physical environment is of a good standard. The accommodation is well maintained, safe and comfortable. Children said that they love the houses where they live. Staff encourage children to personalise their bedrooms and to learn how to maintain their own spaces. In partnership with social workers, staff sensitively provide additional support around this to children who find it difficult to organise their immediate environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to move positively towards adulthood with ambition and confidence. One child said the support they receive is a ‘life changer.’ Staff are proud of previous children’s achievements and gave examples of young adults who, having turned 18, continue to make progress and are leading fulfilling and successful lives. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd 3 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd 4

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How well children are helped and protected

The positive relationships between staff and children underpin the sense of safety that children have. All six children spoken to said that they feel safe and know what to do if they were not feeling safe. None of the five social workers who contributed to the inspection had any concerns about how staff safeguard children.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities. They are vigilant to any changes in children’s state of mind or behaviours. One child said, ‘Staff always check on me, ask me how I am and if I need help with anything.’ Staff ensure that the risks to children are identified and shared with the relevant professionals. Children’s support plans make clear what staff need to do to support children to be safer.

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How well children are helped and protected

Clear boundaries and expectations from the staff, together with the meaningful relationships they have with the children, contribute to the children’s positive choices. When a serious event does happen, staff take proportionate action to manage the risk. In follow-up conversations, staff spend time with the children reflecting on what happened and helping them identify how to respond more constructively in the future.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff talk to children about the risks to their safety when they go missing from their home. In line with the local multi-agency protocols, each child has a grab-pack and an individualised step-by-step missing procedure which is based on the assessment of the risks to their safety. The frequency with which children go missing reduces over time.

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How well children are helped and protected

The risk of children being exploited has reduced. Children’s use of illegal substances has reduced, and children distance themselves from the people who had been a negative influence. Children are more aware of their emotions and more open to talk about them in the safe environment that the staff have created.

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How well children are helped and protected

In partnership with other professionals, staff provide sensitive emotional support to children who are at risk of harming themselves. One social worker spoke appreciatively of staff members and said they are ‘laying a foundation’ for the child’s engagement with other professionals. For example, the child has become more open to considering therapy since talking about it with the staff.

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How well children are helped and protected

The procedure for recruiting staff is thorough. Only carefully vetted and suitably trained staff work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leadership and management team includes a broad range of experience and skills. They carefully monitor the service. Since registration, leaders and managers have been focused on tightening up quality assurance processes and demonstrating the consistency of good practice across the whole service. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd 5 The leaders and managers have developed expertise in providing support to children, having provided supported accommodation for many years before the supported accommodation regulations were introduced. The leaders and managers embrace regulation and are committed to providing a service which is run in line with supported accommodation regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leaders and managers make sure that their decisions are always made in the best interests of children. When necessary, they advocate for children with the professional network, for example, to influence appropriate placement decisions. They are committed to getting the next steps right for individual child from the start.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The leaders and managers are clear about the difference between care and support. They make sure that children are admitted to the service after an insightful consideration of individual support needs. The managers follow a robust process for matching support needs with the team’s skills, the needs of others who live at the accommodation and the area in which the premises are located.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Through the writing and dissemination of comprehensive policies, procedures and systems, the leaders and managers enable staff to fulfil the organisation’s statement of purpose. Staff receive induction, training, and support that they need to support children dependably and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff understand the importance of good record-keeping, but some records are not kept up to date. Children’s files contain a wealth of meaningful information, but some do not show that children are actively involved in shaping their plans. The files do show the positive impact that the support given to children has on their progress. The children’s social workers regularly receive monthly progress-monitoring reports about the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

All staff have regular supervision meetings with their line managers. These meetings provide staff with opportunities for reflection on their practice and discussion about their professional development. Staff speak highly of the leaders and managers. One staff member said, ‘It is more than just a workplace. It is a supportive community that fosters growth and well-being.’ Another said, ‘I am proud to be part of an organisation that places such a strong emphasis on quality care and inclusion.’ Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s support plans show that children are actively involved in shaping those plans. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards,’ page 34)  The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently follow the service’s policies and procedures, including those related to record-keeping. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards,’ page 47)

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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: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: 46 The Ridgeway, North Harrow, Harrow HA2 7QN

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Supported accommodation provider details

Nominated individual: Marina Chorbadzhiyska

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: info@inclusivecare.support

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Inspector

Seka Graovac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Inclusive Care Support - Leaving Care Services Ltd 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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