Children's Home run by Uwezo Care Services in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 1 Registered provider: Uwezo Care Services

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home. It provides care for up to two children with emotional and social needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home, and they contributed to this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 2

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improvement to be good

The child is cared for by staff who are attuned to their needs. Staff help the child to feel calm when they are upset or angry. Staff understand that the child responds to clear messages and positive affirmations. Strength-based approaches to care help the child to regulate their emotions.

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improvement to be good

The home is well presented, and when damage happens, it is repaired or replaced in a timely way by staff.

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improvement to be good

Electronic surveillance is in use around the exterior of the property. This has not been reviewed. The child’s views have not been sought about this.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to achieve in education. The manager has advocated for the child to attend college, and this has now happened. This is a big achievement because the child has been out of education for several years. This has helped to build the child’s self-esteem and confidence. It has enabled the child to develop friendships and have plans and aspirations for their future. When there have been issues in education, staff have supported the child to repair relationships and build on their achievements.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to enjoy time with family and other important people. The child enjoys doing activities with staff, including exercise, which also supports their emotional and physical health. Staff support the child with developing their independence skills, such as budgeting, shopping and preparing meals.

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improvement to be good

There are gaps in the information held for the child. The manager has not ensured that sufficient information was known about the child and their experiences before they moved in. For example, there is no local authority care plan or placement plan.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not escalated effectively when important meetings have not happened in a timely manner. This impacts on the child being appropriately supported because plans for the child are unclear. This does not align with the home’s statement of purpose.

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improvement to be good

The staff and managers support the child to express their views and participate in discussions about their care. However, the child’s views are not consistently recorded.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good relationship with the child. They can recognise when the child may need additional support to stay safe and manage their emotions. Staff are attuned to the signs when the child may be struggling. Staff have asked the child what they would like Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 3 staff to do when they are feeling overwhelmed. This feedback has been reflected on and embedded into care practice by staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not ensure that physical interventions with the child are recorded in sufficient detail. It is not always evident that the child has been spoken to afterwards, and there is no recorded reflection by staff to understand what led to the situation becoming unsafe.

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improvement to be good

Case recordings for the child do not consistently reflect management oversight. On some occasions, the person speaking to the child after an incident is the person who was involved in the behavioural incident. There are no clear processes in place for independent scrutiny and reflection.

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improvement to be good

There are shortfalls in the recording and management oversight of medication practice. Robust processes are not in place to ensure medication is being administered appropriately or as prescribed. The child’s physical health is generally good, and they are supported to access services that promote their emotional and physical well-being.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not always informed Ofsted of significant incidents involving children in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff speak highly about the support they receive from managers. Managers and staff speak about the child with care and consideration. They are proud of their achievements and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

External professionals are positive about their communication with the manager. They commented on the progress the child has made since moving into the home and the positive risk-taking the home facilitates.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The child’s parent is positive about the child’s progress and values the support being provided by staff and the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not ensured that safer recruitment and vetting procedures have been followed for all staff in the home. Gaps in references mean that the manager is not assured of the suitability of all staff. Familial and personal relationships in the management and staff team have not been risk assessed by the managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Regulation 44 reports do not yet meet requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Overall, there are some improvements that need to be made in the three main areas of judgement for the home, and the effectiveness of leadership and management affects each of these areas. The manager recognises shortfalls and has made some efforts to address these. Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 4

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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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates, in particular, to the registered person ensuring that they have robust systems in place to ensure their oversight leads to improvements in the quality of care children receive. 18 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out— 18 March 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 5 how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 6 (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates, in particular, to the registered person ensuring that restraint records are sufficiently detailed about what physical intervention was used, how, by whom, where and when.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the need for management oversight and processes to be in place for when the manager has been involved in a physical intervention to ensure sufficient scrutiny.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to the requirement for physical interventions with a child to be recorded in a child’s records, which enables them to be identified and reported on, including in Annex A.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates, in particular, to the registered person ensuring that there are robust policies and procedures in place around recording medication coming into the home and being administered to the child, including when this is given to adults outside the home, such as parents and education staff, to administer.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to ensuring that medicine given ‘when required’ is recorded accurately, including when and why it has been administered. 18 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; 18 March 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 7 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the registered person ensuring that Ofsted is notified without delay in respect to any aspects outlined in Regulation 40.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the registered person ensuring they have sufficient information at the time a child moves into the home in order to be able to meet their needs and ensure that any risks are understood.

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Requirement Due date

It also includes the registered person escalating any concerns they have if information is not shared, children’s plans are unclear or the relevant professionals are not in place or engaging with the child or their care. 18 March 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 8 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3) (d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates, in particular, to the registered person carrying out the relevant pre-employment reference checks with previous employers.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to risk assessments being put in place where family members are employed in the home. 18 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— 18 March 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 9 children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b)(5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring the independent visitor’s reports include consultation with children and stakeholders, have clear statements about the safety of children in the home and provide sufficient scrutiny of the records.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any home using CCTV or other monitoring equipment have a written policy describing how this will support the safeguarding and well-being of those living and working in the home in accordance with Regulation 24. The home must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. The use of CCTV is regulated by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Conduct (Home Office 2013). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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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: 2774335 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Uwezo Care Services

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Inspector

Caroline Hose, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2774335 11 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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