Estherswift Care

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Estherswift Care 1 Esther Swift Care Registered provider: Esther Swift Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is owned and managed by a private provider. The service can accommodate up to 23 children and young people, in eight shared or group living homes that are limited to accommodating looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of this inspection, this service was providing supported accommodation for 20 children.

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provider

The service manager has been registered with Ofsted since the provider was registered in January 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection began on 20 January 2025 when we announced the inspection. The inspector was on site from 22 to 24 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 in approximately three years.

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Summary of findings

Children enjoy living in their accommodation. Children feel safe and have hopes and aspirations for their future.

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Summary of findings

Children have a voice. They have a choice in their direct worker and are always consulted about the support they receive. Staff listen to the children and help them to achieve their goals.

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Summary of findings

The staff ensure that children’s safety is a priority. Staff are trained to identify risks that could affect children. Where risks to children occur, staff act quickly to help keep children safe. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Estherswift Care 2 Leaders and managers provide children with a quality service that meets their needs. They focus on having an experienced, stable staff team who can provide consistent support to children.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are positive role models. Their approach centres around promoting trust and respect for everyone. Staff follow this vision, and children experience a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children like where they live and describe having positive relationships with staff. One child said, ‘I feel like this is my home.’ Another said, ‘Where I live and the support I am given is excellent. I am happy. When I need anything, it is provided for me, especially healthcare and education.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children in building and maintaining relationships with family members. With help from staff, one child’s relationship with their family has improved so much that they independently make plans to see each other and spend time together. Another child’s grandmother receives a warm welcome from staff when she visits. Maintaining positive relationships with family is important for children to ensure they have a good support system when they move to independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

There is a diverse staff team who value and promote equality and inclusion. Staff respect children’s identities, and support them well with matters relating to ethnicity, culture and gender. Staff are skilled in ensuring children’s individual needs are met, be it with seeking asylum or engaging in activities that support their culture. Staff refer to children by their preferred pronouns, and ensure the homes are safe spaces for children to express themselves. Staff have experience of supporting children who are transitioning. They help the children to build confidence and a sense of security, and this creates an environment where children experience belonging and acceptance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children receive targeted support in many aspects of their lives, including education, personal safety, health and independent living skills. Each child takes part in a life skills assessment which determines the areas their named worker will focus on with them. Although not all children are currently in education, training or employment, staff actively support children to find courses, apprenticeships or work that is line with their interests and skills. One social worker said staff ‘provide excellent support in helping young people find educational and training opportunities’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children access and enjoy a range of social and recreational activities based in their local community. Staff support children to join local gyms and attend their place of worship. One child who is interested in music has a dedicated space in the communal lounge for his equipment, which includes a turntable and speakers. Another child was able to move from one of the provider’s premises to another in an area where they could be closer to family and friends. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Estherswift Care 3 Children are well supported when they move to more independent settings. Staff make every effort to ensure that children have the life skills they need to live independently. The provider currently has two provisions for young people aged over 18. This enables some children currently in the supported accommodation to experience consistency in service as they move on.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children say they feel safe. All children spoken to can identify a trusted adult to speak to about any concerns. Because children have a choice in their direct worker, they have the opportunity to develop a trusting relationship with someone they meet with on a weekly basis. Children also know how to access independent advocacy services to support them in representing their views and ensuring they understand their entitlements.

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How well children are helped and protected

Effective safeguarding practices mean that incidents in the homes are rare. Staff are aware of the risks to individual children and know how to keep children safe. This has a positive effect on the safety of children. Staff receive training on a wide range of specific safeguarding topics, including child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and online safety. Staff know how to manage safeguarding concerns and allegations. They work well and in close partnership with other professionals when incidents do occur. One staff member said, 'The safety of children is paramount.'

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How well children are helped and protected

Training on a range of topics such as reflective listening and mental health has provided staff with insight into children's experiences, resulting in staff supporting children in an effective and compassionate way. One staff member said that the training on mental health ensures staff respond to children with empathy, compassion and understanding at all times.

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How well children are helped and protected

Restraint is not used with children. Risks for children are identified, understood and managed effectively to keep children safe. Since registration, the provider has updated their behaviour management policy to focus on de-escalation techniques, relationship-building and helping children make good decisions for themselves.

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How well children are helped and protected

When children go out, they usually stay in contact with staff and return home at agreed times. When children do go missing, staff follow protocols to ensure children are safe. Staff also speak with children about personal safety and help children to recognise risks so that they can keep themselves safe, both in their homes and in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The nominated individual and registered service manager roles are held by the same person. They bring a wealth of skills and experience to the service. They are a dedicated individual who continually strives to provide children with high-quality support to help them gain the skills needed to live independently. The nominated individual/registered service manager is an effective and inspirational leader who leads the team by example, creating a positive ethos and culture across the service. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Estherswift Care 4 They visit each home on a regular basis, and this ensures they know staff, the children and the service well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff speak highly of the support, compassion and vision of leaders and managers. One staff member said, ‘I'm exceptionally happy doing my job. I have a duty of care to support and guide and ensure they [the children] are prepared for appointments, school and independence.' Staff are proud to work for this provider. Staff retention is high. There are effective systems for staff supervision, appraisals and training. The stability in the organisation contributes to the well-being of children, who experience consistency in the staff supporting them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

External professionals speak highly of the service and highlight many strengths. There is good communication from leaders and managers with professionals and family members, which means children receive a coordinated approach to the support they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the strengths of the service as well as the areas for improvement. Leaders and managers regularly receive feedback from children and social workers. The required quality of support review has not been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The provider agreed with the local authority to extend the offer of support for one child and failed to review the plan for the child in a timely manner, resulting in the child living alone in shared accommodation with two staff present for several months. The temporary increase in support drifted for longer than is appropriate. The arrangement is not within the scope of the supported accommodation regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The nominated individual/registered service manager receives support from an organisation that provides guidance to supported accommodation providers. However, they do not receive supervision from a suitably skilled and experienced professional and so there is no opportunity for them to reflect on their practice. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Estherswift Care 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

keep the child’s support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe;

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Requirement Due date

engage and work with the accommodating authority if the registered person has concerns or if the child’s support needs to be changed, including where that change may mean that the child requires more intensive support. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(c)(f)) 1 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for monitoring and improving the quality of support provided by the supported accommodation undertaking by completing a review (“a quality of support review”) at least once every six months, which must take into account—

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Requirement Due date

the views of children, including any feedback and complaints received;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from individual children on the impact the supported accommodation has had on the child’s life, especially regarding how well prepared the child felt for transition into supported accommodation and how well prepared the child feels for transition out of supported accommodation;

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Requirement Due date

feedback from each child’s accommodating authority, staff and any relevant persons; 1 March 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Estherswift Care 6 any relevant research and developments in relation to the way in which the needs of children are best met.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of support review, the registered person must produce a written report setting out the actions the registered person intends to take as a result of that quality of support review.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the review report to the CIECSS within 28 days beginning with the day on which the report is completed, and make a copy of it available on request to each child’s accommodating authority. (Regulation 32 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d) (2) (3))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the registered service manager, receive supervision of their practice from a suitably skilled and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the young people accommodated in the setting. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 51)

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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: Estherswift Care 7

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Esther Swift Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Unit 4, Hillview Studios, 160 Eltham Hill, London SE9 5EA

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Temitope Fecunda

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Inspector

Julie Cresswell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Estherswift Care 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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