Children's home run by Strides Childcare Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2772134 1 Registered provider: Strides Childcare Services Ltd

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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 which provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted on 8 August 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home. Two children were spoken to.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2772134 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from good, individualised care and support. Staff are proactive and ensure that children continue to learn, develop and thrive. Children develop strong relationships with staff, built on genuine care, empathy and respect. Staff engage in meaningful conversations with children, which supports them to make good progress. For example, some children now have significantly fewer incidents when they are missing from the home. These relationships help children to build confidence and understand their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their individual starting points since living in the home. Staff help children to develop independent living skills, with support tailored to their learning needs and personal journey. Managers and staff are realistic about the challenges children face, while continuing to encourage children to develop. This means that children feel valued and have the confidence to try new things.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a healthy lifestyle. All children are registered with local healthcare professionals and supported to attend routine and specialist appointments as required. Staff ensure that the children have the right healthcare. For example, staff seek alternative support services for children’s specific needs if they feel it is beneficial for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager has high aspirations for children and enthusiastically supports their education. Children who are not attending school are supported with home and one- to-one tuition so that they can continue to learn and make progress. Staff encourage children to engage in education and celebrate their achievements. The registered manager advocated for one child who was out of school for a long period of time to get one-to-one tuition. For other children who have recently moved into the home, staff provide structured learning activities. This maintains consistency and structure for children while a suitable learning provision is found.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a good range of leisure activities, such as going to the cinema, boxing, going to the gym, playing games and baking. This ensures that children are supported to develop their social skills as well as actively engaging them in the local community. For one child, engaging in activities which are of interest to them is helping them to settle in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s weekly meetings provide opportunities for them to influence decisions about their care. For example, they make choices about meals, items they would like in the home and activities they want to do.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of recognising children’s religious, cultural and diversity needs. Care plans are written with consideration of children’s cultural backgrounds and support their choices and preferences. One child converted to a different religion and the Inspection report for children’s home: 2772134 3 registered manager and staff actively helped the child to understand what that is like in practice and provided a safe, secure space for the child to express their views openly and honestly. This has enhanced the child’s understanding of their religion and the importance of inclusion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from seeing their families and other people who are important to them. This is actively encouraged and supported by staff. A strength of this home is how staff successfully support and advocate for children to rebuild relationships with their family and loved ones. As a result, one child has been able to return to their parents’ care. Having healthy family relationships provides children with a foundation of security, fostering emotional growth and resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Strong partnership working with children’s families, social workers and health professionals ensures that the children receive the expert help, care and support that they need. Professionals speak highly about the home. They say that the registered manager and staff care about the children and go above and beyond for them. Additionally, they are strong advocates for children and will challenge professionals to ensure that the children’s needs are met. A local authority placement manager said the registered manager has been a constant source of stability during periods of change and uncertainty in one child’s care journey.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a comfortable, spacious and well-maintained home. Children are central to the decisions that are made about the home. This gives them a sense of pride in where they live. Children like living in the home. One child said that this is one of the best homes they have lived in and feel close to the registered manager, whom they can share their concerns with.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand children’s risks and needs well. The registered manager and staff work hard to ensure that children are safe and supported when serious safeguarding incidents occur. They respond quickly and work closely with the police, placing authorities and health agencies to reduce and manage risks to children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s individual risks are detailed in their risk management plans, and staff understand these extremely well. The registered manager and staff work proactively and collaboratively with other professionals when assessing risk. Children’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed and give clear guidance to staff. This means that children experience consistent responses to behaviours, leading to quicker de-escalation of difficult situations and a longer-term positive impact. This has helped to significantly reduce the number of incidents in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff help children to understand and safely manage their emotions and behaviours. Following any incidents, robust debriefing meetings are held with the child and staff involved. These meetings help to reflect on the incidents and identify any additional support or strategies to reduce the likelihood of future incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2772134 4 Staff respond appropriately if children are missing from the home to bring about their safe return. Relevant agencies are updated when a child is missing and when they return. Good working relationships exist with the local police. Children’s key-work sessions focus on helping them to learn how to keep themselves safe. This includes when the children are out in the community and learning about personal relationships and the dangers of substance misuse.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are passionate about caring for children and know their service well. They share a desire to improve the quality of care going forward and recognise that the home is new. Leaders and managers understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is good. Staff report that they feel well supported and valued by leaders and managers, who are compassionate and caring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are listened to, and their views are highly valued. Leaders and managers take on board children’s views, which have directly led to changes around the home and adaptations to staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers take allegations of harm seriously. They take prompt action when concerns arise by sharing information with safeguarding agencies. Following an allegation, the registered manager informed the local area designated officer, who advised them to carry out an internal investigation. However, there is no formal procedure in place to do this and a full investigation was not completed. The registered manager spoke to the child and staff involved, but it is not clear from the documentation what action was taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Mandatory training is completed by all staff as well as specific training relevant to children’s needs, such as self-harm and substance misuse. This ensures that staff have the knowledge, skills and ability to understand and respond to the children’s complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, effective supervision. Supervision focuses on how well the staff member is helping the children to make progress and provides feedback on their general practice and effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. Staff discuss relevant topics, such as the children’s presenting needs and safeguarding issues, enabling them to respond to specific behaviours and needs as they arise. Inspection report for children’s home: 2772134 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that there are records of internal investigations and the actions taken in response to concerns raised. 7 March 2025

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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: 2772134 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Strides Childcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 39 Woodgrange Avenue, Enfield EN1 1EW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patrick Nnebedum

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Inspector

Sadia Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2772134 7 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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