Children's home run by 5ab Care Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2512898 1 Registered provider: 5ab Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children who may have emotional and social needs. Children may also have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Their views were sought during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2512898 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2024 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Outstanding 23/11/2021 Full Good 02/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: 2512898 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusted relationships with the manager and staff. Children are listened to and helped through difficult times. Their achievements are celebrated. Children spend lots of time with staff and can talk to them about their wishes and feelings. Children enjoy activities such as holidays, swimming, gymnastics and games. As a result, they can relax, have fun and be themselves. One child has particularly grown in confidence and is making very good progress. One of the children moved out of the home to another provision last year, however they encountered some difficulties. They have been warmly welcomed back to the home and have settled back in well. The other child is being supported to readjust to living with another child again. Staff have created individualised care plans which children are consulted about. These help children to have good routines and a varied diet. Children are supported to attend

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

routine health appointments and where specialist support is required, this is provided in a timely way. One child has received regular treatment which has improved some ongoing dental issues. Another child is being well supported with their emotional well- being. One child is attending school and making good progress. They have good support to meet both educational and emotional needs in the school environment. This child is being well prepared for moving onto secondary school this year. Another child has recently moved back to the home and is not yet in education due to some health issues. The manager is working with professionals to ensure that the child has education as soon as possible. The manager ensures that children see people who are important to them, one child has regular sleep overs with friends and family which is important for her sense of identity and self-esteem. Children meet regularly with staff to discuss their experience of the home. Meetings are

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

recorded, however not in a child centred format. This makes it difficult to share the records with children in a meaningful way.

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

The manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Risk management plans are developed for each child. The content of these plans is generally well considered. However, an important element of one child's plan was not well informed based on available information. The plan has been discussed amongst the professional network however there was little evidence of an agreed cohesive approach to keeping the child safe. This has the potential to put the child at increased risk of harm. The manager is currently working with professionals to address this. Inspection report for children's home: 2512898 4 Children talk to the manager and staff about their worries knowing they will be listened to. Children's feelings are considered when making safety plans. The manager tries to incorporate these wherever possible. One child said that the home is a 'safe and secure place to be'. There have been no allegations from children during this inspection period.

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

Staff are confident when setting boundaries to keep children safe. The manager and staff have responded to some difficult incidents where children have become overwhelmed by their feelings. Staff are trained to use physical interventions and use these where appropriate to prevent harm. Children are spoken to following an incident and staff work hard to understand what might be affecting children’s behaviour. This builds trust between the children and staff. Overall, the manager and staff have a diligent approach to their safeguarding responsibilities. Children are supervised online to make sure they can enjoy the online world without the risks of being exploited. Staff respond in a timely way when children are missing from home. They act promptly to find children using information available to them. There are protocols in place for each child to ensure they are returned to the home safely as quickly as possible.

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

Staff are carefully recruited through thorough vetting procedures which prevents children from being cared for by unsuitable adults. One child is at risk of self-injurious behaviour. On one occasion where concerns increased, a room search was not carried out to look for items that could cause harm to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built positive relationships with staff and children. The manager regularly spends time with children which enables him to assess their relationships with the team. He is supported by a deputy manager who is also new into the role. She has made a positive start and is working effectively. Children enjoy spending time with the managers and responsible individual. Staff say they are happy working in the home and enjoy their relationships with children. They feel supported and value the family atmosphere. There are pending staff vacancies which are being addressed to minimise the impact on children. Children are informed in a planned way when staff are leaving so that these difficult transitions can be managed positively. Staff have regular supervision and performance reviews. This provides opportunity to reflect on their work and development as well as getting feedback about their progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

It also provides a strong framework for accountability in their practice. The manager ensures that staff receive varied and regular training which provides them with the skills and knowledge to meet children's needs. The manager has positive relationships with professionals involved with both children. He arranges regular meetings to ensure that children's needs are being met. The Inspection report for children's home: 2512898 5 manager has a good understanding of the plans for children and is beginning to advocate more strongly for them as he grows in confidence in his role. Inspection report for children's home: 2512898 6

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that each child's risk assessments provide well informed strategies to help staff keep children safe. 7 May 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a child's bedroom is searched where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child's or another person's safety or well-being. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 16, paragraph 3.20).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children are consulted on their views about the home's care in children's meetings the records from consultations are available to children in a format that takes into account their cognitive ability. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 22, paragraph 4.11). Inspection report for children's home: 2512898 7

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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: 2512898 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Jones Hunt Ltd, 71 Knowl Piece, Wilbury Way, Hitchin SG4 0TY

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Inspector

Laura Walker, social care inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2512898 9 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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