Children's Home run by Solace Care Redbridge Limited in Redbridge

Inspection report for children's home: 2786434 1 Registered provider: Solace Care Redbridge Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 31 July 2024. The registered manager left in December 2024. A new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There were no children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: 2786434 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home opened, one child has lived there. The child made good progress from their starting points. Staff understood the child’s needs well. Care was taken to ensure that the child’s day-to-day routines were consistent and that the child was aware of what would be happening throughout the day. This promoted a sense of stability for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoyed a range of activities such as going to an arcade, go-karting and shopping. The child also participated in activities such as cooking and learning new independence skills. These activities supported the child’s social development and growth, which further improved their confidence. The child’s weekly planner was personalised to their needs and translated into their first language.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs were well understood and consistently met. Staff worked closely with health professionals to ensure that the child received the appropriate support. As a result, the child’s health and well-being improved while living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Records of key-work sessions demonstrate that the child had positive experiences of living at the home and built positive relationships with staff. As a result, the child gained the confidence to express their feelings, which helped them to improve their socialisation skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s wishes and feelings were regularly sought. Staff were creative and used a range of resources to enable the child to express themselves. As the child’s first language was not English, staff used tools to communicate effectively with them to ensure that their wishes and feelings were understood. This helped the child to feel heard and play an active role in their own care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers work proactively and positively with other agencies and professionals. They make efforts to build effective working relationships with social workers to promote positive outcomes for children. Staff understand that quality interactions with social workers will improve their understanding of children’s needs. The child’s social worker gave positive feedback about the quality of care provided and the progress that the child had made during their time at the home. They said that the care provided to the child has made a difference to the child’s life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. The physical environment is well maintained and safe for children. Children’s bedrooms are kept to a very good standard and managers say children will be supported to personalise and decorate their bedrooms. This will help children to feel comfortable in their home. Inspection report for children's home: 2786434 3

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

The child’s care plans and risk assessments guided staff on how to care and support the child to keep them safe. Managers and staff helped the child by understanding their anxieties and gave them reassurance, allowing the child space and time while setting appropriate boundaries. The child spoke to staff when they were worried, and staff helped them to reflect on their experiences of coming into care. As a result, the child made safer choices. The number of incidents was very low and there was no use of restraint.

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

Staff explained the rules and expectations in a firm, caring and non-judgemental manner. They preferred to reflect with the child about their behaviour rather than using consequences. A clear system for rewarding the child’s behaviours was in place and their behaviour was evaluated on a regular basis through observation, key-work sessions and through general conversations.

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

The child’s risk assessments were regularly reviewed and updated. This ensured that staff were up to date with the child’s current risks and needs, which were addressed with them in conversations. This helped the child to reflect on their actions, choices and behaviours.

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

The child received emotional support while living in the home. A therapist helped the child to deal with difficult feelings and being away from their family. As a result, the child was able to settle, and incidents were rare. If there were incidents, staff managed them well through targeted key-work sessions and reflective debriefs. This helped the child to find safer, healthier and more constructive behaviours.

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

Recruitment procedures are not robust. Recruitment checks do not consistently explore staff’s full employment history. Leaders and managers understand that safer recruitment needs to be robust and said they would address these shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are developing a culture of togetherness and continued improvement. The manager is supported by the responsible individual, who is regularly present at the home. The leadership of the home is additionally strengthened by the home’s deputy manager and senior staff, who contribute to the oversight of the home. Managers are passionately committed to improving the quality of care provided to enhance the experiences and progress of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is strong. Staff speak highly of the support that they receive from each other and from leaders and managers. Staff speak with compassion, knowledge and pride of the progress achieved by the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete a thorough induction programme. This includes having training on a wide range of relevant topics. All experienced care staff are appropriately qualified. Staff who Inspection report for children's home: 2786434 4 are new to working in residential care are working towards obtaining the relevant qualification required for their current role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. The staff team discusses relevant topics such as the child’s presenting needs and good practice to meet those needs. Staff also talk about their training, enabling them to respond to specific behaviours and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers did not investigate and document a concern about missing money effectively. They said that they investigated an incident where a child’s money went missing. However, documentation was not available to review the investigation, outcomes and plans to prevent similar incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers had a detailed knowledge and understanding of the child’s needs. They ensured that care and support was tailored to meet their individual needs and considered the child’s experience of trauma. This informed the development of the child- centred plan that helped staff provide effectively structured support that was adapted to the child’s unique way of learning. The child’s care plan was also written from the child’s perspective, which gave it more meaning and brought it to life. Inspection report for children's home: 2786434 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 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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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they investigate and document concerns effectively as required. 18 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they obtain a full employment history for each member of staff. 18 March 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2786434 6

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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: 2786434 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solace Care Redbridge Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2A, 420 Eastern Avenue, Ilford, Essex IG2 6NQ

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Inspectors

Sadia Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Amena Begum, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2786434 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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