Children's Home run by 5ab Care Ltd in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: 2706341 1 Registered provider: 5ab Care Limited 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 four 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 three 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 September 2024.

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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: 2706341 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2706341 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are receiving trauma informed care from a staff team who understand their needs well. Care plans are carefully written and individual to each child. Children are nurtured and accepted for who they are. Two children are very settled and have made excellent progress. They have good routines and attend school with motivation to learn. One child has tutoring support to help them with their GCSEs. Children say they love the home, and the manager is an ‘icon’. One child is less settled. They have good relationships with their carers, but they are currently confused about their overall care plan. The manager is working with the local authority to address this. The child has been out of school for a long time and is not receiving any formal education. The manager is working to overcome the barriers. She has recently made some progress in securing alternative options. In the meantime, the staff provide learning opportunities at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported with their general health. They attend routine appointments. One child has been helped to improve their dental hygiene. Two children have received very good support with their emotional well-being. Staff support them daily with this to ensure their feelings are validated. As a result, children say they feel safe and secure. The staff support children to see their family and friends regularly. One child lives a long way from her family. A member of staff took them to stay with their family at Christmas which the child very much appreciated. This helped them feel less isolated. Children can have friends to stay and take part in activities. Staff ensure that these are safe and enjoyable experiences. Children have opportunities to take part in decision making in the home. They have regular meetings which are recorded but not shared with children. Complaints are responded to in a timely way, however written responses are not shared in full with

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

children. Sharing all written records helps children to understand what has been discussed and offers opportunities to provide their comments. More positively the manager has started to include children in recruitment processes and seeking their feedback online. These initiatives are yet to be embedded.

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

The manager and staff understand the risks posed to and from children well. Risk management plans are well thought out and reviewed regularly. Two children have harmed themselves in response to very difficult feelings. Detailed plans are in place to increase safety. The provider’s psychotherapist provides regular support to the staff to help them care for the children in trauma informed ways. This is gradually helping children to manage their feelings in healthier ways. Staff have helped one child make excellent progress with keeping safe from exploitation. The child no longer goes missing, and they told me that they have made changes which Inspection report for children’s home: 2706341 4 have made them safer. This is a real achievement which has been acknowledged by the police previously involved. Another child who used to leave the home regularly has also been supported to reduce this behaviour successfully. Instead, they spend more time at

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

home talking to staff. Staff are trained to support children when they become overwhelmed by their feelings. They have been required to manage some distressing incidents and have used physical interventions to prevent children from coming to harm. These are recorded well, and children are spoken to afterwards to gather their views and feelings. This helps children to build trust with their carers. Children are kept safe online from exploitation and content relating to self-injurious behaviour. Children allow staff to check their phones and rooms where necessary to ensure children do not come to harm. Two children have raised concerns about staff. These were fully investigated, and the concerns addressed and monitored. There was a delay in responding to one child’s allegation. On this occasion it did not place them at further risk of harm however there was the potential for this to happen. The manager has not informed Ofsted of two concerns arising about children and staff.

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

This minimises opportunities for the regulator to have oversight of serious incidents involving children and can impede their ability to fulfil their safeguarding role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children very well and spends a lot of time with them. She has a kind and gentle approach which the children value. One child told me they love her and see her as a ‘second mum’. Children trust her as she listens to their wishes and feelings and is a good advocate for them. Professionals have confidence in the manager and say that her communication is excellent. The manager has energy and enthusiasm which she models for staff. She has a thorough development plan for the home and has started to implement new ideas such as enabling staff to research practice and share with the team. This encourages them to take initiative in their professional development. Staff enjoy working at the home and they speak positively about the manager saying she is supportive and helps them to progress. Staff receive regular reflective supervision and appraisals where their work is overseen and discussed. Staff reflect on their relationships

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

with children and their professional development. Additional support is provided where staff need this, for example with personal or practice issues. Some staff have joined recently. The manager ensures they are supported to settle in and receive a helpful induction. Relevant training is regularly provided for all staff to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706341 5 The manager ensures that any tensions between children are addressed and resolved so that problems do not escalate. She ensures that children have plenty of time with all staff which helps to maintain a peaceful home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706341 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring incidents are reported to Ofsted where police attend the home prompted by incidents involving children and any other concerns about staff or children which are deemed to be serious. 16 April 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are enabled to report any allegations at the earliest opportunity. Staff should report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager within the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)  The registered person should ensure that children are actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. This includes written records of children’s meetings and provider responses to children’s complaints. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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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: 2706341 7

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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: 2706341 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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