Children's Home run by Heart and Home Living Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2780231 1 Registered provider: Heart and Home Living 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

A private provider operates this home. It can care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. All three children contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

A further four children have lived in the home during this period. Their experiences were also considered as part of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in May 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

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: 2780231 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a welcoming environment and is furnished to meet the needs of the children who live here. There is a playroom for younger children, which is full of toys. The living room is a relaxing area where the children enjoy spending time with staff. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. They have photos of important people in their bedrooms, which supports their identity needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel safe and settled, which is credit to the positive relationships they have with staff. An external agency offers regular support and consultation to staff, which is helping them to better understand the children’s lived experiences from the child’s perspective. This is helping staff to reflect on their practice and focus on what each child needs from them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is valued, with the manager being a strong advocate for children. Plans are in place to meet their individual needs. The manager raised a complaint on behalf of one child when there was drift and delay regarding education planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with family members who are important to them. The manager consults with appropriate agencies to share views on behalf of the child. This recently led to a change in arrangements for one child, which has had a positive impact on the time the child spends with important people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are actively sought and considered. Children take part in planning activities, which they find fun. This has included trips to the seaside, visiting the space centre, swimming, visiting the zoo and soft play areas. This helps children develop deeper relationships with staff by sharing positive memories. The children’s experiences are also captured by taking photos. These are added to a memory book which they will take with them when they move on.

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

Allegations are taken seriously and managed well. There have been four allegations from one child against staff members. The manager has informed relevant agencies, and appropriate investigations have taken place thereafter. Risk management plans are in place when an allegation is made. This ensures the child’s safety. The manager plans for the child to speak with their social worker after each allegation. This ensures the child’s views are gained independently. Staff have supported the child during this process and afterwards.

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

Management oversight of incidents is thorough and there are clear actions set. The manager is keen to learn lessons from practice and this adds to the learning culture within this organisation. This helps create a safe environment for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780231 3 The manager ensures that any shortfalls in practice are appropriately addressed, and action is taken that is in line with company policy.

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

Staff are trained to use a method of physical intervention. Management oversight identified that some holds could have been prevented by the use of quicker de-escalation techniques. This is an area of practice that has developed during the inspection period.

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

Staff have struggled to manage some incidents of challenging behaviour and on one occasion accessed the on-call manager for support and advice. Staff said that they did not feel supported on this occasion. This was a complex situation and the lack of clear direction did not help staff to manage this.

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

Each child has a missing protocol in place which staff follow if children go missing. Staff actively look for children during this time. This includes searching known places for children which are out of the local area. The manager has built positive relationships with the relevant agencies so that there are timely responses from them when children go missing. This supports keeping children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious for the children she cares for. She seeks to understand the needs of the children by focusing on behaviours in a non-judgemental and non-shaming way that is supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel positive about working in this home. They like working here and feel well supported by the manager. Staff receive regular supervision which follows an agenda that includes both professional and personal discussions. This helps to identify any needs for staff within their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Stakeholder feedback is positive. Several stakeholders independently said that one child was like a ‘different child’ when referring to their positive progress. This child experienced several placements which were not maintained for long periods of time before coming to live in this home. This is the first time the child has experienced stability. This has had a positive impact on other areas of the child’s life. The child is attending school for longer periods and is much more able to regulate difficult feelings with the support of staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780231 4

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are confident when using physical intervention and that consistent practice is taking place. This includes ensuring they are fully supported by leaders and managers and provided with clear direction when managing difficult situations. The registered person should ensure that staff are supporting children by ensuring that de-escalation methods are consistently used in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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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: 2780231 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heart and Home Living Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Highbank, Greenbank Crescent, London NW4 2LA

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Gabriella Arcidiacono

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Inspector

Becky Thompson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2780231 6 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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