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

Inspection report for children's home: 2590405 1 Registered provider: 5ab Care Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that is registered to provide care for three children with complex social and emotional needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living at the home, and both spoke to the inspector.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 3 October 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2590405 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2024 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good 01/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2590405 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with children and spend good-quality time with them, doing things they enjoy. This helps develop connections and increases staff’s understanding of the children’s needs. Children actively seek out opportunities to spend time with staff and have trusting relationships with them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are attending school consistently and are making progress both academically and socially. This is particularly positive for one child who previously was not attending school regularly. Staff work closely with education professionals and share information to ensure children receive consistency. Staff promote the value of education and support children to get to school. This has helped one child maintain a place at the school they attended before moving into the home. Children enjoy school and have goals for their future, which motivates them to attend and achieve.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are considered in the care they receive. Their views are gathered through planned direct work, day-to-day conversations and regular house meetings. Children and staff make decisions together about house activities, meals and changes around the home. Children can see the results of their views being listened to and acted on.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they feel safe and have adults they can trust and talk to when they have any worries. Children feel secure in the home, which contributes to them also making progress in other areas of their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from professionals is positive. A social worker said that staff have gone above and beyond to support a child, which has led to significant progress for them. A teacher commented on the educational progress another child has made since living at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully decorated and feels welcoming and homely. Children’s bedrooms are decorated in line with their personal taste. Children’s achievements are displayed with pride, and photos of the children and staff having fun together are displayed in communal areas around the home. This provides children with the understanding that they are important and valued.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not effectively help children to meet their cultural needs. They do not provide opportunities for children to explore their cultural heritage, which has a negative impact on their ability to develop and understand their identity.

p.3

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

Staff prioritise children’s safety and well-being. They have a good understanding of children’s needs and risks and manage these effectively. Children are supported to Inspection report for children's home: 2590405 4 understand the impact of risk-taking behaviours through regular conversations and targeted work, which assists them in learning how to keep themselves safe. Staff also work closely with external professionals to understand patterns of behaviour and implement strategies to minimise risks to children.

p.3

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

Complaints and allegations made by children are generally responded to swiftly and appropriately. The current manager investigates all complaints thoroughly, takes any necessary action and ensures children are provided with a clear outcome to their complaint or allegation. This helps children feel heard and able to share any concerns they have. However, one allegation made by a child was not managed well and resulted in a child being unsafe. Significant learning has been taken from this incident, and the new leadership team has a very different approach to managing allegations of this nature, which ensures children’s safety.

p.4

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s behaviours and triggers for these. Staff are committed to supporting children in regulating their emotions, and they use a therapeutic approach to support children in de-escalating situations. Children have made progress in expressing their emotions in a positive manner.

p.4

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow agreed procedures to support their safety. The manager regularly reviews missing-from-home protocols to ensure that they meet children’s current needs. The manager has been proactive in identifying the reasons one young person was going missing regularly and has been able to implement strategies to address this. This has resulted in a significant reduction in them going missing from home.

p.4

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

Children benefit from the organisation’s safe recruitment practice. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before appointments are confirmed. This helps to keep children safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced, confident and driven. She has high standards and provides strong leadership. She has a genuine desire to improve the outcomes and experiences for children. The manager actively spends time with children and has positive relationships with them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a complete change in the management team since the last inspection. Weaknesses in recordings and management of safeguarding incidents under the previous manager have been systematically addressed by the current manager. Staff practice and knowledge have developed significantly.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by an experienced responsible individual and deputy manager. Together, they review, audit and monitor the home closely. This effective oversight ensures that children receive a high level of care and that areas for improvement can be identified and addressed quickly. Inspection report for children's home: 2590405 5 The manager is a role model for staff and leads by example. She is visible in the home and works closely with staff and children. This allows her to have a good understanding of how children are feeling and general oversight of the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and able to approach the manager with any issues they have. Staff speak warmly about the manager and their experiences in the home. One member of staff said, ‘I absolutely love working here. I feel so supported.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is focused on developing staff practice to ensure children receive high- quality care. Staff access a wide range of training that provides them with the skills and knowledge to be able to care for children effectively. Reflective supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly and are used as opportunities to learn and enhance staff knowledge and practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive. The manager maintains high standards of multi- agency working to ensure that children benefit from effective help and support. Inspection report for children's home: 2590405 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are helped to understand their diversity. The importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice. Staff in the children’s home should play a full role in work of this kind. This specifically relates to children being helped to discover their ethnicity, culture and other identity characteristics. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)

p.6

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: 2590405 7

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspectors

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2590405 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8