Children's home run by ADAMAS House CIC

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 1 Assurance inspection

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to two children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties. Two children live in the home and one child was present during the inspection and spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post is currently vacant. However, the home’s deputy manager has been promoted and is in the process of submitting their application to register with Ofsted. The inspection was supported by the new manager and the responsible individual.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 24 September 2024

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, a deputy manager has been employed and promoted to the role of home manager. They are currently in the process of submitting their application to register with Ofsted. Although staff and one child can identify the positive impact that the new manager has had on the home, the responses to the requirements that were raised at the last inspection have not been swift. Some improvements have been made, but most of the requirements have only been partially met therefore these have been restated.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are supported to contribute to their care planning. Managers and staff are strong advocates for children and ensure that the decisions that are made for them are in their best interests and tailored to meet their individual needs. As a result, children feel listened to and have developed a sense of togetherness. Children say that the home is their home, and one child explained that they would rate living in their home a nine out of ten, as ‘nothing is perfect.’

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Findings from the inspection

One child who previously withdrew from the routines of the home has been supported to re-engage in most aspects of their care. They have been helped to access healthcare support and participate in the activities that they enjoy. Consequently, their confidence, self-esteem and well-being has improved.

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Findings from the inspection

Children enjoy go-karting, having meals out in restaurants and going to the gym. Staff are mindful of the importance of children spending positive time with their friends. Staff also help children to identify and withdraw from harmful relationships, and to make positive choices when they are away from the home. This has resulted in a reduction in behaviours that staff worry about.

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Findings from the inspection

Overall children are supported to spend positive time with their families. However, the arrangements for one child to see their family are not clear. As a result, there are concerns that some planned visits to the family home are not made collaboratively.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s educational experiences are mixed. One child has a bespoke timetable and there are plans to help them to reintegrate into full-time education. However, one child’s engagement in their education is limited. There is a lack of structured plans to help this child participate in their learning. Without clear plans, staff are not always able to encourage the child to engage in, or understand the importance of, their education. Leaders and managers are working with external services to try and meet children’s individual educational needs, although this has not yet been effective for one child. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 3 Restraint has not been used in this home, as staff are finding more appropriate ways to help children to express themselves. Similarly, children have not been reported missing from home. When children are late home from spending time with their friends in the community, they routinely call staff to let them know that they are ok

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Findings from the inspection

Staff help children to talk about how they are feeling, rather than ‘acting it out.’ When staff recognise that children may be using unsafe strategies to manage their emotions, they support them to think about healthier ways that they can express themselves. Despite this, staff do not always demonstrate a robust understanding of how they respond to help children to keep safe ‘in the moment.’

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers share safety concerns with the relevant professionals so that a coordinated, multi-agency approach to support the child can be agreed. This has included supporting children to access specialist provisions, such as substance misuse services. As a result, concerns of substance misuse have reduced in frequency.

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Findings from the inspection

Safer recruitment checks are in place to help managers to determine the suitability of staff to work with children. However, monitoring systems are disorganised, which makes it difficult for managers to demonstrate that checks have been carefully reviewed and considered before staff start to work in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff participate in regular supervision sessions and team meetings. However, some staff remain uncertain about how to apply the home’s chosen approach to supporting the children that they care for. Records do not demonstrate that reflective discussions about children’s care are being held regularly with staff. Although the manager explained that this is a recording error, it likely contributes to staff’s uncertainty about the caring ethos of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers accept that more needs to be done to improve the quality of care that is offered to children, particularly when it comes to maintaining oversight and addressing shortfalls. Leaders and manager have not yet completed the home’s quality-of-care report, which further demonstrates the passive approach to developing the home. A robust response to the requirements that have been made following this inspection is essential to ensure that children’s needs are met effectively, and to prevent compliance and enforcement action from Ofsted in the future. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 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 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to help children to keep themselves safe. Staff must be supported to understand the risk that children are exposed to and the action that they should take to help to mediate it.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and has been partially restated. 9 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 6 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child's relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have a sound understanding of the ethos of the home, including the home's chosen parenting approach.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must work collaboratively with children, their placing authority and their families to ensure that care arrangements are clear and in the best interests of children. 9 May 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

employ an individual to work at the children's home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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) (2)(a) (3)(d)) 30 April 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that a full employment history, including an explanation of any gaps in employment, is available for each member of staff who is working in the home. Furthermore, managers must ensure that monitoring systems are in place that allow them to review safer recruitment checks to determine the suitability of staff to work with children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and has been restated.

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that robust monitoring systems are in place to help them to assess the effectiveness of the care that is delivered to children. This must support managers take swift action to address any shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must review written records to ensure that they are reflective of the care needs of children and the decisions that have been made.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and has been partially restated. 9 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 9 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child's learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child's relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when children are not attending full-time education, staff support them to develop healthy routines and participate in structured learning activities. Staff should help children to develop their confidence in education so that they can resume full-time education as soon as possible.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)) 9 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 9 In particular, the registered person must ensure that robust and thorough plans are in place to help staff care for children and keep them safe.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 30 April 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 10

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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 11 to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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