Children's home run by Evoke Care Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2626961 1 Registered provider: Evoke Care Group 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

This privately owned home provides care for up to five children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in February 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2626961 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2626961 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their individual starting points since living in the home. Staff support them to attend health appointments to ensure that their physical and emotional health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers advocate for children to ensure they receive the right education provision, challenging other professionals when delays occur. This diligence helps children to thrive educationally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A thoughtful and nurturing staff team care for the children, being sensitive and attentive to their needs. This support helps children develop and sustain trusting and positive relationships, enabling them to share their worries and concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff follow individualised care, and behaviour plans to meet the children’s needs. These plans take into account children’s religion, ethnicity, and identity needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children develop their independence skills, such as learning how to cook and keeping their bedrooms clean and tidy. They also support children in exploring leisure activities to develop their interests and actively take part in their community, including going swimming and enjoying trips to the cinema.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children get together weekly to talk to staff about what is important to them. This provides them with an opportunity to influence their plans, such as menu choices, items they would like in the home, and activities they would like to take part in.

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

Leaders and managers effectively manage incidents when they occur. They speak to children in a sensitive way to understand the potential triggers for their anxiety and learn how to manage these behaviours with care. One-to-one discussions help children to feel listen to and to be supported to talk about their understanding of personal safety.

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

Staff work with children and the wider network to help them become safer. They create detailed risk assessments that reflect individual risk factors and outline actions for the staff to follow to minimise the risks from reoccurring. However, for one child, their risk assessment has not been updated to reflect new risks of exploitation. This means that not every staff member has access to current information that can help them respond appropriately to reducing the risk of harm.

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

None of the children have gone missing from the home. If this were to occur, staff are familiar with the local protocols. Inspection report for children’s home: 2626961 4 Staff regularly undertake key-work sessions with children, focusing on their needs, previous experiences, and worries. These sessions support children in understanding their experiences, to build their social skills, and improve self-awareness. However, staff do not always record these key-work sessions well, including using child-friendly language that children can understand and to illustrate what actions are required.

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

When there are concerns for children’s safety, staff carry out bedroom searches and remove anything that could be harmful to a child.

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

The registered manager oversees the medication administration records to ensure that staff practice promotes children’s health. This includes ensuring that children are receiving their prescribed medication in accordance with their doctor’s instructions.

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

Leaders and managers follow safe recruitment processes to ensure that only suitable people get to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the service well. They understand its strengths and areas for development and have created a plan to address outstanding maintenance within the home, ensuring that it reflects a homely and welcoming environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers consistently provide good quality help and support to children living in the home. The registered manager and responsible individual aspire for all children to succeed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands children’s needs, their individual plans, and the progress they are making to achieve their potential. The registered manager and staff create a calm and supportive environment, making children feel cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a comprehensive induction and development programme to ensure that they meet the needs of children living in the home. This includes receiving specific training on topics such as child sexual exploitation and autism awareness. The organisation supports career progression by providing opportunities for staff to develop into senior roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive monthly supervision sessions. However, the quality of the records is not always consistent. Staff also receive clinical reflective sessions with a therapist, which allows them to reflect on their work with children and explore different approaches to help children to continue to make progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2626961 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that all staff record information in a child-centred manner that avoids non-stigmatising language. Children’s records will provide a clear overview of the actions and support of staff, whilst providing sufficient information about staff intervention such as: indirect/direct. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that supervision of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This relates specifically to the quality of supervision records not being consistent. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2626961 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evoke Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Airport House, Purley Way, Croydon CR0 0XZ

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Inspectors

Ruth Okezie, Social Care Inspector Nicki Shaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2626961 7 regulates and inspects 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 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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