Children's home run by Essex County Council in Chelmsford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC068929 1 SC068929 Registered provider: Essex County Council

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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 local authority home provides short breaks and respite care for up to eight children. The aim of the short breaks service is to provide support to enable children to remain with their families.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2017.

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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: SC068929 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2023 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good 19/04/2021 Full Good 25/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC068929 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, thirty-seven children were accessing the short breaks service. Four children were present on both days and time was spent with all four children during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who come to stay at the home make good progress. Staff take time to get to know and understand the children. The children are made to feel welcome. They are included in all areas of their care during their stay, which helps improve communication with staff and increases the likelihood of their needs being understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers have updated equipment in the home. A new bath with sensory functions and a highly sophisticated shower chair have been introduced. These resources help to keep children calm when they have personal care. Further improvements are underway, demonstrating a commitment to ensure the environment, both internal and external, meets children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have enjoyed trips out with their peers and staff. Children have been to the zoo, bowling, parks and enjoyed meals out. Staff support children to participate in activities inside the home, such as baking, arts and crafts, messy play and time in the sensory room.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their independence. This includes offering children the opportunity to take part in trips and activities on days they would not otherwise be at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to integrate into the local community. During the festive season, children baked mince pies for a local care home and brought them to the residents. This has helped children to feel proud of their achievements and build social interactions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff display lovely photos of children’s experiences around the home for them to see. This reminds them of the fun and enjoyable occasions that have had with staff, as well as providing parents of the children with visual records of the experiences their children have had. Staff and managers take immense pride in capturing these moments with children, and pictures are placed in albums for them to take with them.

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

The home environment is safe. Items that can cause harm are safely locked away and children are not able to access areas where they are stored.

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

Staff are alert to children’s needs and vulnerabilities. Plans are devised in a manner that makes risks to children and safety protocols clear. They are kept under review by leaders and amended as required. Staff can quickly access rescue medication when needed, due to being stored close to communal areas. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068929 4 Children rarely go missing. There have been two occasions where a child has been missing. Staff were responsive and followed procedures, which resulted in the child being found quickly and brought back to the home safely.

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

Risk assessments are clearly detailed. When risks are determined as being high, this is clearly highlighted and links into daily records. Body maps are used well to indicate when staff have encountered new marks and scratches on children’s bodies.

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

When there are incidents in the home, staff manage these well. Staff use environmental barriers when necessary to help children to calm naturally, keeping everyone safe. These are recorded appropriately and overseen by managers.

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

One social worker said, ‘I have no concerns. This is the safest place for the child. I do not have to worry about them; I know they are being cared for well.’ A parent said, ‘[The child’s] body language shows they are excited to be coming; the smile on their face says it all. When [child’s name] leaves, they are smiling. I can tell how happy they are. I have never had an experience where this is not the case.’

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

However, a school and a family have raised concerns about the quality of care provided on one occasion for one child. At the time of the inspection, these concerns were still being investigated by the registered manager. However, they have already identified some shortfalls that will require addressing to ensure day-to-day care is always delivered effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds the level 5 diploma, has been in post for almost 8 years and is supported by an equally experienced and skilled deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions are frequent. Staff say this time is protected and they learn and reflect. Staff also say the managers operate an open-door policy, so they do not have to wait to address issues or share ideas and opinions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers see the value in seeking feedback. They are keen to explore the views of families, professionals, staff and children. Managers have used this information to make positive changes and share good news.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers communicate well with families. The manager keeps them updated about children’s progress, shares valuable information during meetings and helps offer reassurance when they have queries and worries. The manager has also supported families with help and guidance on healthcare when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers hold meetings to analyse children’s journeys and team discussions to look at emerging themes for the team in order to think about with the children and how best to support them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068929 5 One parent spoke about how they were supported when dealing with an emergency. The deputy manager remained with the parent in hospital until their family arrived. This shows the level of commitment and dedication of the leaders, by supporting children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One social worker said, ‘Communication with the manager has been great. She’s been really quick at responding; always makes an effort to get to know the children, comes to meetings prepared and provides detailed reports for meetings.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

To strengthen relationships among the diverse cultures within the team, the manager arranged for staff to share their culture by teaching recipes to their colleagues. This demonstrates how the managers respond creatively to bring about harmony within the team. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068929 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 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) 20 March 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC068929 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Essex County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Market Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1QH

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Osagioduwa Igbinovia

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC068929 8 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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Inspector

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