Children's home run by Resicare Alliance Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2794041 1 Registered provider: Resicare Alliance 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

The home is owned by an independent provider. The home provides care for up to three children with emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. Both children were spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 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: none Inspection report for children's home: 2794041 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can easily identify staff who they feel comfortable approaching for support or to share concerns. Children actively seek out staff, including the manager, when needed. Staff take the time to understand each child’s interests and hobbies, finding activities that align with their preferences. As a result, children feel at ease in their home environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive education that is carefully tailored to meet their individual needs. When children are not engaged in formal education, a personalised support plan is implemented to ensure their continued growth and development. For one child, this approach has led to them applying for college and becoming motivated and ambitious about their future, despite having faced a significant period out of formal education. Another child continues to have high attendance at their school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are warmly welcomed into the home and, whenever possible, they can visit beforehand. This helps them to become familiar with their new surroundings and feel more at ease. When children transition out of the home, there is strong collaboration with the team, supporting the child to ensure that the process is seamless. For one child, this approach included providing extra support to ensure that all necessary services were in place, facilitating a smooth and successful transition to a home that is better suited to their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop independence in accordance with their age and developmental stage. For one child, this has led to increased opportunities for free time in the community. Additionally, children are provided with essential life skills to support their ongoing growth and development, helping them to build their confidence and abilities they need for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Complaints from children are rare, but when they do arise, they are handled with care and sensitivity. Child-friendly letters are provided to children to acknowledge their concerns and explain the actions that will be taken to address their issues. After management reviews the complaint, children are promptly informed of the outcome. This results in children feeling heard and valued.

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

Incidents involving physical intervention are always proportionate and appropriate. Staff engage in calm, supportive conversations with children during these incidents, using physical intervention only when there is a risk of harm to the child or others. However, the records of these interventions occasionally lack sufficient detail about the specific holds used. While children are spoken to following such interventions, the records do not always clearly indicate when these discussions take place. Inspection report for children's home: 2794041 3 Allegations against staff are managed efficiently. Clear and consistent communication is maintained with relevant professionals throughout the process. Children receive letters praising them for sharing their concerns and detailing the measures taken by staff to ensure their safety in response to allegations. In light of the frequency of allegations, a comprehensive and well-coordinated risk assessment was conducted, tailored for the

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

specific needs of the children residing in the home.

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

Children’s plans and risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated as needed. Most risk assessments include the necessary information to ensure the safety of children. However, in the case of one child, concerns regarding the use of a vape were not reflected in their risk assessment. While staff were aware of the appropriate actions to take, this critical information was not readily accessible in the child’s file.

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

Staff and the manager work with partner agencies to ensure that individualised plans are in place for children. However, staff do not always have access to the most current care plan from the local authority. This results in important information regarding children being missing from their files.

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

Key-work sessions are held regularly with children, including following incidents of concern. These sessions are conducted with sensitivity and care, providing children with a safe space to discuss matters that are important to them. This approach ensures that children feel comfortable opening up and can communicate their thoughts and feelings with staff. There are instances where important work completed with children is not consistently documented or recorded in their files. This is an area for improvement to ensure a complete and accurate record of children’s journeys.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a registered manager who is effectively supported by the regional manager. Both managers maintain comprehensive oversight of the home through regular audits, ensuring ongoing quality assurance. When areas for improvement are identified, clear plans are put in place to address them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to regular team meetings, during which safeguarding concerns are discussed and any areas for improvement are addressed. These meetings also provide opportunities for staff to develop their knowledge and skills. However, staff are not always receiving supervision in accordance with the home’s statement of purpose. For some staff, this has resulted in them receiving only a few supervisions since the home opened. This has been acknowledged by management, and action plans have already been implemented to ensure that staff supervision is conducted on time and in line with the home’s expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training to ensure that they are well equipped to meet the needs of the children. When children have specific requirements, the manager ensures that staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide the best support. The manager actively seeks out ongoing learning opportunities for the team, supporting with continuous professional development. Inspection report for children's home: 2794041 4 Staff have experienced a challenging period due to a rise in incidents, but staff have expressed great appreciation for the support they received from the management team. Staff consistently report that they enjoy working in the home, with one staff member describing it as ‘a beautiful place to work’. The staff work together well and this has resulted in a consistent and stable staff team and children receiving good-quality care and support. Inspection report for children's home: 2794041 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 25 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2794041 6 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This registered person should ensure that all details relating to physical interventions are clearly recorded. Children should be spoken to without delay following incidents of physical intervention.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that all staff receive supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. 18 April 2025

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Recommendations

 For most looked-after children, many of these planning duties fall to the placing authority. The registered person should ensure that they and their staff engage proactively with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care on an ongoing basis. The registered person should ensure that they have up-to-date plans from the local authority and these are available and visible to all staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 56, paragraph 11.3)

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children's home: 2794041 7

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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: 2794041 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Resicare Alliance Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 147 Stamford Hill, London N16 5LG

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Inspector

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2794041 9 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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