Children's Home run by Cornerways Care Limited in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2491062 1 Registered provider: Cornerways Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home that provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022.

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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: 21 February 2024

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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: 2491062 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2024 Full Good 08/11/2022 Full Good 21/09/2021 Full Good 11/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2491062 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. They both contributed to this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves in and out of the home are well planned. Children experience stability in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved in since the last inspection. Careful consideration was given to the suitability of this move for both the child already living in the home and the child moving in. The manager considered the home’s limitations and skills and the impact that children may have on each other. This assessment was comprehensive and covered the potential risks and other areas for consideration. The children were able to meet with each other to spend the day doing a fun activity before the move. This allowed the children to feel more relaxed and informed about the move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out since the last inspection. While this move was earlier than originally planned, this was after considerable effort from the home and the team around the child to support them to remain living in the area safely. The move for this child was planned and both the child and all professionals agreed with it. The child was supported to visit their new home and to have a party with the children and staff before they left.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive, trusting relationships with staff. This has helped children become more sociable. One child is spending significantly less time in their room, and now spends their free time in the company of staff and the other child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are achieving in terms of their education. One child’s engagement has substantially improved, and they are now consistently attending full-time secondary education. This child is achieving their educational targets and has ambitions to attend further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with the important people in their lives. Both children have increased the amount of time that they spend with family. The provider recognises the importance of lasting family relationships and supports the children and their families to manage these. One parent said that staff helped them to manage overnight stays with their child by supporting them with advice on the phone. This parent said that they would not have been able to manage this without their support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children share their views and are involved in the running of the home. Children’s bedrooms are highly personalised, and children have chosen the paint colours in the communal areas of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2491062 4

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

Both children are very settled. Staff are skilled at supporting children and at preventing incidents from escalating. There is an exceptionally low occurrence of incidents, and the atmosphere in the home is calm. For both children living in the home, there have been no incidents of going missing from the home, no incidents of restraint and no incidents requiring police support.

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

Staff have helped one child to build their emotional resilience. This child is now managing their emotions in ways that do not cause them harm.

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

For one child who has moved out since the last inspection, there was a high number of incidents of going missing from the home. Children’s missing-from-home procedures are individualised and clear. Staff were proactive and made sustained attempts to contact the child when they were missing. For this child, the risks around being missing from the home increased. The provider worked closely with external professionals to make plans to minimise these risks or share information that may increase safety for this child.

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

Children are supported to learn about healthy relationships. Staff support children to learn how to keep themselves and others around them safe. For one child, staff helped the child to understand about sexual health, relationships and consent. Instead of restrictions, strategies to reduce risks for this child focused on education to prevent recurrence.

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

Children know how to make complaints. On one occasion, staff did not immediately inform the manager of a concern that a child had raised. The manager did not liaise with the relevant authorities and conducted an internal investigation without seeking external advice. There were no risk mitigation steps taken and, in addition, the manager did not inform Ofsted within the required timescale. This response is not in line with the home’s own policy or national safeguarding guidelines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager, who is supported by a stable leadership team. The manager is ambitious for the home and the children. The manager is knowledgeable about relevant research and theories and ensures that this knowledge is shared with the staff team. The manager is tenacious in ensuring that the staff work in line with the home’s ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains a high level of oversight in the home. Monitoring and review processes are effective, allowing the manager to have an in-depth understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager is analytical, and continually striving to improve the care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2491062 5 Staff are skilled and receive training in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Staff are supported to gain the skills and knowledge needed to care for children’s specific needs. More than half the staff have the relevant qualifications; all other staff are working towards these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers receive regular supervision that is supportive and reflective. Staff are further supported through weekly team meetings and regular practice workshops. These allow staff to share knowledge and provide regular opportunity for the manager to guide staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been improvements in terms of the employment and retention of staff since the last inspection. The home has used a high level of agency staff. However, to ensure continuity for children, these have been the same, regular members of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Appropriate suitability checks for agency staff have been completed. However, for permanent staff, recruitment checks have not been completed in line with regulatory requirements. For two members of staff, several gaps in employment have not been satisfactorily explored or confirmed in writing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2491062 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

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;

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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)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 11 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 22 April 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 an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the 22 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2491062 7 individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the 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)(b) (3)(d))

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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: 2491062 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cornerways Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Eastway Enterprise Centre, 7 Paynes Park, Hitchin SG5 1EH

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Inspector

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2491062 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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