Children's Home run by Champion Children (NW London) Limited in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2769395 1 Registered provider: Champion Children (NW London) Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to five children with emotional difficulties. There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since the home was registered in September 2024. This is the first inspection since the home opened.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2769395 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home opened in September 2024, five children have moved in, and two children have moved out. The three children living at the home were present at the inspection and two were spoken with. The manager was available throughout the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from stability at the home. One child said the home ‘is better than where I was before’. Two children are siblings, and they have been able to experience moving into the home together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school regularly, although one child has recently stopped going. There are positive links with schools. The deputy headteacher of the school visited the child to try to understand what has led to the decline in attendance. The school specialises in neurodiversity. A specialist teacher from the school has met with the staff team to help them understand the child’s individual characteristics. This gives them a better understanding of how to work with the child. This collaborative approach demonstrates a commitment to help the child feel contained and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who matter to them. This is especially important as two of the children have, until recently, been living with their parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to try new activities. One child has tried a martial arts class and will be starting regular classes. The child said that they are looking forward to this. The children laugh together, enjoy the garden and play basketball with staff. This provides them with new experiences. The children enjoyed talking about playing games with different staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At times, the staff and manager use language that is judgemental and places expectations on children. Children are described by staff and managers as ‘non- compliant’ and ‘refusing to engage’. These phrases are not trauma-informed and place the responsibility on the child to engage with staff. This approach does not align with the ethos described in the home’s statement of purpose.

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

Living in a children’s home is a recent experience for all three children This has been a very difficult and confusing time for them. Staff sensitively enable the children to fully and safely express the emotions they have regarding their current situation.

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

Staff are trying hard to understand children’s needs. Their approach to safeguarding incorporates being physically close to the children without intervention, unless necessary. This has allowed one child to present a more authentic version of themselves. The staff are keen to help the child to feel more comfortable at the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2769395 3 Managers and staff try hard to understand the previous experience of one child who had to leave their last children’s home very quickly. To prevent a repeat of this, managers requested an emergency meeting with the child’s professionals to discuss ways to best help the child to avoid another sudden ending. Managers are working collaboratively with people who know the child best and are incorporating this knowledge into risk assessments.

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

One child uses self-harm as a coping strategy and a way to show staff how they are feeling. Staff understand the risks associated with this and take steps to keep children safe. The staff ensure children do not have immediate access to obvious items that can be used for self-harm. Staff have also contacted health partners for guidance.

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

At times, physical restraint is used to keep children safe. Holds are usually of low intensity and last for short periods of time. When the manager has identified a pattern where the same member of staff is involved in incidents of restraint, she has investigated this. This has resulted in one staff member being dismissed. Following one incident of restraint, a child made an allegation about feeling pinned down. The manager did not refer the incident to the local authority designated officer. This means that the extra layer of scrutiny offered by external services was not sought. There has been no recognition of how the child’s neurodiversity has led to their interpretation of the restraint. This lack of understanding has contributed to the slow rate at which staff build relationships.

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

It was agreed that one child could spend three hours a week unsupervised in the community. Sometimes, the child used this as an opportunity to go some distance away, to the family home. The risk assessment advised staff to call the child every hour. On one occasion, the child said they were going to the local shop. Staff did not call the child to check on their welfare until 80 minutes later. By this time, the child was already on their way to their family home. This failure to follow risk assessment guidance was not followed up with the staff.

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

There is no safe approach to internet safety. Children are allowed to keep their mobile devices 24 hours a day, including those who are still in their early teens. The only tool in place to support safe internet use is a filter on the home’s Wi-Fi. However, the staff did not know how this worked. One child has a historic risk of using their phone to contact individuals with radical views, to the point where a referral was made to Prevent. tn. The ongoing risk in relation to this has not been identified and staff do not have instructions on how to mitigate this.

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

One child had refused to let staff into their bedroom for several days, The bedroom was extremely messy and there was some damage, including to a wall that the child had been chipping at in frustration. Staff have not yet struck a balance between a less interventionist approach and ensuring that the child has a bedroom that promotes safety and positive mental well-being. Inspection report for children's home: 2769395 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is experienced and has a relevant qualification. Since the home opened, it has been a challenging journey for the team. The manager is aware that several areas require improvement. She is supported by a knowledgeable responsible individual to ensure these improvements are made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home’s statement of purpose describes regular input from therapists for the staff and children and promises therapeutic assessments. Senior managers have not ensured that the therapist’s visits have taken place at the stated frequency, and assessments have not taken place. The home is failing to operate in line with its statement of purpose which has led to children being placed at the home whose needs cannot be met. This has resulted in children needing to move on, which has added to their previous trauma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have received training in the therapeutic model and are able to articulate it. However, records show that the training has not been implemented in practice. For example, a member of staff asked a child why they kept swearing. The child responded with a narrative of their early trauma. Staff responded by saying that instead of swearing, they should increase their vocabulary. This was not identified by the manager as an unhelpful response that shows a lack of understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a multi-layered compliance system involving a senior manager and a team of people who work remotely at a considerable distance. The compliance manager said the remote team read everything to identify issues so that these can be dealt with. However, the allegation made by a child was missed by the compliance team. This means that the system is not always effective in identifying the issues that affect the experiences and safety of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision sessions take place regularly with staff. However, these are not reflective and do not help staff to use the therapeutic model. These sessions are not used to help staff implement the therapeutic framework described in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Poor staff performance has led to has often led to probation being ended and dismissal, which demonstrates to staff that expectations of them are high. Inspection report for children's home: 2769395 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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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;

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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)(a)(c)(f)(g)(h))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the therapeutic model, and the resources described in the statement of purpose, including the level of staffing, are provided;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that managerial monitoring identifies when staff do not use a therapeutic approach, and that staff are helped to 15 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2769395 6 understand how to implement the therapeutic approach in their practice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff are trained in the specific needs of the children, such as neurodiversity;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that remote monitoring systems work to safeguard children and identify safeguarding concerns and allegations;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the ethos of the home is supported by the use of child-focused and non-judgemental language;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff are aware of how small gestures, such as taking photos, contribute to a child’s sense of belonging and how this supports the ethos and values of the home.

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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

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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular: 15 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2769395 7 ensure that there are appropriate safeguards for mobile devices and that risks associated with mobile devices are understood by all staff;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff understand and follow the missing-from-home protocols and take appropriate action to keep children safe;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that protocols are in place to ensure the safety and cleanliness of children’s bedrooms;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that when a child makes an allegation, this is reported to the local authority designated officer and recorded.

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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: 2769395 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Champion Children (NW London) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Private Client, Unit 7-8, Moran House, 449-451 High Road, London NW10 2JJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Matthew Wakeling

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Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2769395 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 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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