Children's Home run by Green Harvest Capital Consulting Ltd in Thurrock

Inspection report for children’s home: 2637805 1 Registered provider: Green Harvest Capital Consulting Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned by a small organisation and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2637805 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/04/2024 Full Good 20/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/06/2023 Full Inadequate 04/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2637805 3

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improvement to be good

The child moved into the home two months before this inspection and is making progress. Risks have reduced, and the child is engaging better in education. Since the last inspection, six more children have lived at the home and have subsequently left. One child successfully moved back to their family home. However, five children left unexpectedly or with minimal planning. This meant that some children had poor experiences of moving on, which made it more difficult for one child to find a new suitable home.

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improvement to be good

The child living at the home enjoys spending time with the staff. They enjoy going to the gym, playing basketball, going shopping, and cooking with staff. However, previous children were not given adequate time to settle into the home before new children moved in. Children therefore spent most of their time disengaged and away from staff members, unable to form bonds with them or one another. This ultimately compromised children’s experiences in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children well who are not in education. The home’s education lead works closely with managers, virtual schools and education providers to ensure that information is shared effectively. This helps relevant professionals understand children’s academic levels. The education lead advocates for the children to help ensure that they receive the support they need. Staff helped one child maintain their education arrangement throughout their time at the home, while other children have received tuition.

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improvement to be good

Children living at the home sometimes use illicit substances. Staff support them in understanding risks and making healthier choices. The staff talk to the children about the risks, provide information resources, and refer them to relevant agencies for further help as appropriate. The child has expressed that they wish to stop smoking cannabis, and there are clear plans in place on how to support this. Staff support the child’s attendance at routine health appointments with a sensitive and caring approach to understanding their apprehensions.

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improvement to be good

The home is safe and well maintained. Some areas of the home have been redecorated and updated since the last inspection, and two currently unoccupied bedrooms are undergoing improvement.

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improvement to be good

Staff have struggled at times and have not consistently kept children safe. Children have been missing from the home on many occasions and have been involved in risky behaviour in the community. There have been several incidents that staff have been Inspection report for children’s home: 2637805 4 unable to manage. As a result, staff have involved police and other emergency services to support them and the children. The staff’s inability to manage these complex situations has resulted in a potential increased risk of criminalisation and children moving out with little to no forward planning at times.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond to children when they show signs of vulnerability or self-harm. However, on occasion, staff have not taken appropriate action to assess and therefore reduce risks to children. Staff have failed to remove items that children have used to cause harm to themselves, which has led to repeated incidents.

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improvement to be good

The staff are caring and compassionate, allowing children to calm naturally without the need for physical intervention. However, some incidents have escalated, resulting in injuries to staff. On some occasions, emergency workers have felt unsafe treating children for injuries. These situations could potentially have been avoided if staff had acted in line with policies and procedures.

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improvement to be good

Staff have built trusting relationships with the child. They have provided a safe space for the child to share information about their past trauma and have worked with external agencies to support the child’s emotional well-being. As a result, the child feels safe and has not been missing since moving into the home. This is positive progress for the child who, before moving in, had a history of going missing and associated risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow the children’s individual risk assessments and protocols when they have gone missing from the home. They work closely with relevant external agencies and families to try to locate the child and bring them home safely. One social worker said, ‘They (the staff) follow their missing procedures, report and record as they should. They arrange and attend meetings and are always accommodating.’

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to reflect when incidents have occurred. The manager makes sure that planned conversations take place with staff and children to acquire their views and understanding of what happened. These conversations are used to consider how such situations can be prevented from happening again.

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

The experienced manager has been in post for two years and is currently undertaking a suitable level 5 qualification. The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual.

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

Senior leaders have not planned the admission of new children to the home well. This has made it difficult for children to settle and get along and has affected staff’s ability to build relationships with them.

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

Staff receive regular effective supervision. The manager has built a safe space in which staff feel confident speaking about things that concern them, and the manager is able to manage staff performance. However, some staff feel that senior leadership support has sometimes been lacking. In one team meeting, staff spoke openly about how they felt Inspection report for children’s home: 2637805 5 overwhelmed and were struggling with the lack of structure and routine for the children. Decisions made by senior leaders have sometimes caused confusion and frustration among the staff team.

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

The manager is reflective and understands areas that have presented the greatest challenges for her and the home. When incidents have occurred, the manager has provided appropriate oversight and ensured consultation with staff and children to gather their views and opinions.

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

The manager recognised that staff have sometimes not fully understood trauma- informed practice, on which the home’s model of care is based. They have developed workshops for staff to help them gain a greater understanding of this model and how to support the children. The manager works closely with a trauma-informed practice consultant. This provides an extra layer of support for her and staff.

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

When complaints have been made against the home, these have been managed appropriately. Inspection report for children’s home: 2637805 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 30 April 2025

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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

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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children have a suitable settling-in period at the home and that all children’s needs are considered before new children move into the home. 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2637805 7 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 30 May 2025

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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: 2637805 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Green Harvest Capital Consulting Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1st Floor, Units 3 and 4, Cranmere Court, Lustleigh Close, Matford Business Park, Exeter EX2 8PW

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Kayathry Karunakaran

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2637805 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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