Children's Home run by Fonjock's Social Work Practice Limited in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2585102 1 Registered provider: Fonjock’s Social Work Practice Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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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: 2585102 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/04/2024 Full Good 16/01/2024 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 02/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2585102 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who know them well and who follow their relevant plans. This helps children to have positive relationships with staff, as their behaviours are carefully understood by them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support from staff who are unwavering in their efforts at providing effective and safe care. For example, staff carried out focused work with a child during a break away from the home to disrupt a cycle of risk-taking behaviours. This work proved positive and prevented the child from moving on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are positive and well planned. Staff meet children and their family members, who can visit the home before moves take place. This helps to ensure that both the child and their family have an understanding about what the home offers. One social worker spoke highly about the warm welcome a child received when they arrived in the home, which included a welcome basket in the child’s bedroom filled with items they like, such as bath products and sweet treats.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s starting points and how past events affect their progress. Targets are consistent with how children are presenting emotionally. This approach has proven effective, with children making progress in areas such as independence, emotional well-being and education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in visiting places that they enjoy. For instance, they have been to off-road motorcycle racing tracks, concerts and theme parks. Children are also encouraged to pursue their hobbies and interests. For example, one child attends a weekly drama class, which has been beneficial to their overall well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff assist children in preparing for their futures. They provide children with opportunities and support to foster their independence skills. This helps them to develop the skills they will need for when it is time to move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff fully support children in spending time with their families and facilitate family visits to the home. For example, when a child’s parent visited, they had the opportunity to cook and share a meal with each other. A parent of another child visited the home for Christmas dinner and received assistance to visit an ill relative. As a result, children maintain ongoing relationships with their family members and the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite the level of support children receive from staff, this support does not extend to instances where police have arrested or detained children. This is due to a blanket policy that prevents staff from acting as appropriate adults in these situations. Consequently, one child has said that they feel unhappy about this practice as they lacked support Inspection report for children’s home: 2585102 4 during a difficult experience. Furthermore, a social worker raised that they were not aware of this policy before the child moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There has been a significant number of incidents in the home that have resulted in damage to property. However, staff have managed these incidents effectively and attempted to rectify some of the damage. Maintenance issues can occasionally take time to be fully resolved due to third-party decisions. Nevertheless, the damage and maintenance issues detract from a homely environment that children can take pride in.

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

Staff respond well when children go missing from home, and relevant plans are followed to ensure their safe return. Staff request return home interviews following a child’s return home. However, these requests are not consistently escalated when relevant external professionals do not carry out the interviews. Consequently, children have not always had a return home interview following a time when they have been missing from the home. These are missed opportunities for collaborative working with other agencies to consider what factors may be contributing to a child going missing from home in the first instance.

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

Children know how to raise complaints and concerns. Complaints and allegations are recorded and are taken seriously by leaders and managers. Children are updated about outcomes in a timely manner. This ensures that children are listened to and feel heard.

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

When children are new to the home, they are given a good induction of the building and home environment, and staff explain to them what they need to do in the event of a fire. However, on some occasions, children have not participated in a fire drill until several weeks after they moved in. When fire risks have escalated, the manager has been proactive in making a referral to the local fire station and arranging a visit to educate children about the dangers of fire.

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

Social workers are positive about how some risks have decreased for children since living in the home, such as self-injurious behaviours. A social worker commended managers and staff for their commitment to one child. This perseverance from staff meant that the child was able to remain at the home with consistent support.

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

When property damage or assaults occur in the home, staff ensure that children are spoken to by the police when necessary. This enables children to understand the significance of their behaviour and the potential consequences should the behaviour be repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff know the children well and understand their individual risks and vulnerabilities. They proactively request professional meetings after serious incidents to ensure the implementation of appropriate safety plans. As a result, children experience placement stability and receive additional support to manage the risks they face. Inspection report for children’s home: 2585102 5 The manager has a good understanding of the staff team’s strengths and areas for development. There are plans in place to upskill newer staff so they can be more effective and confident in their roles, especially with their recording and evidencing of children’s progress outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported effectively and receive training and regular supervision. Debriefs and team meetings provide them with opportunities to learn from their practice. One member of staff said, ‘I use my supervision to highlight my practice, as well as in team meetings, to ensure that collaborative, consistent work is happening in the home to ensure the best outcomes for children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A social worker, a mentor and a youth officer all said that there is good communication with staff. One social worker said, ‘I found the manager and staff to be fantastic for [name of child], and their commitment to them is amazing.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited monthly by an independent visitor as required. However, at times, the independent visitor does not provide a sufficient opinion in their reports regarding the effectiveness of safeguarding and whether children’s well-being is promoted. However, the appointment of a new independent visitor has led to improvements in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has monitoring systems in place to ensure oversight of how the home operates. This includes oversight of incidents. However, there have been times when oversight has not been fully effective. The regulator has not always received timely notifications of incidents involving the police. Consequently, this has hindered the regulator’s ability to fully understand events that have taken place and how leaders and managers have responded. Inspection report for children’s home: 2585102 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are fully supported by staff when they are taken into police custody. 12 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d)) 12 June 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the premises are well maintained. In particular, any damage caused in the home during incidents should be addressed without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for children to have an independent return home interview following any incident where they have gone missing from the home. In particular, ensure that local Inspection report for children’s home: 2585102 7 authorities are continually challenged if an interview is not provided once requested. Any information provided by such interviews should be considered by leaders and managers when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’,

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Recommendations

page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to Ofsted. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2585102 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fonjock’s Social Work Practice Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Orchard House, 1 Old Convent Orchard, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3PQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Monica De Castro

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Inspector

Karen Flanagan de Martinez, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2585102 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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