Children's Home run by Capital Children’s Care Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2806628 1 Registered provider: Capital Children’s Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider and offers care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in December 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2806628 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home, and one child has moved out. While the initial assessment identified that the child’s needs could be met, these needs changed, and staff could no longer keep the child safe.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help to ensure that children have positive introductions to the home. When making arrangements to help children settle in at the home, staff take into account their interests and preferences. The child’s move from the home was managed sensitively, and the child remains in contact with the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made progress from their individual starting points. For example, before moving to the home, one child was regularly running away. This has not happened in the short time since they moved in. Another child has made some progress with their socialisation skills.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a new home, and the staff team lacks experience. There is an extensive training package for staff. Leaders and managers have also adapted generic training to ensure that it is relevant for individual children. This has improved the quality of care the children receive and supported the staff’s understanding of children’s individual needs.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in seeing their family members and others who are important to them. Staff encourage children to maintain friendships. For example, the child regularly has friends visit the home. This helps children maintain connections and a sense of belonging.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Creative learning opportunities have supported children in their educational attainment. For example, the child receives support to engage in community activities, such as visiting a local war bunker and creating bespoke subject workbooks.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, warm and welcoming. It is furnished and resourced well to meet children’s needs. Children have helped personalise their surroundings, which gives them a sense of ownership and pride.

p.2

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

Staff understand how to raise safeguarding concerns. Safeguarding concerns raised by children are managed effectively. Relevant professionals are informed, and prompt action is taken when necessary. Responding effectively to safeguarding concerns demonstrates to children that their views will be listened to and taken seriously.

p.2

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

Staff regularly praise children for their achievements and offer them rewards. Staff use different incentives that are appropriate for children’s age and requirements but also Inspection report for children’s home: 2806628 3 acknowledge various forms of progress. This positive reinforcement contributes to children’s self-worth and sense of value.

p.2

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

The staff understand children’s risks. Behaviour management strategies reflect each child’s individual stage of development and level of risk. One professional said that the staff balance children’s individual needs by setting boundaries but are not risk averse.

p.3

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

Occasionally, staff resort to holding children as a last measure to ensure their safety. Holds are reasonable, proportionate and necessary. However, physical interventions have not always been regularly reviewed, and on one occasion, there was no written record of the safe hold. This prevents patterns and trends from being identified. Staff use consequences to help manage behaviour. However, these do not always make sense, nor are they reviewed for their effectiveness.

p.3

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

Staff guidance on when to use support from external professionals is not always clear. As a result, there has been an inconsistent use of external support services to respond to risk-taking behaviours.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A permanent registered manager oversees the home. She has high aspirations and is passionate about the care provided to children. The manager is keen to develop the home and the staff team to support children’s progress.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an appropriate induction process to enable staff to understand their role and the ethos of the home. Staff receive regular and effective supervision, which is further enhanced by regular team meetings. Staff also have the opportunity to engage in reflective discussions during clinical consultations.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel well supported by the manager and that she is approachable and present in the home. As a result, staff morale is high.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work in partnership with professionals. One social worker said, ‘There is regular communication and collaborative decision-making.’ The manager is confident about challenging professionals. For one child, the manager challenged the social worker’s decision not to allow the implementation of a specific boundary when it was felt necessary to encourage their engagement in education.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment practice ensures that robust checks are in place when recruiting new staff to work at the home. This ensures that all staff are suitably vetted and that the home is a safe place for children to live.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some shortfalls in record-keeping were identified. For example, some documents are incomplete and vary in quality. This limits the manager’s ability to review records and identify potential patterns and trends to improve the quality of care offered to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2806628 4

p.3

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.

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.4

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;

p.4

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Requirement 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h)) 1 July 2025

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

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”)— 31 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2806628 5 has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

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. (Requirement 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature and help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them, and the wider community. The registered person should ensure that consequences are kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the ability and competence to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, which will serve as the foundation for managing any negative behaviour. Staff should have the skills to respond to each child’s behaviour. Where necessary, they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. Specifically, strategies for behaviour management

p.5

Recommendations

should emphasise the support that staff can provide for children, with the use of police as a final measure. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)

p.5

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: 2806628 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Capital Children’s Care Ltd

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Pike Way, North Weald, Epping CM16 6BL

p.6

Inspector

Naomi Starbuck, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2806628 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7