Children's Home run by Adeza Care Homes Limited in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 1 SC032468 Registered provider: Adeza Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run home for up to four children aged between 14 and 18 years. The home provides 28 day assessment placements and emergency, short-term and long-term care for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in 2003, and the manager registered in October 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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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: SC032468 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Good 20/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/10/2022 Full Good 15/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of this home is the focus staff have on supporting children to develop their independence and self-care skills. Children develop independent living skills in line with their age and ability. This helps build children’s self-esteem and equips them with valuable skills for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s health and educational needs. Where children are not receiving education, staff advocate for them and ensure that they complete face-to-face learning until a school placement is found.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers are aware of how children present, and they are professionally curious when changes occur. Staff are attuned to when children are struggling to make progress and speak with relevant professionals to explore what other support may be required to enable good outcomes for them. Staff ensure placement meetings are requested when it is clear that children need more support to stabilise their placement at the home. Children’s views about the care they receive are central to these discussions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment of the home has improved since the last inspection. There is now a warm and welcoming lounge area where children are able to spend quality time. Children also benefit from a well-cared-for garden and are encouraged to plant vegetables and flowers, ensuring a sense of value in their home and surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the individual needs of the children and are patient and understanding towards them. Staff recognise the importance of family time and are proactive in encouraging this when it is required. This ensures children maintain relationships with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make a complaint, and the manager takes children’s complaints seriously. Children do not receive a written acknowledgement of their complaint at the earliest opportunity. However, the manager ensures that children feel listened to and understand the outcome of the concerns that they have raised.

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

Children are safe in this home. When incidents occur, they are managed well. Staff build trusting relationships with children, which helps them to support children who become distressed. Staff are curious to discover the reasons for children’s responses and are keen to ensure that children’s personalities are understood.

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

Staff’s response to children who go missing from the home is effective, and over time the frequency of these episodes for children reduce. Staff know children well and, as a result of the good relationships that have developed, ably apply individual risk Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 4 management strategies. When children go missing from the home, staff keep in touch with them, contact their families and friends and encourage children to return to the home. Staff keep accurate records and liaise with professionals as required to keep children safe. Return home interviews are requested.

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

Children have individualised risk assessments and care plans. Staff take action to support children as part of their agreed strategies. At times, guidance for staff is not consistently updated as new risks emerge. Staff understand children’s needs; however, they do not always have recorded details informing them of the risks children face and how to respond.

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

Physical intervention is not used often in this home. When needed, this is used to prevent children from harming themselves or others.

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

Key-worker sessions are mainly unplanned. Staff do not consistently use key-worker sessions to help children understand risks or support them in making positive choices. Opportunities are missed to support children in understanding how to stay safe, developing their identity or improving relationships with others. Key-worker sessions are not goal-orientated and children are not sufficiently incentivised to engage in sessions or consistently rewarded when they make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers make a significant effort to improve the service and ensure that staff are well equipped to meet the needs of children. As a result of an organisational restructuring programme, staff roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. The recruitment of an operation supervisor, whose role is to provide oversight regarding the quality of service provided to children, is having a positive impact on the quality of intervention with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager continues to make improvements to their systems. This includes an organised system for storing children’s documents. This has increased the manager’s ability to monitor and review children’s progress at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team in place, and some staff have been at the home for a number of years. Children benefit from relationships with a consistent staff team whose members understand their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are effective forums where staff share and discuss the needs and progress of children. Staff practice is informed by clinical supervision facilitated by managers. This helps staff to understand and implement better strategies to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by leaders and managers and enjoy their work. They gain new skills and experience because the manager is ambitious about improving the service for children and staff. Leaders and managers ensure there is a workforce plan in place that Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 5 demonstrates how they have critical oversight of the professional development of the staff team and the care and support provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The training and induction programme is detailed and comprehensive. Staff benefit from training updates that ensure that they are aware of new developments in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions, which focus on children’s needs, experiences and plans. Safeguarding issues are discussed, as well as staff development needs. Managers have effective oversight of staff practice and development, and of the progress children are making. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; 31 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 7 help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that key-worker sessions support children to develop positive relationships, promote acceptable behaviour and support children to develop positive self-identity.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response and the outcome of any investigation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 22, paragraph 4.13)  The registered person should ensure that children’s risk assessments are reviewed and updated when new risks emerge. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC032468 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Adeza Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Second Floor, Kestrel House, Falconry Court, Bakers Lane, Epping, Essex CM16 5BD

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Inspector

Angela Reid, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032468 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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