Children's Home run by Strides Childcare Services Ltd in Enfield

Inspection report for children’s home: 2769126 1 Registered provider: Strides Childcare Services 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 and provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted on 23 February 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in 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 outstanding

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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: 2769126 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2769126 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, the inspector spoke to two children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are new to the home are welcomed sensitively. The registered manager carefully considers their needs against those of the children already living in the home. Children develop strong, trusting relationships with staff, and the home is filled with laughter. Children’s artwork is displayed in the home, which helps children to develop a sense of permanence and belonging. The home environment is spacious, well maintained and feels like a family home. Children have freedom of movement in all areas of the home. There are many personal touches that help children to feel comfortable and at ease in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive well-planned, personalised care. This is contributing to improved stability and outcomes for children. One child has lived at the home for a significant period and is very settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. They enjoy positive relationships with staff who provide them with consistent, nurturing care. Children respond to the boundaries and structure in place. This provides them with security and stability and has helped them to become increasingly settled. Staff model behaviour that is respectful and caring. As a result, children are invested in making the home a positive place to live. One child describes the staff as ‘family’. Children make progress and enjoy living at the home due to the strong relationships they establish with staff. Children are happy and feel safe, and they have developed a sense of belonging. The staff strive to understand the children’s needs. Children develop confidence because of the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a very good understanding of children’s health needs. They support children in attending all health appointments. The registered manager works closely with other health professionals to support children’s physical and emotional well-being. This ensures that children’s health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children engage in education and are making progress with their learning. Staff know how crucial education is to ensure that children have positive outcomes. They advocate for children who experience barriers to their education to ensure that they receive the right support to meet their individual needs. Staff are working in partnership with teachers to encourage improved attendance. Children’s access to learning continues with bespoke educational activities in the home. One child, who did not previously attend education, has significantly improved their engagement and attendance since moving into the home. Another child is taking their GCSEs, and staff are helping the child to prepare for the transition to further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in their day-to-day care and experiences. Staff are adept at gaining children’s wishes and feelings in creative ways. They achieve this by consulting with Inspection report for children’s home: 2769126 4 children or carrying out individual sessions that involve fun activities and worksheets. Children contribute towards meal planning, leisure activities and decorating their bedrooms. Children’s views are considered and swiftly acted on through ‘you said, we did’ feedback forms. If children’s wishes cannot be fulfilled, they are provided with an explanation. As a result, children feel heard, valued, and included in decision-making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a range of activities, which helps develop their confidence and social skills. Staff encourage children to contribute to activities in the home and local community. Staff capture children’s experiences in memory books, which serve as reminders of their positive memories while living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have clear plans that outline expectations and are rewarded when they have done well. This helps children feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in spending time with people who are important to them and help them rebuild relationships with their families. This enables children to maintain a sense of belonging and develop their support networks for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make complaints and report concerns. They have access to an independent advocate to help ensure that their rights are promoted. Although children may not always agree with decisions that are made about them, staff support them in understanding why their requests may not always be fulfilled. Staff and managers take prompt action when children make disclosures. The registered manager takes time to talk to children, carries out comprehensive investigations following advice from the local authority designated officer, and ensures that children are informed of any outcomes.

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

Staff demonstrate a proactive approach to safeguarding. When it can benefit the children, staff actively seek advice and support from external agencies. This facilitates a thorough exploration of risks and issues to help keep children safe. Crucially, children are assisted in comprehending the potential risks they might encounter at home, in the community and online. Staff are skilled at understanding risks and supporting children through meaningful key-work sessions.

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

Staff and managers handle safeguarding incidents effectively in the home. Managers share information appropriately with other agencies. When there are concerns about practice, managers ask for a review of their safeguarding practices by the local authority designated officer. This transparency means that there is independent oversight over an already well-organised safeguarding process to keep children safe.

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

Incident reports are recorded in detail. Managers provide oversight of incidents and identify required actions. The manager has introduced a child-friendly debrief and a staff debrief. As a result, staff and children reflect on and learn from incidents.

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

Staff know how to respond if children go missing from the home. They work successfully to help children return home safely. Meaningful discussions take place with children, and Inspection report for children’s home: 2769126 5 the registered manager analyses the factors relating to incidents to ensure that staff are proactive in preventing future incidents. Consequently, incidents of children going missing from the home have reduced in frequency.

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

Generally, children have positive relationships with staff. When children have disagreements, staff act promptly to ensure that these are well managed. Staff speak to children following incidents to explore better ways of managing their emotions when they are feeling angry or upset. This ensures that children acquire skills to understand their emotions and resolve conflicts.

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

Staff only use physical intervention as a last resort. Staff attempt to de-escalate incidents by using therapeutic measures before using intervention techniques they have been trained in. When children are held by staff, it is necessary and proportionate, and children are encouraged to express their views and feelings after the incident. The registered manager has good oversight of restrictive practice, which helps the staff learn from each incident. This ensures that practice in this area remains safe and appropriate. Incidents in the home have reduced over time.

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

Safer recruitment processes ensure that individuals are safe to work with children. New staff undergo a comprehensive and supportive induction, and their probationary period is subject to regular reviews. All staff understand their responsibilities in raising and reporting any safeguarding concerns. This enhances the safety and well-being of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a committed and experienced registered manager. She is extremely reflective, inspirational, confident, ambitious, and passionate about her role. She has strong relationships with the children and is an effective advocate for them. The registered manager speaks fondly of children’s progress and achievements, and she listens and responds to children’s views on their experiences. The registered manager is aware of the team’s strengths and areas for development, as well as her own. She has a clear vision for the home and has development plans in place to achieve this. As a result, there is a drive to ensure that all aspects of the service deliver the best possible care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has effective monitoring systems in place to continually assess and improve the quality of care. She has recently developed a monthly report to ensure that there is good oversight of all aspects of the children’s progress. There is a comprehensive workforce strategy that demonstrates high ambition for the continual development of the home and staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager also develops practice through research and learning from serious case reviews relating to children’s residential care. Following the registered manager’s review of one case study, she has implemented a new therapeutic model of care. This is embedded through children’s care plans, individual sessions and discussions with staff. Training is enhanced by activities where staff can build on their learning in Inspection report for children’s home: 2769126 6 areas such as early life trauma, attachment, and practical ways to develop relationships, trust and resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Recruitment and retention of staff are excellent. Leaders employ staff who align with the home’s ethos and can build strong relationships with children. Life experience and the ability to demonstrate resilience are valued over qualifications alone. The staff team is near full capacity. Most staff have the required residential childcare qualification, with others working towards it. There is a balanced mix of staff in terms of age, gender and culture, which provides diverse role models and fosters a strong and supportive culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are cared for by a stable and consistent staff team. New members of staff are introduced to children in a planned and sensitive way. Staff receive a comprehensive induction. There is a mix of online training and face-to-face external training, which ensures that staff remain up to date with good practice and children’s evolving needs. There are strong relationships and engagement with external agencies. This has also allowed staff to receive specialised training in key areas, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, attachment disorder, and practices relating to trauma, challenging behaviour, and diet and nutrition. Staff receive training, and the registered manager promotes the team’s knowledge and skills to ensure optimal outcomes and safe care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is keen to develop staff who have leadership potential. The registered manager assigns additional responsibilities to staff, allowing them to oversee specific areas of the home. This distribution of leadership tasks strengthens staff’s overall performance and promotes career development and key skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular and effective supervision. This helps them to reflect on their practice and identify any areas for development. In addition, staff receive an appraisal of their performance once a year. The registered manager ensures that the views of colleagues and children are incorporated into the appraisal of each staff member’s performance. This is helpful to staff, and it helps children to know that their views are important.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff engage in regular team meetings. These include effective discussions that reflect and focus on children’s behaviours, past experiences and known risks. This helps to strengthen staff’s understanding and enables them to collaboratively explore how they can respond consistently to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff enjoy working in this home and feel supported and valued by their manager. One member of staff said, ‘I feel extremely well supported by the registered manager, who has developed a great working relationship, and I aspire to be a manager like her. She is committed, passionate and dedicated to the role and our young people.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback is gathered from professionals and family members to inform practice and promote the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations have been raised following this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2769126 7

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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: 2769126 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Strides Childcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 39 Woodgrange Avenue, Enfield EN1 1EW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patrick Nnebedum

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Chelsea Anyiam-Osigwe

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Inspector

Sadia Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2769126 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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