Children's Home run by Heartwood Care Peterborough Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2806540 1 Registered provider: Heartwood Care Peterborough Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2806540 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection. The child was positive about the care provided and described the home as ‘fantastic’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and the child are supportive and helpful. Staff know the child well and understand their interests and risks. Staff support the child to take part in activities of their choice. Staff encourage the child to try new activities and to spend time outside. The child enjoys activities such as going to the beach and the cinema.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves to the home are managed well. The manager gains information about the child from other professionals to ensure that staff can meet their needs. Any children who are living at the home are given an opportunity to express their views about a new child moving in. There has been one unplanned move from the home. The decision was made following an incident and reflected the best interests of a child living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s education when they do not have a school place. Staff encourage activities to support children to learn life skills such as budgeting and shopping. This helps children to have positive daily routines. However, there is limited challenge to external professionals about the delays in identifying school provision for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s bedroom is personalised to reflect their interests. The home is large and appropriate for children. There is a lack of personalisation in the communal areas. Fire safety signs and fire extinguishers are clearly visible, which diminishes the homely feel.

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

Incidents do not happen frequently. Staff use de-escalation skills during incidents. There have been no restraints used. This shows that staff understand how to support children during incidents and prevent escalation.

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

Staff use the home’s model of care consistently. To avoid further incidents, staff use the techniques from the model of care to support children and reduce incidents. The model of care is central to the culture of the home. This means that children receive a consistent approach that helps them to feel safe and secure.

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

There have been some concerns about the dynamics between children. Staff monitor the interactions between children and address these when necessary. This means that if there are any potential concerns about bullying, these are dealt with in a timely manner.

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

Safer recruitment is followed for new members of staff. There is an induction process for new staff, which helps them to learn their roles. Inspection report for children’s home: 2806540 3 Children’s risk assessments and support plans are clear and detailed. These include strategies for staff to follow. However, when staff identify new concerns or risks, these are not always added to the children’s risk assessments. This could lead to staff being unaware of recent concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and working towards his relevant qualification. He has high aspirations for children and staff. Professionals are positive about the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the support they receive. Supervision sessions take place in line with the home’s policy. These sessions are detailed and include reflection and scenarios to support staff’s development. Regular team meetings ensure that all staff are kept updated and are working in a consistent manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team. This means children are provided with care by familiar adults whom they know.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have clear oversight and monitoring systems. The manager reviews incidents and identifies potential triggers to these. There are clear audit systems. This ensures that managers are aware of the areas that require improvement and can identify actions to improve them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the areas of development. Concerns about staff recording information were identified by the manager before the inspection. There is a lack of recording of conversations with children following incidents, when positive feedback is given to them. This lack of recording means it is not possible to demonstrate that this is happening regularly and in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2806540 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of children. In particular, ensure that the health and safety equipment meets relevant legislation but does not detract from a homely feel. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should aim to support full-time attendance at school and ensure that professionals are challenged if there is a delay to children accessing education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should ensure staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, update children’s risk assessments when new information or risks are identified. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42,

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Recommendations

paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This specifically relates to ensuring that staff record conversations with children and praise given to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2806540 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heartwood Care Peterborough Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 416 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 9JX

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2806540 6 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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