Children's Home run by Silver Birch Care (Residential Services) Limited in Kingston upon Thames

Inspection report for children’s home: 2769759 1 Registered provider: Silver Birch Care (Residential Services) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

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: 4 December 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2769759 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2769759 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke with two of the children during the inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a friendly and calm atmosphere. Children develop positive relationships with staff. Staff show children care and compassion. They have a good understanding of the children’s lived experiences, demonstrating playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy, which are the four tenets of the home’s therapeutic approach.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care as reflected in their care plans and are supported well to make progress from their starting points. Managers and staff work closely with children’s professional networks to ensure that each child receives individualised care and support.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from professionals is positive. One child’s social worker said that the improvements in the child’s understanding of personal boundaries and increased emotional development have been ‘amazing’, adding that managers’ and staff’s contributions in professionals’ meetings have been integral to decision-making and care planning. This can be seen in the flexible and supportive approach that staff and managers have in relation to supporting children to safely spend time with family and friends. Staff are adaptable and responsive to complex arrangements. If any changes are required to these arrangements, staff promptly suggest alternative plans and communicate these sensitively to the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported by staff in accessing education. For children who are not in formal education, home tuition is in place. Managers and staff work closely with education professionals to enhance the opportunities for children. For example, they increase home tuition and advocate for children to access alternative provisions, such as forest schools and therapeutic educational services. Staff work hard to identify educational resources and activities in the home to support children alongside their education plans.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to participate in various activities and trips, such as arts and crafts, baking, swimming, pampering sessions and trips to the cinema. Children’s achievements and milestones are celebrated in the home. Children are encouraged to participate and share their views at regular house meetings. These are opportunities for children to plan their daily activities and meal choices alongside staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Observations and discussions with children indicate that they feel able to express their opinions freely. Staff listen respectfully to the children's views and negotiate effectively to meet their requests. However, children’s views are not consistently documented in their care plans or records. Inspection report for children’s home: 2769759 4 The home is well decorated and furnished. Children’s bedrooms are spacious and personalised. Children enjoy being in their home and show pride in it. One child commented on the games room and said, ‘It’s cosy, like my own little lounge.’

p.3

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

Managers and staff work proactively with agencies and partners in response to safeguarding concerns. This ensures that information is shared and that a holistic approach and support plan can be agreed to promote the children’s welfare and well- being. Children’s risk assessments are reviewed and updated in line with their plans and any newly identified risks. The registered manager is competent in carrying out suitability risk assessments for children before they move into the home, in accordance with the referral information received. These assessments consider the needs of the child moving in, the needs of those already living at the home, and the skills and capabilities of the staff.

p.4

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

Incidents are managed well. Effective and appropriate action is taken in response to incidents. Following incidents, key-work sessions take place to address concerns with children. These are sensitive discussions that help children learn and develop important life skills and how to stay safe.

p.4

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

If children are absent from the home, staff are proactive and make exhaustive attempts to locate them. Staff follow the children’s individual missing-from-home safety plans appropriately, and information that may escalate risks is shared with key professionals in a timely manner. While the recording of missing-from-home incidents includes detailed chronologies, management oversight and evaluation on some records are inconsistent.

p.4

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

Staff receive support from the in-house psychologist. This enhances staff’s understanding of children’s triggers for certain behaviours and supports them with implementing strategies to manage situations and prevent escalation. This support also enables staff to reflect on their practice, helping them to build their skills and resilience.

p.4

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

Staff undertake safeguarding training and receive ongoing training that includes risk management, contextual safeguarding and de-escalation techniques. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the policies and procedures relating to the management of allegations against staff and whistle-blowing. Allegations are dealt with immediately by senior management and shared with the relevant agencies.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are motivated and enthusiastic about the care they provide to children. The registered manager and deputy manager work well together. They can challenge other professionals competently and are effective in advocating for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the children very well and ensure that their needs are consistently met. The management team is keen to ensure that children receive individualised care. Leaders and managers support children coming into the home Inspection report for children’s home: 2769759 5 carefully and consider their needs well, encouraging children to visit the home and meet with them when possible before they move in.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The practice and approach of the management team are child focused, trauma informed, patient and empathetic. This results in children feeling secure and safe to express themselves. One child spoken to, who has experienced many moves, said that they are ‘giving them a chance’. They said, ‘I’m getting to trust them.’ The responsible individual ably supports the management team by providing informed support and guidance.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff receive regular and effective supervision. Regular and reflective team meetings take place, providing staff with opportunities to discuss individual children’s progress, reflect on staff practice and identify training needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel valued by their managers and the wider organisation. They state that the shared values of managers and colleagues help them to provide a good standard of care to children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers regularly review the quality of care provided to children with independent and internal monitoring, which helps them in identifying and continuing improvements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2769759 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff regularly encourage children to contribute to their records in a way that reflects their voice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  The registered person should ensure that missing-from-home incidents are evaluated regularly to identify any gaps in staff’s training, skills or knowledge, and they should record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)

p.6

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: 2769759 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Silver Birch Care (Residential Services) Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: SBCH House, 212 Ballards Lane, London N3 2LX

p.7

Inspector

Amanda Burrows, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2769759 8 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.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8