Children's Home run by DOONAMIS LIMITED in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2806853 1 Registered provider: Doonamis Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children who have social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted at the same time the home opened in November 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: 2806853 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first full inspection since the home registered with Ofsted in November 2024. At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home. The child was spoken to during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home opened, four children have moved in, and three children have moved on. One of these children moved to another home in the organisation with agreement from their social worker. Two other children moved on in an unplanned manner as staff could not meet their needs safely. When endings are unplanned, leaders and managers liaise with placing authorities and respond to children’s views to support them to have sensitive endings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living at the home benefits from positive experiences. They receive consistent and well-planned care from staff that meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support healthy daily routines for the child. Bespoke incentives are used effectively to support the child’s health. The child is motivated to choose balanced and nutritious meals. The child has maintained positive sleep routines. Staff help the child to take part in regular physical activities that supports their overall well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have established positive relationships with the child and provide planned one-to- one discussions. These discussions are responsive and help the child to reflect on their behaviours in addition to expressing their feelings and views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to attend school. The child has achieved a good level of attendance. This is because there are clear routines and effective levels of communication between staff at the home and the school staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff organise a wide range of activities that meet the child’s interests and hobbies. Activities are planned with the child and include swimming, roller-skating, trips to theme parks and horse-riding. The child provided positive feedback about these experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated and furnished to a high standard. There is a cosy and comfortable feel to the living areas. The child has a pet cat, which helps the child to feel at home.

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

Staff are well trained in understanding effective safeguarding practice. The staff are clear about their responsibilities to safeguard children. They have a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and the child’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2806853 3 The child’s risk management plan is detailed and regularly updated by staff and managers. There is clear guidance for staff to manage the risks for the child. Staff follow these strategies to reduce the risks.

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

When necessary, staff use physical interventions to reduce risks of harm. These have been used proportionately as a last resort. Records are clear and managers have monitored these interventions with the staff and the child.

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

There have been several allegations of harm made by children. Leaders and managers follow appropriate safeguarding procedures. Referrals to the local authority designated officer are made and concerns are suitably investigated. Leaders and managers ensure that any outcome is shared with children.

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

Consequences are used infrequently as part of a wider approach to behaviour management. However, on one occasion the record and monitoring of a consequence was not in place. Therefore, it is unclear to what extent staff have used de-escalation and alternative strategies. The child’s views are not documented and there is a lack of independent oversight of the effectiveness of this measure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an education-based degree and is working towards a relevant level 5 qualification. They lead the team confidently and diligently with senior support staff. An experienced responsible individual provides good oversight of the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers generally ensure that there is good oversight and monitoring of the care provided. The child’s plans and case records are fully accessible and support the child to understand their experiences at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the support that they receive from leaders and managers. They value leaders and managers approachability, knowledge and guidance. Staff meet regularly as a team to review their practice and how this practice meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that there is a culture of reflection and learning. When children have moved on in an unplanned manner, leaders and managers have thoroughly reviewed these circumstances and adapted their future matching processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have maintained good relationships with other professionals. Professionals provided positive feedback in relation to the personalised care provided to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Generally, there are appropriate processes to ensure notifications are made to Ofsted when required. However, one safeguarding concern was not notified without delay. This means that Ofsted’s capacity to monitor safeguards during this time has been reduced. Inspection report for children’s home: 2806853 4 The independent person provides a suitable level of objectivity to support improvements in the care provided. However, they do not routinely gain the views of children or their families during their visits. This reduces the safeguards and assurances intended by these visits.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff receive regular supervision sessions to reflect on their practice. However, there for one senior support worker, there are gaps in supervision. Furthermore, other records of staff supervision do not capture the depth of discussions held. This has the potential to hinder the monitoring of staff practice over time. Inspection report for children’s home: 2806853 5

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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

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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2806853 6 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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make best use of information from independent monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. The independent person’s consultations with children and their families should be more frequent. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff receive regular and good quality supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2806853 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 117 Kingfisher Close, Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea SS3 9YB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kirandeep Jamwal

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Inspector

Mark Anderton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2806853 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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