Children's Home run by Golden Care Estate Ltd in Barking and Dagenham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2765662 1 Registered provider: Golden Care Estate Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for one child with social and/or emotional difficulties. This home was registered with Ofsted in September 2024. The manager registered with Ofsted at the same time.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. This child spoke with the inspector.

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 20 January 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2765662 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/01/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2765662 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has achieved good outcomes and enjoys positive relationships with staff. Children who are new to the home settle in quickly and make steady progress. The child said, ‘It’s great here. Everyone treats me nicely and I feel safe. One thing that I don’t like? Nothing!’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives a healthy lifestyle. They attend primary healthcare and specialist services appointments as needed. Staff encourage the child to take part in physical activities to help promote their good physical health. The child also attends therapy sessions to promote their emotional well-being. Staff provide the child with support and advice in relation to key healthcare issues, such as improving their personal hygiene. The child receives support to take their medication as prescribed. However, some medication records are inaccurate.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s learning outcomes are good. They attend school and college regularly, completing courses that interest them. The child has made good progress in their education, and communication between the staff team and school staff is frequent and effective. This promotes the child’s learning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from the work they complete with staff to improve their practical life skills. Staff encourage them to develop independent life skills in preparation for adulthood. The child receives support to prepare snacks, complete their laundry and tidy up after themselves. Staff also work with the child to help them recognise and develop healthy relationships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s identity needs are well met. Staff ensure that the child has safe and appropriate contact with their family, friends, and others who are significant to them. For example, the child enjoys weekly telephone calls with their former foster parent and has supervised contact with their sibling.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys living at the home and being cared for by staff who understand their needs. They have positive experiences, feel listened to and readily approach staff with any concerns they may have. Children do not make complaints.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child and staff celebrate the child’s achievements, and staff encourage the child to be involved in appropriate decisions. These include, for example, choices about meals provided and the decoration of the home’s communal areas and the child’s personal space. Staff recently purchased a gym membership and boxing equipment for the child, who has expressed an interest in these activities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2765662 4

p.3

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

The child says that they feel safe at the home and are very comfortable with staff. There are clear child protection policies and procedures in place, which staff know well and adhere to. Staff now receive regular safeguarding training that includes areas such as child criminal exploitation and mental health.

p.4

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

Staff’s support and supervision of the child is effective. Staff are vigilant and ensure that the child does not experience harm or abuse and critical incidents do not occur. Since the last inspection, there have been no instances of children being missing from care or any involvement or suspicion of child criminal or sexual exploitation. Staff also offer the child help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings. Staff praise and reward positive behaviour effectively and use strategies to prevent the child from becoming distressed.

p.4

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

Risk assessments have improved. These identify risks posed to the child and offer staff clear guidance about action to take to reduce risks. Risk management strategies are child specific, comprehensive and regularly reviewed to address the child’s changing circumstances. However, some risk assessments do not take into account historical information that identifies unconfirmed risks. For example, in one case, information received suggests that the child may have severe food allergies, but this is not highlighted on their risk assessment.

p.4

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

Staff help the child to understand the risks that they may face. Key-work sessions and safety plans are focused on things that the child can do to help keep themselves safe. For example, exploring the risks posed by gaming and internet use.

p.4

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

Communication between staff and safeguarding professionals is regular. Staff and managers share any emerging concerns with the child’s professional network; they contribute to professional and strategy meetings to explore risks posed to the child and others. A professional told the inspector, ‘I believe the staff approach safety very seriously and adhere to exceptional standards of communication when writing reports relating to safety concerns.’

p.4

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

However, managers have not yet shared their view and professional curiosity about the child’s experience of trauma, based on emerging information, with the child’s professional network. This means that the implication for safeguarding measures that are currently in place has not been discussed and explored more widely.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager’s oversight and monitoring of the quality of the home’s operation is not consistently effective. In particular, the review of the quality of some key records is poor. Staff’s records of the administration of the child’s medication are not consistently accurate, and not all historic risks are outlined in risk assessments. In addition, the staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2765662 5 training records are not kept up to date, which hinders oversight of which staff members have completed which training.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have updated the home’s assessment of the risk in the local area. However, the document does not include the views of relevant professional partners about the safety of the home’s location.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff enjoy their roles working with children, helping them to have fun experiences and make progress. Staff feel well supported by the management team, which is available to provide support and guidance. Managers hold regular reflective team meetings and individual staff supervision sessions. However, records of staff supervision are not consistently shared with the staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is appropriately qualified and experienced to manage the home. The majority of issues highlighted for improvement at the last inspection have been successfully resolved. The home is well resourced, and staffing ratios ensure the close supervision of the child and their safe care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers and leaders have an ambitious vision for the home’s development, and they encourage the child to meet their full potential. The home is managed in line with its statement of purpose; however, the most recent version of this document has not been sent to Ofsted as required.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers now ensure that the care planning process is effective, and they are confident that the child’s needs can be well met. Staff’s consultation with the child is effective, and the child attends and confidently contributes to their looked-after children reviews.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Professionals’ feedback about the progress the child makes is positive and confirms that the child receives good support that helps to keep them safe. A health professional said, ‘The service has a very collaborative approach, which has been key to working with this young person. They are open to working together and learning and developing, continuously reflecting on things that can be done better and what steps would benefit the service as well.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2765662 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, that managers ensure that risk assessments include all the known risks to children. Managers must also ensure that the staff training matrix is accurately maintained. 15 July 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c)) 15 July 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). 15 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2765662 7 When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 15 July 2025

p.7

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, that managers hold discussions with external professionals to explore emerging information about children’s past experience of trauma. 15 July 2025

p.7

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a note of the content and/or outcome of supervision sessions and ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

p.7

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: 2765662 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Golden Care Estate Ltd

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Broadway Chambers, 1 Cranbrook Road, Ilford, Essex IG1 4DU

p.8

Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2765662 9 regulates and inspects 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.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9