Children's Home run by Holibrook House Limited in Lewisham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC377702 1 SC377702 Registered provider: Holibrook House Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to six children, who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in October 2008. The home’s manager registered with Ofsted in February 2018.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC377702 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2024 Full Good 21/06/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC377702 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a warm welcome when they arrive at this home. Staff understand how challenging moving into the home can be. They endeavour to enable children to feel supported and build relationships with staff and other children at a pace that is comfortable for them. As a result, children quickly settle and feel a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s background histories are known before they move into the home. Leaders request more information when this is required and are conscientious about requesting the right support for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers are enthusiastic about every child and encourage them to have high aspirations for themselves. They work closely with the virtual school team to promote positive educational outcomes. For those children who have been out of education for extended periods, staff seek to understand the best form of education provision for them and are patient and caring towards them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their families and friends, with staff providing supervised contact when required. When children are considered at risk, staff engage in meaningful discussions with them to help them understand the concerns and encourage them to make positive choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of activities that support the development of their social skills and reflect their individual interests. Staff are aware of the children’s wishes and feelings, and children have opportunities to engage in one-to-one activities that reflect their personal preferences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and emotional needs are promoted in this home. Children have healthy meals and contribute to menu choices. When children have more complex health needs, staff ensure that they are referred to the appropriate health professionals. Children are also able to speak to the in-house therapist.

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

There have been a number of missing-from-home incidents. Most missing episodes have been unauthorised absences when children have returned to the home after the agreed time. Staff support children to have autonomy by enabling them to understand how to stay safe. Risk assessments are detailed and individualised, with appropriate strategies to support staff in addressing risks that children may face in the wider community. Staff understand the link between children going missing from home and the increased risk of exploitation.

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

While a chronology of missing-from-home episodes is maintained, individual records detailing each child’s missing incidents are not consistently updated. This inconsistency Inspection report for children’s home: SC377702 4 may result in staff not having access to information about the circumstances of each episode, and managers being unable to provide a comprehensive account to partner agencies. Additionally, it limits the ability of managers to identify patterns or trends that could highlight gaps in practice and impact the effectiveness of safeguarding measures.

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

Strategies to address exploitation are appropriate and demonstrate a strong understanding of how to keep children safe. These are complemented by key-working sessions that support children in recognising situations where they may be at risk. However, one child did not receive a key-working session specifically focused on addressing their previous offending behaviour, although all other aspects of their behaviour were addressed.

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

Managers raise concerns with partner agencies when they are aware that children are vulnerable to, or showing signs of exploitation. They request risk management meetings appropriately, but do not consistently escalate matters when they feel that concerns have not been responded to robustly.

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

A strength of this home is supporting children to develop positive behaviours. The restorative approach is highly effective in equipping children with the abilities to express themselves in more positive ways.

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

When incidents occur, staff use de-escalation techniques effectively. Recording of incidents is detailed and debriefs following incidents are reflective and lead to an improvement in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers interact with children and staff with kindness and attentiveness. Managers know the children well and have high aspirations for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the registered manager and find supervision a helpful forum where they can reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported in their professional development and career progression. They receive a broad range of training that equips them to meet the needs of the children in their care effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff team meetings are well attended and interactive. Children’s progress is discussed, and practice issues are addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong partnership between the home and partner agencies. Leaders meet with the local authority monthly. This helps to ensure that the needs of the children in their care are prioritised. Inspection report for children’s home: SC377702 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that positive behaviour and relationships are reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. In particular, children should be supported to understand the impact of offending behaviour on others. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should ensure that they contact the local authority to request a review of the child’s care plan when a child is at serious risk of harm, such as being persistently missing from their placement (regulation 14(2)(e)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.12)  The registered person should ensure that records are kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36 (schedule 3(14)). This information should be shared with the placing authority and, where appropriate,

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Recommendations

with the child’s parents. Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff, or to 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)

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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: SC377702 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Holibrook House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Jhumat House, 160 London Road, Barking, Essex IG11 8BB

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Inspector

Angela Reid, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC377702 7 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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Inspector

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