Children's home run by MJ Residential Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2807509 1 Registered provider: MJ Residential Services 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 home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to two children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager were registered with Ofsted in November 2024. The manager was not present during the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2807509 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child was present during part of the inspection and said that they like living at the home, get on well with staff and enjoy engaging in lots of activities. They went on to say that staff support regular family time, which is important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

With the support of staff, the child has made progress. The child engages with education, learning mentoring, communicates with staff and is open about how they feel. Staff are working consistently to implement boundaries and routine. They use a therapeutic and calm approach, which is helping to build positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals said that the child’s attendance in education needs to be significantly improved. However, they said that staff communication is particularly good and ‘staff have done their best to support the child attending’. Another professional stated, ‘The home have tried very hard to engage the child in a way that makes them feel they have a home, and that they can depend on staff support.’ Additionally, they stated that the child makes positive comments about staff and seems very much ‘at home’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to enjoy regular outdoor activities. The child has spent time at the arcade, beach and playing pool. Staff help the child to maintain positive relationships and enjoy quality time with people who are important to them. They spend regular time with family on the weekends and join in family activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before the child moved into the home, the registered manager made robust plans so that the child was prepared, which helped to relieve any anxiety. To help the child feel welcome, staff took them to play pool and eat out. The registered manager arranged for family to accompany the child to the home, along with ensuring that the right staff covered shifts on the child’s first weekend in the home. Professionals said that there were online meetings and visits, and that staff made an effort to welcome the child and their family to ensure a successful move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to express their views during important conversations and in informal open discussions. This is particularly successful when driving in the car. However, the child is not engaged with advocacy services. Therefore, their views, wishes and feelings are not represented independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and cosy for the child. It is a decorated and furnished to a good standard. However, the child’s bedroom was very cluttered and untidy, and there was clothing all over the floor, which detracts from the homely feel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s guide does not inform children who the staff are, or who will be caring for them. It is printed in black and white and is not child friendly. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807509 3

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improvement to be good

The child has a keen interest in exercise and likes to play rugby, go boxing and attend the gym. However, the child has an extremely poor sleep pattern. They are up all night and can be very tired in the mornings. Furthermore, the child regularly vapes and sometimes smokes tobacco in the bedroom, meaning there are health concerns. Despite staff taking steps to address this, there are potential fire hazards in the home.

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improvement to be good

The child has devices with internet access. There are filtering systems in place, but the child has a mobile phone in their bedroom and access to social media and the internet during the night, which staff are not monitoring. Furthermore, staff have not supported or helped the child to understand how to keep safe online.

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improvement to be good

Staff said that they encourage the child to widen their basic independence skills, such as tidying their bedroom and cleaning. However, they have not taken effective steps to ensure that the child is prepared for becoming a young adult. The child does not do any independent tasks in the home and is not learning practical skills to equip them to live independently in the community.

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improvement to be good

Staff have supported the child to understand healthy relationships. They have explored and discussed consent, respect, safe sex and taking precautions. This helps the child to have the knowledge to make informed decisions when engaging in relationships.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers take immediate action to address concerns against staff, to keep the child safe. However, they do not seek external advice from safeguarding agencies and do not make a notification in line with the regulations.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow safeguarding protocols when the child goes missing and contact relevant agencies for support to ensure that the child returns to the home. However, the recording of incidents is confusing and does not align to the facts. This means that they are unhelpful for staff and limits the learning that can be taken from incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is currently absent from the home and there is an interim manager running the home. However, she was absent during the inspection and a manager from another home who currently has oversight was present to lead the inspection. This manager visits the home regularly and was able to give a detailed oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is effective communication between managers and staff. This helps to develop good team working. Staff regularly share their experiences and discuss concerns to ensure that they provide the child with the best-quality care. Staff reflect on their practice and use support from team meetings and supervision to ensure that the child lives in a positive home environment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807509 4 Staff enjoy working at the home and spending time with the child. They gave examples of the progress that the child has made with their support. This is because of the positive relationships they have built with the child, and the nurturing way they support them. Despite the absence of the registered manager, staff said that leaders and other managers offer regular, ongoing support. Staff complete a wide range of training to widen their expertise and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and review systems are in place to ensure that leaders and managers have good oversight of the home. They complete regular quality assurance audits so they can evaluate the quality of care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose has not been sent to Ofsted since the home was first registered. It contains out-of-date information and has not been updated as required. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807509 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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have the skills to prevent the child from smoking in their bedroom, so fire hazards are not a risk in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that children are supported to understand how to recognise and understand online risks and how to keep themselves safe online. Furthermore, the registered person should ensure that staff understand the child’s internet and social media use and the associated online risks.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that they seek advice and guidance from external safeguarding agencies when there are concerns about staff practice, and share information with Ofsted, as per the regulations. 1 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2807509 6 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(vi)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children are supported by staff to learn and develop skills for independence. 1 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 1 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2807509 7 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. Where children have specific health needs or conditions, they should be supported to manage these, subject to their age and understanding. In particular, the registered person should ensure that the child has ongoing support to stop vaping and smoking, which includes engaging in the relevant health services to support this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support. In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children know and understand that they are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home produces a children’s guide that is age-appropriate, provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure they understand it. In particular, the registered person should ensure that clear photographs of the home are included and that it contains information about staff, so that children know who will be caring for them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pg.24, paragraph 4.21)

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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: 2807509 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: MJ Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 21, Ergo Business Park, Kelvin Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, England SN3 3JW

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Inspector

Emma Fryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2807509 9 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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