Children's home run by Jamores Limited in Bexley

Inspection report for children’s home: 1237027 1 Registered provider: Jamores Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties and have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in May 2016.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection, and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1237027 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/07/2024 Full Good 29/11/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Good 28/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1237027 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All three children spoke to the inspector during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make outstanding progress in the home. Staff know the children well and build trusting relationships that provide them with stability. Care plans are implemented effectively, and children receive high-quality, individualised care that helps them achieve positive outcomes. One parent said, ‘Since being in the home, [name of child] has settled down a lot; the ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) assessment was set up and completed, they worked really hard to get that done. I’m happy with all the work they’ve done.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make excellent progress in their education. All children in the home have full- time education placements and maintain good attendance levels. Staff work effectively with social workers and education providers to secure appropriate opportunities for learning. As a result, two children have transitioned to specialist schools where they are making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff proactively promote children’s mental and physical well-being. They ensure that children receive assessments when needed and advocate on their behalf if there are delays in accessing services. For example, the registered manager escalated a request for an urgent psychiatric assessment for a child. This resulted in the child receiving timely treatment and help to reduce their distress. This approach helps children to receive the support they need and promotes positive health outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children feel confident raising concerns and complaints. Their views are taken seriously and treated with respect. Complaints are fully investigated, and children receive thoughtful responses that explain the outcome. Apologies are given where appropriate, and restorative actions are taken. This approach helps children trust in the adults in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff ensure that children’s views are actively sought. Weekly house meetings are held, at which children’s views are gathered. Their feedback is used to shape their care and experiences in the home. Staff encourage participation and use incentives to support this. The home’s children’s council, which involves a child representative, offers another forum for children to express their views and influence decisions in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children live in a warm and comfortable environment. The home is clean and tidy, and the colourful decor and soft furnishings give it a homely atmosphere. The garden provides good outdoor space and has a range of play equipment, including a football goal, trampoline and punchbag. However, some areas, including walls and bannisters, have marks and chips in the paintwork. Inspection report for children’s home: 1237027 4

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

Incidents in the home are safely managed. Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s behaviours and take appropriate action to support and address them. They are skilled in managing challenging behaviours effectively, and, as a result, incidents are safely de-escalated without the need for police assistance. One professional said, ‘When [name of child] displays challenging behaviours, such as spitting, they respond with clear and calm boundaries, and [name of child] responds well, without getting further heightened.’ Discussions about incidents take place in team meetings. This means that all staff are informed and up to date with children’s safety plans.

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

Children’s risk assessments are detailed and comprehensive. All the known risks to each child are evaluated, and risk levels are clearly graded. The documents are easy to follow and outline proactive strategies to minimise risk and support children following incidents. Risk assessments are kept under regular review so that children’s needs continue to be met effectively. They are written from a trauma-informed perspective, which helps staff respond to children with sensitivity.

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

Allegations against staff are managed robustly and in line with safeguarding procedures. Appropriate referrals are promptly made to the local authority designated officer (LADO), and children’s social workers are kept fully informed. Referrals that do not meet the threshold for LADO involvement are internally investigated. Records are detailed and clearly outline the reasons for the conclusions drawn. This approach demonstrates to children that staff value their opinions and take proactive measures to ensure their safety.

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

Physical interventions are proportionate and effective. Staff use a range of de-escalation strategies and only physically intervene when there is a significant risk of harm to the child or others, or property damage. Incidents are recorded in detail, providing a clear picture of events and enabling reflective learning to inform future practice. Full debriefs with children and staff take place. Management oversight is robust and provides a thorough analysis of each incident and clear actions to support ongoing improvement.

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

Staff support children in developing safe relationships with each other. The manager is proactive in carrying out research and seeking professional advice when needed and putting this into practice. This provides insight and understanding into children’s relationship dynamics and enables staff to carry out meaningful work with children to address and reduce challenging behaviours. Staff are consistent in using incentives and consequences to promote a safe living environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership at the home is highly effective. Staff are led by an experienced registered manager, who knows the children very well and has a deep insight into their needs and behaviours. She gives the team excellent support. A support worker said: Inspection report for children’s home: 1237027 5 ‘She is a great leader and has pushed the majority of the team to be the best version of themselves, and I’m one of them. She provides clear guidance and ensures we all gain knowledge in our day-to-day work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Three senior support workers, along with a responsible individual who brings extensive experience to the role, support the registered manager. Together, they inspire a culture in which staff feel valued and well supported and create a nurturing, family-like environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the children in their care. They can clearly explain the progress that children have made since they moved into the home. Their practice is competent and underpinned by the home’s therapeutic ethos. They speak about the children with warmth and compassion. All the staff are permanent employees, which brings continuity to the relationships with children and in the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training for staff is excellent. They have a solid understanding of the home’s therapeutic principles, and these are embedded in practice. Staff benefit from regular reflective sessions with a therapist, and the registered manager is proactive in seeking extra support and training when needed. The team implements recommended strategies well. For example, each child has their own section of the garden to grow their own produce, which is informed by research on how gardening can provide a safe space and the value of this for children who have experienced trauma. This approach has supported children to experience stability at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Communication is a strength, both in the home and with external professionals. Staff experience transparent and supportive communication from managers and across the team. They work closely with children’s social workers to ensure that key information about children’s well-being is shared in a timely manner. Concerns are raised when necessary, and advocacy for children is strong. This high quality of communication contributes to positive outcomes and ensures that children’s voices are heard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders ensure that children are central to discussions in team meetings. The meetings focus on key aspects of children’s care and enable staff to develop a shared understanding of best practice and consistency in their approach. The registered manager addressed a recent staff-related incident at a team meeting. As a result, staff are clear about the expectations of their professional conduct in their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has a workforce development plan. However, this lacks information about arrangements for staff induction, probation, and supervision. Inspection report for children’s home: 1237027 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan that can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. This specifically relates to ensuring that all areas of the home’s interior continue to be refurbished so that they are all of a similar

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Recommendations

suitable standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1237027 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Thames Innovation Centre, Studio 52, Veridion Way, Erith DA18 4AL

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Inspector

Jo Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1237027 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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