Children's Home run by Heart and Home Living Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2833809 1 Registered provider: Heart and Home Living 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 privately owned and provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home and their views were considered as part of this inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager was not present at the time of the inspection. The deputy manager supported 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 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: 2833809 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys positive and meaningful relationships with staff. Staff show emotional warmth to the child and there is lots of fun and laughter. Regular one-to-one conversations are held between the staff and child. They discuss important issues and aspirations for the child, which help the child to build trusting relationships with staff. The child said, ‘It’s great here, I love it. I love the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from living in a warm, welcoming and well-maintained home. The environment is spacious and thoughtfully furnished to a high standard. There are lots of personal photographs and the child’s artwork proudly displayed around the home. This allows the child to express their individuality and feel a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have worked closely with education providers to help the child make good progress. Despite being out of formal education for a significant period, the child has successfully returned to full-time education and aspires for their future career choices. Staff understand and are supportive of these aspirations and are actively seeking options to support the child to achieve their future educational and career targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child spends valuable time with family members who are important to them. Staff support children with their family time and take time to build trust with the child’s family. This contributes to the stability of the child’s placement. One family member said, ‘They [staff] are amazing; every single worker I cannot fault, they are fabulous.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives comprehensive support with their physical, emotional and psychological well-being. Staff are responsive to the child’s needs and understand the traumatic experiences that children may have experienced. Reflective practice is underpinned by bespoke training events. Regular input from the organisation’s therapeutic team supports staff to understand complexities in behaviour and how to safely manage such needs. One professional said, ‘They are quite a magical team. I feel like their enthusiasm for growing and learning has been apparent from day one.’

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

Staff know the risks that the child can be exposed to. Support plans are made in collaboration with other professionals, including health, education and the local authority. Assessments of risk are balanced between keeping the child safe and allowing them to take age-appropriate risks. Assessments of risk are regularly reviewed, updated and shared with the staff, who follow these plans consistently.

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

Staff advocate for the child, who is subject to a restrictive court order, to ensure that any restrictions to their liberty are proportionate and regularly reviewed within the wider safeguarding network. Consequently, a robust multi-agency approach is in place to meet the child’s needs. However, although a recent development, the most current court order Inspection report for children's home: 2833809 3 is not available. This absence of a key document has not been escalated in a timely manner by leaders.

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

Staff use a nurturing and individualised approach to behaviour management strategies. Staff use tailored de-escalation techniques to meet the child’s specific needs. Strong and trusting relationships have been established, enabling staff to recognise the child’s verbal and non-verbal cues. As a result, behaviours are managed effectively, without the need for physical intervention.

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

Safeguarding incidents are managed effectively, with good oversight from the manager. All incidents are reviewed to ensure learning and development. This learning is regularly shared among the team. Staff refresh their safeguarding knowledge during regular and reflective supervision sessions and team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is innovative and ambitious. He is committed to providing a home where children can flourish. The manager has good support from a senior leadership team and a deputy team manager, who are equally as committed to the care and progress of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s oversight of the care provided to the child is good. He knows what is happening in the home daily. The manager has developed strong systems to assist him in monitoring the quality of care and the daily operations of the home. This ensures that standards of care continue to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager. They report that they can express their views and opinions and feel listened to by the manager. Although the staff team is newly established, staff benefit from a well-structured induction process, probationary reviews and access to ongoing professional development. As a result, staff are developing the skills and confidence to fulfil their roles effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose does not include all matters as outlined by regulation, in detailing the experience and qualifications of staff. Senior managers are aware of this and have taken steps to address the outstanding information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Thorough recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that staff working with the child are suitable to do so. The manager has effective systems in place to monitor and review their continued suitability. Inspection report for children's home: 2833809 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child's needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child's needs (see regulations 5(c)). The registered person must ensure that all required legal documents are received in a timely manner and that any delays are escalated promptly. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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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 (paragraphs19 and 20). The plan should detail the necessary management and staffing structure, including any staff commissioned to provide health and education, the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2833809 5

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Heart and Home Living Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Highbank, Greenbank Crescent, London NW4 2LA

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Laurence Davison

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Inspector

Caroline Coop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2833809 6 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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