Children's Home run by Capital Children’s Care Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2575372 1 Registered provider: Capital Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run home that provides care for up to three children aged 11 to 18 years who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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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 manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2025

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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: 2575372 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Good 24/05/2023 Full Good 27/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/12/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2575372 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. All three spent time with the inspector. Children say they are extremely happy at the home and that there is nothing about the home they would change. One child said, ‘I would not change anything, the manager is a diamond. I want to live here forever.’ Children receive high-quality care that makes them feel valued and secure. All of the children are thriving and are making significant progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are enthused by their work and create an environment based on family values. Relationships between staff and children are warm, affectionate and loving. Staff are curious and support children to grow in all areas of their development. As a result of these relationships, children build trust and feel secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the last inspection, three children have moved out of the home. Moves for the children are well planned, and children are supported to visit their new homes before leaving. Two children who moved out to supported accommodation are supported by staff in an outreach capacity. The children often visit the home for dinner and spend time with the children who currently live at the home. They speak positively about their experiences of living at the home and the continued support offered by staff. One child said, ‘They [staff] are always there if I need them, it’s the reason I still come to visit. It is the closest place that has felt like a family, well they are my family.’ These ongoing relationships have provided children with continuity of care and valued support long after they move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support and motivate children with their learning and future ambitions. Children’s educational attendance is high, and all children have made substantial progress with their learning. Three children achieved exam success, and each was supported to find work, apprenticeships or college opportunities. One child successfully completed an apprenticeship in landscaping; another was successful in obtaining work in an education provision. This approach by staff has enabled children to make incredible progress with their education and supported them with their future aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff understand the challenges faced by children who move on to independent living, and they support children to prepare for their moves into adulthood. The manager has developed a research-based individualised independent living programme to support and teach children life skills. Children have completed work in budgeting, cooking and money management. This approach enables children to take an increased responsibility towards daily activities and successfully assists their moves into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff carry out high-quality reflective and purposeful work to ensure that each child’s voice is heard through informal conversations, house meetings and consultation sessions. Staff sensitively support children to be open and talk about their wishes, feelings and concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: 2575372 4 Staff celebrate all the children’s achievements, inviting people who are important to the children to join in these celebrations. This helps to ensure that the children’s views are central to the care they receive and that the children feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage children to take part in a range of activities that reflect their individual interests. These include football stadium tours, sightseeing in cities and trips to theme parks. Children attend, boxing, football and martial arts clubs in the community. These activities widen the children’s social circles and provide them with meaningful experiences.

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

Staff understand and manage risk well. As a result, the risks that children face have significantly reduced. Children who struggled with sexual harmful behaviour and self-harm are now safer. Risk assessments, safety plans and behaviour support plans are clear, concise and followed meticulously by staff.

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

Staff help children to identify what support they need and be involved in the development of their behaviour support plans. Children are helped to think about strategies they will find helpful when they are struggling. Children’s views are included in their plans, and staff use the approaches that the children suggest. This approach has helped to ensure children feel heard and has aided their self-reflection and development of positive coping mechanisms.

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

Staff are skilled in using de-escalation strategies to respond to children’s anxieties. The use of physical intervention is rare. When used, it is proportionate and used appropriately to reduce risk. After such interventions, staff offer children emotional support and space to reflect. Managers review each incident and talk to children and staff about what happened. Learning from these conversations is shared and used to inform children’s plans.

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

When children have raised concerns about staff, these have been thoroughly investigated and quickly shared with the relevant professionals. The manager ensures children are kept informed, and child-focused letters are used to inform the children of the outcomes of their concerns. When the manager has identified that improvements to staff practice are required, they support staff to reflect and complete the required improvements. This approach ensures that children’s concerns are taken seriously and that staff are supported to develop their practice.

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

Children’s health and well-being needs are well assessed. There are strong links with health professionals and specialist services. The manager seeks specialist support when this is necessary and has carried out research to meet the children’s specific needs. Children who were previously not engaging in therapeutic intervention now regularly attend appointments, and their emotional well-being has significantly increased. One professional said:

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

‘Staff have had to find many different strategies to support. They have not just used one way, they are creative and absolutely phenomenal. [The child] now engages with Inspection report for children’s home: 2575372 5 therapy. They have the predictability, support and stability they need to relax and regulate which is just amazing.’

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

On those occasions when children have gone missing from home, staff have taken effective action. On the children’s return, they are warmly welcomed home and supported to reflect on their time away from the home. Staff encourage the children to talk about the reasons for their absence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The suitably qualified and experienced manager is dedicated to her role. She is inspirational and focused on improving the lives of children in her care. Staff say that they feel inspired and valued by the manager. As a result, staff are enthused by their work, and a culture of high aspirations positively cascades throughout the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff fully understand the home’s model of care, which underpins their practice. They regularly carry out adaptive reflection and learning to understand the children’s behaviour and the impact that previous life experience has had on them. Leaders and managers promote a strong culture of learning. Staff are encouraged to study, review and implement various areas of research. They present these to each other during team meetings and workshops. Continual learning and sharing of approaches support staff to further improve the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager undertakes effective monitoring of the home and has appropriate monitoring systems in place to continually review the quality of care provided to children. Highly effective monitoring systems used by the manager have resulted in identified areas for development. The manager has carried out detailed reviews to address shortfalls. This approach limits any negative impact on the children and ensures improvements are continually made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Safer staff recruitment processes are followed. New staff are supported to complete a detailed induction and receive twice-monthly supervision, which focuses on their practice, development and well-being. This supports new staff to reflect on what they have learned, and they receive regular support throughout their induction period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff receive regular high-quality supervision and annual appraisals. Supervision sessions focus on the children’s needs and reflective practice. Staff make use of their clinical supervision and are offered one-to-one sessions if they require them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive a wide range of training that equips them with the skills they need to meet the children’s individual needs. Staff either hold a relevant qualification for their roles or are working towards this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from professionals is extremely postive. They describe the quality of care provided to children and the communication as ‘fantastic’, ‘consistent’ and ‘phenomenal’. One social worker said: Inspection report for children’s home: 2575372 6 ‘They [staff] have just been fantastic from the start. They are one of the best providers I have ever worked with. They go above and beyond. They know the child really well and there is genuine care there. [The child] is doing amazing.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2575372 7

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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: 2575372 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Capital Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Pike Way, North Weald, Epping CM16 6BL

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Inspector

Syvanna Matthew, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2575372 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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