Children's home run by Enlightery Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2817154 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that is registered to care for up to two children. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for the registered manager is currently vacant.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2817154 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment is welcoming and child friendly, and children enjoy decorating their bedrooms to their own personal style. One child sees this as their home, and another child is settling in, having moved recently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with individualised care and support to enable them to reach their full potential. A child has formed secure relationships with staff, who have provided a consistent and nurturing approach. This has given the child stability, and they feel that there is always ‘someone to help you’ at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are registered with primary care health services, and staff help them to access specialist support when needed. Staff can meet the children’s individual needs and are good advocates for them. The manager ensures that reasonable adjustments are in place for children, such as having health assessment and opticians appointments take place in the home. These adjustments support children to feel more comfortable and reduce stress during health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s education. One child attends school and is making good progress. There is good communication between staff and the school to support the child. An external professional working with the child praised the staff’s positive contribution and advocacy to enrolling the child in education. Staff have organised bespoke home tutoring for another child while waiting for the child’s admission into an education setting. Staff engage children in educational activities at the home and in the community, which support their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with their families, friends and people who are important to them are promoted. Children whose family live far away are offered practical support with transportation, and staff are available to support them emotionally whenever needed during family time. Staff make every effort to support children to attend their preferred activities and family traditions, while ensuring that the local authority’s care plans are followed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, the managers carefully consider their needs and the impact of these on the children already living at the home. There is close communication with the placing authority, visits to the home and observations of the dynamics between the children before a final decision is made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to ensuring that children’s voices are heard. Decisions concerning the children’s routines and care planning are made in consultation with them. Whenever possible, staff ensure that the children’s views are put into practice in the day- to-day running of the home. Staff hold open conversations with children when it is not possible to act upon their wishes. These include discussing why it is not safe or in their Inspection report for children’s home: 2817154 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

best interests to do so, or how changes in the household composition could support the children to develop better interpersonal and independence skills. However, the handover communication between staff is not always consistent, particularly in relation to changes in children’s wishes and planned activities. This can lead to frustration for children and has a potential impact on their behaviours.

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

Children feel safe at the home and benefit from individual support from staff. Staff’s positive relationships with the children contribute to the reduction of risk and help children to make safer choices. The managers collaborate with the local community, including neighbours, to advocate for the children’s rights and use of the facilities.

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

Staff promote, praise and encourage positive behaviour and relationships between the children. Staff have individual discussions and mediation with the children to support them to safely manage their own emotions and expectations and develop an understanding and empathy towards each other.

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

When children are not settling in the home, or when the arrival of new children unsettles the children already living at the home, the managers take proactive steps to ensure that the children’s care plans are reviewed with the placing authority and the team around the child.

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

Physical restraint and missing-from-home incidents are low in number. When children go missing from home, staff’s response is prompt. They stay in contact with the child, consult with the police, when necessary, and social workers and maintain good communication with children’s parents. A parent gave positive feedback in relation to staff keeping them informed about their child’s behaviour and working together to support the child.

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

Staff are trained in restraint techniques and use alternative de-escalation methods as a first choice to manage children’s behaviours. Physical intervention is used as a last resort. When used, it is proportionate and necessary to prevent the children experiencing serious harm. Restrictive practices are in place to protect the children currently living at the home and manage known risks, such as self-harming. There is a good balance between restrictive practices and supporting children to develop independent living skills.

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

Staff and managers have a good insight into children’s behaviours. Managers and staff’s approach is balanced and child centred when implementing boundaries and supporting children to reflect on their behaviours. There are age-appropriate parental controls on children’s devices, which are set up with consideration to known risks. The children are receptive to staff’s advice and feel supported. For example, one child feels comfortable to share the content they access online with staff and often seeks advice about how this affects them.

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

However, staff have not always been vigilant about children’s virtual contacts, and they did not supervise one child sufficiently in the community. On one occasion, this led to Inspection report for children’s home: 2817154 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

staff being unable to identify and prevent risks associated with substance misuse and the child’s contact with potentially unsafe individuals. The managers completed reflective sessions with staff, and further safeguarding training was arranged for all staff. Children’s risk assessments are up to date and more-robust behaviour responses are now in place to safeguard the children. Room searches are proportionate to the identified risk, while respecting the children’s dignity. Staff use the risk assessments as live tools to inform their behaviour management responses and support the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

This is a new home that experienced some challenges in the past six months since registration. The home’s manager is new to the home, although she has experience of working within the organisation. The manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Initially, the provider appointed an independent person who did not visit the home every month, particularly when there were no children living at the home. When they visited, the independent person had limited interactions with the children and sought little feedback from external professionals and families. This meant that the independent person’s observations were mainly based on the provider’s self-reporting progress. The independent visitor did not provide copies of their monthly reports to Ofsted. The provider identified this shortfall and has commissioned a new independent person to complete the monthly visits to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is good multi-agency working between managers and social workers, health professionals, education staff and youth offending workers. Significant incidents are discussed with the professional network and safety plans are drafted together to ensure consistent support for children. However, not all the serious events that relate to the welfare and protection of the children are reported to Ofsted. This limits the regulator’s ability to monitor how the provider ensures that the children are always safeguarded and their welfare promoted throughout the year.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff did not always update the manager of significant events and incidents as and when they happened. This affected the manager’s ability to provide immediate advice and timely management oversight. The managers have addressed this via team meetings and reflective supervision with staff. There is a plan to address staff’s roles and responsibilities at future team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is appropriately staffed and resourced to meet the children’s individual needs in line with their care plans. However, the ratio of agency staff to permanent staff is disproportionate, with a much higher number of agency staff. This does not significantly impact the care provided to children as the same agency staff are commissioned alongside permanent staff. There is always a senior member of staff available to support staff and the children. Children feel that they can confide in the deputy manager about any concerns or complaints about the day-to-day running of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2817154 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

All staff, including the agency staff, benefit from induction, mandatory training and specific training to meet the child’s individual needs. There is regular and effective supervision with staff. Both agency and permanent staff gave positive feedback about the support they receive from the management team. However, the management team does not know if all the agency staff have the necessary qualifications required to work with children, as they rely on the staff’s respective agencies to complete the vetting process. The management team has requested this information from staff’s agencies and is considering supporting staff to obtain the necessary qualifications if needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager, deputy and the responsible individual have a good understanding of the children’s needs and care plans. They support the children to achieve their goals for their future. Children’s records are detailed and reflect children’s every-day experiences, the support they receive from staff and their achievements. The records, including the care plans, are available to children to see, and staff discuss the known risks with children. The managers use feedback from children and external professionals to improve the children’s experiences at the home. The manager, deputy manager and responsible individual know the strengths and areas for improvement and identify clear and realistic plans for how to address the identified shortfalls. Inspection report for children’s home: 2817154 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirements Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirements Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

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Requirements Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to— HMCI

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Requirements Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirements Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirements Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 31 January 2025

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirements Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirements Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b)(d)) 31 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2817154 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living at the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the behaviour management strategy is understood and applied by staff, kept under review and revised where appropriate. This should include better behaviour responses around phone and internet safety and when children spend time with unknown individuals, better communication between staff, and between staff and the management team. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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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: 2817154 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 35 Ballards Lane, London N3 1XW

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Inspector

Claudia Poienar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2817154 9 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

and inspects to 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information

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Inspector

Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

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Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 2817154 10 OFSTED USE ONLY

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