Children's Home run by Highview Care Ltd in Haringey

Inspection report for children's home: 2709800 1 Registered provider: Highview Care Ltd

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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 privately owned home provides care for up to 6 children with emotional and/or social needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in January 2023. The manager registered in January 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were 5 children living at the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2709800 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2024 Full Good 16/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2709800 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they are happy living at the home, with one child stating that they ‘love’ living there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of the home is the quality of the relationships that managers and staff have developed with children. This is a significant area of progress for children who have previously found it difficult to trust adults. Staff provide children with clear boundaries, consistency and stability. One child was asked about their relationships with staff, and they said that they got on with most staff. When asked what they liked about staff, the child responded that ‘they treat me with respect’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate resilience and patience in supporting children with their education and in establishing routines. Managers and staff have good working relationships with schools, colleges and alternative education providers. Children who previously showed little interest in education have secured school or college placements and have undertaken examinations in English and mathematics. Staff celebrate all progress that children make and provide incentives to help keep children motivated. Consequently, children understand that education is important to their progress and feel that staff will not give up on them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to engage in a wide range of social and leisure activities. Staff work hard to encourage children to take part in activities both in and outside the home. Where children express an interest in activities, such as fitness or music, staff actively support them to participate. This includes accompanying children to the gym or providing opportunities for music production. These experiences help children develop confidence and self-esteem through positive activities, supported by staff who understand them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to have a say in what happens in the home, including the activities they take part in, the food they eat and their likes and dislikes. Attendance at children’s home meetings is incentivised to ensure that children are involved in decision- making. Staff also use these meetings to check in with children about house rules, such as being respectful to one another. Children can also talk with their allocated staff member during structured one-to-one sessions. Consequently, children feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain meaningful relationships with family and friends, and they recognise the importance of these positive connections for children’s emotional wellbeing. Where children express a wish to do so, staff facilitate meetings with parents and family members to help mediate and repair relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector observed effective planning for a child moving into the home who was known to feel anxious about the move. Staff and managers worked closely with a range of professionals involved with the child to develop a detailed transition plan. Staff Inspection report for children's home: 2709800 4 created a personalised video of the home, narrated by the deputy team manager, who shared the child’s culture and dialect to help the child feel more comfortable. Staff also keep in touch with children who move on from the home in a planned way, which supports children to settle and promotes a sense of belonging.

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

Children spoken to say that they feel safe in the home. Staff are clear about their role in keeping children safe. Staff have developed positive relationships with children over time, building rapport and trust. This helps staff to notice changes in children’s mood or behaviour that may indicate a worry or concern, particularly when children may struggle to express this themselves. Children said that if they had a worry or concern, they would approach a staff member for support.

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

Staff and managers complete detailed safety plans and risk assessments for each child, helping to ensure that everyone understands the individualised approach to keeping children safe. Staff and managers involve partners from the multidisciplinary safeguarding network when developing these plans, including youth offending teams, the police, schools and local authority professionals. Children are also consulted and encouraged to share their views about their plans. Staff and managers review and update plans when new concerns arise or when children’s circumstances change. This collaborative approach strengthens the plans and helps to keep children safer.

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

Where children are subject to specific court-related orders, such as referral orders or deprivation of liberty orders, staff and managers support children to understand and follow the requirements of these orders.

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

Staff talk to children about keeping safe through informal chats as well as structured discussions. Children can complete online learning on a range of topics to help them develop their understanding of safety.

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

Although there have been short periods of reduction in incidents of children going missing from home since the last inspection, this remains a feature for some children living at the home and continues to present a challenge for staff and managers. Staff and managers understand the factors that influence children’s missing-from-home episodes and work closely with children to help them consider making safer choices. Staff use effective mapping of children’s networks and contacts, which helps them to have an informed sense of where children may be or how to communicate with them if they go missing from home. Return home interviews take place and contribute to developing a better understanding of children’s networks and risks.

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

Incidents in the home do not occur frequently. However, when they do, staff and managers take appropriate action to safeguard children and, where possible, seek reparation. When behaviour places the safety of other children or staff at risk, managers make decisions about next steps in consultation with the wider professional network, which may include children moving on from the home. Managers maintain clear Inspection report for children's home: 2709800 5 oversight of incidents and provide opportunities for staff to reflect on actions taken and consider what could be done differently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management team consists of experienced and suitably qualified individuals. Leaders and managers are ambitious for the home and seek to develop ways of working with children that may be new or innovative and, in time, shared with others. Leaders and managers hold high expectations for children and, through a strong focus on health, education and stability, demonstrate a clear commitment to reducing barriers and creating opportunities for children to succeed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have effective systems in place to monitor day-to-day activity in the home and the quality of care provided to children. A quality assurance manager provides an additional layer of oversight by reviewing compliance with regulations and guidance and offering advice on practice development, including the embedding of trauma-informed approaches.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers value staff and place good emphasis on staff development through a comprehensive induction and training programme. Leaders and managers identify potential in staff and recognise achievements through the presentation of awards. Staff who demonstrate the skills and confidence to take on additional responsibility are supported to progress into senior roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoken to say that they enjoy working at the home and describe it as being like a family. Staff describe managers as accessible and supportive. Staff receive regular supervision, which balances discussions about safeguarding and children’s progress with attention to staff development and wellbeing. Staff appraisals include feedback from peers and children, which strengthens the quality and fairness of performance evaluation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers promote a strong safeguarding culture in the home. They achieve this by encouraging open dialogue between children and staff, maintaining clear communication and recording in the staff team and engaging regularly with safeguarding partners.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One social worker described the strengths of the management team as ‘communication, relationship building, multi-agency working, managing risks and encouraging education, family time and other aspects of life’. Inspection report for children's home: 2709800 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure consistent recording of children’s interactions and observations, capturing each child’s lived experience along with their views, opinions and responses. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2709800 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 54 Bluebridge Road, Brookmans Park, Hatfield AL9 7SA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Stellakis Miltiadous

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Inspector

Colin Bent, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2709800 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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