Children's home run by Jubilee House Care Trust Limited in Welwyn Hatfield

Inspection report for children's home: SC019441 1 SC019441 Registered provider: Jubilee House Care Trust 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 run by a registered charity and provides short breaks for up to 5 disabled children aged between 5 and 18. Daycare is also offered for children who have similar needs.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were having short breaks 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

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2025

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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: SC019441 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Good 10/10/2022 Full Good 17/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC019441 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, 50 children were being supported on a rotational basis by this short-break service. Children have excellent experiences and value their short breaks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by dedicated and enthusiastic staff. Relationships between children and staff are affectionate and warm. Staff are curious and attuned to the children's individual needs. As a result, children make progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have a gradual introduction process to ensure they feel comfortable before staying overnight. This process is flexible and aligns with each child's individual needs. Staff allow as much time as necessary for them to feel settled at the home. Staff support children to build trusting relationships and friendships. This approach supports children to develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and inviting. A well-resourced sensory room, indoor soft play and purposeful communication boards supports children's additional sensory needs. Bedrooms are themed and offer a homely environment. Children have access to books, games and toys for their enjoyment when visiting. This provides a stimulating environment that meets the children's needs and preferences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop independence skills. Children work towards achievable targets that are individualised to their needs. Staff help children to develop these skills through tailored approaches and regularly review the children's progress adapting these if necessary. The children have made substantial progress with their community access, preparation for adulthood and social relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy an exciting and wide range of activities. Recent trips to local farms, cafes, soft play, and trampoline parks meet children's interests. Staff capture children's activities through photos that are shared with the children and their families. This ensures children have memories of these special moments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's views are central to the home. Staff thoughtfully support children to communicate their wishes, through regular consultations. Some children have expressed the wish to make friends. Staff have ensured that this opportunity has been available to them, organising opportunities for children to build postive relationships with one another. Regular consultations take place with children's family members and carers. Information provided is incorporated into children's plans. These approaches help to support children to feel listened to and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and professionals provide overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding the care provided to children. One parent said, 'Everyone goes above and beyond to help and Inspection report for children's home: SC019441 4 support [name of child] and us as a family. It is a fantastic environment and my child's happy place’.

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

Risk assessments and care plans clearly identify children's known and emerging vulnerabilities. Plans are reviewed regularly and implemented consistently to help keep children safe.

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

Staff are well trained in understanding of effective safeguarding practice. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities to safeguard the children and are aware of the children's additional vulnerabilities.

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

Staff use individual approaches with children to support them to manage their behaviours. Implementation of appropriate behaviour support strategies and positive relationships help to reduce incidents. The manager completes a rigorous analysis of all incidents, and this identifies triggers to children's anxieties. Staff are skilled in de- escalation methods. As a result of these approaches, no physical interventions have been necessary since the last inspection.

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

Managers and staff carefully plan to ensure that children are well matched as group when staying for a short break. This includes working closely with parents and professionals to build a thorough understanding of the children's needs. Staff regularly consult parents and use information provided to update children's plans. This approach has supported appropriate friendships between the groups of children who stay.

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

When complaints have been received, leaders and managers thoroughly investigate these and provide appropriate resolution to those who have raised concerns. When leaders and managers identify practice improvements, these are shared with staff. Lessons learned and identified improvements are actioned. This approach ensures that there are sufficient opportunities for growth and improvements to staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home's long-standing manager left the home in October 2025. A new manager was appointed and has recently applied to register with Ofsted. The previous manager worked alongside the interim manager and has since become the homes responsible individual. This has enabled a smooth handover of the management arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has worked at the home for several years and knows the service and children well. An experienced and knowledgeable responsible individual supports her. Both are focused on improving the quality of care provided. Staff speak highly of the manager and responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff are a long-standing team. Newer staff members are supported to work through an informative induction and supported by experienced staff. This has ensured that new staff build the confidence and skills to work effectively with children. Inspection report for children's home: SC019441 5 Leader's and managers support staff to reflect on their practice during supervision sessions and team meetings. This supports staff to continually improve their practice and strengthens the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good level of oversight and a strong understanding of the strengths and areas of development. Detailed reviews take place by the manager which focus on the children's experiences and progress. These are regularly shared with staff and discussed. This approach fosters continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a good range of training to support staff with the skills they need to meet the children's individual needs. Staff have recently attended sessions in providing therapeutic support. However, there are gaps in the staff's knowledge and skills in supporting alternative communication aids for children. Further training would be of benefit in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring by an independent person provides an appropriate level of scrutiny to guide improvements. However, the independent person does not contact parents or professionals frequently and does not always spend time with or explore the views of children during these visits. Therefore, the additional safeguards intended by this form of monitoring are not always in place. Inspection report for children's home: SC019441 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make best use of information from independent monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. The independent person's consultations with children, their families and professional network should be more frequent. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, ensure that staff receive training in alternative methods of communication. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC019441 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Jubilee House Care Trust Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Jubilee House Care Trust, 6 Silver Court, Watchmead, Welwyn Garden City AL7 1LT

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Inspector

Syvanna Matthew, Social Care Inspector Abby Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC019441 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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