Children's home run by Jubilee House Care Trust Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2693971 1 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 short-break service is run by a large charitable organisation. The home provides short breaks for up to 6 children with learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 15 January 2025.

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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: 28 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: 2693971 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2025 Full Good 05/12/2023 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2693971 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, 26 children were using the planned short-break service and 7 children were actually having short breaks at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good individual progress. Several children are now able to spend short periods of time at a dining table. One parent commented: ‘Our son no longer needs medication to sleep. We put this down to the huge effort and benefits of the overnight stays.’ Staff set achievable goals for children. They consult with the children and parents when setting these goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities and positive experiences that they would not normally have. Short breaks for children have played an important role in helping children to remain living with their families. Parents have said: ‘We are lucky to have the support they give,’ and ‘We can’t thank the home enough.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before children start, staff make thoughtful and detailed plans. They visit the children at school, arrange introductory visits and liaise with the family to gain an understanding of the child’s like, dislikes and needs. This gradual approach supports children to settle well during their stays and reduces anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supervised closely and enjoy individual attention from staff. Children were observed to be relaxed and familiar with staff. Staff spoke fondly about the children and were knowledgeable about their vulnerabilities and interests. One child said: ‘It is the best, love the trips, nothing I don’t like.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are not consistently using or displaying the alternative communication tools with children despite them being readily available. This reduces the opportunity for all children to make choices and express their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is sparse and looks clinical in some areas. The rear garden fence needs painting. This was identified at the last inspection and has not been addressed. Although the home has a well-equipped soft play and sensory room, the range of toys and other resources to support children’s stimulation is limited.

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

Children’s care plans are detailed and specific to each child. They address all aspects of the child’s individual care needs. This gives staff clear guidance to look after the children well. Managers agree children’s care plans with their parents and social workers.

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

There have been no significant incidents. There have been a number of low-level incidents, which have been managed well. Children receive emotional support and staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2693971 4 use individual approaches with children to support them to manage their behaviours and respond calmly and consistently to help them regulate their feelings.

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

Children are provided with positive praise and rewards to reinforce their individual achievements and progress.

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

Some children experience infrequent stays. As a result, their care needs change between stays. Handover meetings and wellbeing check-ins prior to children’s stays are used effectively to ensure that staff have up-to-date information. This means staff can provide safe, good-quality care.

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

On one occasion, a nonverbal child sustained unexplained injuries while receiving personal care. Leaders and managers explored this with staff and notified the child’s social worker. Some information remained unclear. Leaders and managers have not shared this with safeguarding partners for external oversight. This does not reflect the home’s safeguarding procedures and shows that some staff do not fully understand their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is confident and dedicated, with a clear vision for the service. She speaks passionately about the children and is knowledgeable about each of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a range of opportunities to upskill themselves and continue their professional development, ensuring confidence and competence to meet the needs of children. Staff have access to many training opportunities. The training includes bespoke training to meet the specific needs of individual children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and professionals speak highly of the service and say they would struggle without it. Feedback is consistently positive about the impacts and progress both children and their families have made because of accessing the service. One social worker said: ‘[Name]’s transformation since his involvement with the service has been remarkable.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported through a detailed induction programme. Staff find this level of support effective in helping them to understand their role. Regular team meetings ensure consistency of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Independent visits lack feedback from families and professionals, hindering the ability to identify and act on areas of concerns or development. Additionally, the independent person does not always spend time with or explore the views of children during these visits. Consequently, this obstructs Ofsted’s view of practice regarding children’s wellbeing and safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2693971 5

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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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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)) 27 April 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children, maintaining a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. In particular, the registered person should ensure that the environment is homely and provides children with the resources to play. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that each child is provided with support (appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. This may include the use of and support to use communication aids, equipment and/or any necessary language support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)  The registered person should make best use of information from independent

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Recommendations

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) Inspection report for children’s home: 2693971 6

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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: 2693971 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: 6 Silver Court, Watchmead, Welwyn Garden City AL7 1LT

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Inspector

Naomi Starbuck, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2693971 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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