Children's home run by Eliali MPC

Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 1 Registered provider: Eliali MPC

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 3 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home, and they contributed to the inspection.

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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: 2675423 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2024 Full Good 21/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive and trusting relationships with staff. They approach staff freely and with confidence, and staff respond in a nurturing and caring manner. This supportive environment helps children feel safe, valued and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in activities in the local community. They go to the local gym, for walks in the park, and to theme parks and go-karting. This helps children to develop their interests and supports their emotional wellbeing and self-esteem and develops their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The educational progress of 2 children is not yet at the required standard. While staff make consistent efforts to motivate and support children to engage in learning, this remains a challenge. Staff balance their persistent encouragement with empathy, given the difficulties children experience. For those children who are not in formal education or training, staff provide learning opportunities in the home to help maintain routine, build confidence and promote continued educational development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support children to celebrate their culture, religion, faith and beliefs. Children’s cultural needs and beliefs are well understood by staff. Children are supported to celebrate their traditional festivals in line with their beliefs. As a result, children feel valued, and are comfortable exploring their identity without the fear of being judged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to take an active role in their day-to-day care, helping them to develop important skills and independence. Children spend time with staff discussing matters outlined in their care plans. However, the extent of children’s contribution to these discussions is not always clearly recorded. It is also not evident that children fully understand what is expected of them.

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

The children have individual risk assessments and positive behaviour plans. These include known information about the children and information about their emerging needs and risks. Therefore, staff can identify and understand areas of risk and how best to respond to these risks to help keep the child safe.

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

Two children have had a high number of missing-from-home episodes. Staff follow the home’s missing-from-home procedures consistently and work closely with the local police and the children’s families to gather information that may help prevent further episodes. Children often choose to return to the home independently. In partnership with the local authority, staff have developed and implemented strategies aimed at reducing the frequency of these incidents and supporting the children to remain safe. Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 4 The managers and staff have been required to manage some serious incidents. Staff have remained resilient and committed to all the children and used their skills and relationships with children to keep them safe. Staff have worked closely with the home’s therapist, which has enabled them to understand children’s vulnerabilities.

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

External and involved professionals are positive about the support children receive from the manager and staff in helping them manage their behaviour. They report that communication with the home is consistently good. One social worker commented, ‘In relation to safeguarding, they go above and beyond.’

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

The manager follows rigorous recruitment processes to ensure that only adults assessed as safe and suitable to work with children are employed. On one occasion, the manager identified practice concerns relating to a staff member but did not hold any follow-up discussions. As a result, the staff member did not receive support to reflect on the needs of the children or their own practice. This also limits the manager’s ability to address concerns proactively and to ensure that staff receive any necessary guidance or support to develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is aspirational for children. The manager has developed a group of staff who are loyal and committed. Staff say they enjoy coming to work and receive good support from the manager. As a result, staff morale is high and they remain clearly focused on providing children with a high standard of care. Staff retention has ensured that the children experience a high level of consistency in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that there is diversity within the staff team. Children benefit from having a culturally diverse team of staff who are very positive role models.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have managed some challenging situations and behaviours, which have tested their resilience. Team meetings have taken place regularly, and priority meetings are held following significant incidents to fully understand what has happened. However, discussions about individual children are not a standard agenda item. As a result, staff are not always given dedicated time to reflect as a team, explore current issues or consider how best to support the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight of the home, particularly of incidents, has led to some shortfalls. Key documents lack the required scrutiny and evaluation by the manager. This prevents learning from events and improving practice, which could better support children’s outcomes. Leaders recognise this as a weakness and have identified areas for improvement. Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that records of incidents are clear and detailed and demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning. 24 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 24 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

staff receive training in neurodiversity and working with refugee children; documents are signed, dated and evidence good managerial oversight; the manager identifies staff practice issues and deals with these appropriately, and provide a learning review to identify opportunities to improve staff resilience and prevent future placement breakdowns.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘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: 2675423 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Regus 2, 1st Floor, Croxley Park, Watford, England, WD18 8YA.

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Inspector

Corline Parker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2675423 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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