Children's home run by Good News Nwk Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 1248509 1 Registered provider: Good News Nwk 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 home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager.

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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: 25 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1248509 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2025 Full Outstanding 11/03/2024 Full Outstanding 24/01/2023 Full Outstanding 22/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1248509 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently one child living at the home. The inspector spent some time with the child over the 2 days. There was a warm, friendly atmosphere shared between the child and the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has clear, predictable routines and consistent boundaries, which are embedded into their day. Staff are skilled at tailoring regular and focused one-to-one discussions, and social stories are carefully created to address topics of importance, for example developing independence, sharing space, community outings and keeping themselves safe. The team is committed to support the child to grow and develop in confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from a healthy lifestyle. Health needs are well managed in the children’s home, with staff demonstrating a proactive approach to meeting the child’s health needs. The child is supported to attend medical, dental and optical appointments, and there is evidence of good liaison with external health professionals. Staff promote a healthy lifestyle, monitor health outcomes and respond promptly to emerging health concerns. This helps the child to be healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child does not have access to an independent advocate. This could help to facilitate the child’s voice being heard in decisions affecting them. It could also support the child when moving on into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is provided with a homely environment. Their bedroom is personalised, and the child has a say in some aspects of the running of the home. Staff ensure that the child develops a sense of belonging and stability. While the home is furnished well, some of the internal fixtures and decorations are looking worn and tired.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child attends their educational provision. They are well prepared for the school day, and this helps them to learn. There is a proactive multi-agency network with the school and the home, with daily communication and updates. This supports the child to receive consistency in care and education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s contact with people important to them is encouraged and supported. The child’s family visits the home, and they go out into the community regularly. The child is supported to have visits at the family home. There is good communication between the home, family members and professionals. This contributes to the stability of the child’s placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the child with a genuine sense of emotional warmth and understanding. The child is involved in most aspects of their care, and they make positive progress. Inspection report for children's home: 1248509 4 However, there are missed opportunities to ensure that records are written in a way that will be helpful to the child. Some logs and records are repetitive and do not always give a clear overview of their progress.

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

The child benefits from positive, trusting relationships with staff, with interactions that are consistently respectful and nurturing. The child trusts staff and seeks interaction and reassurance from them. Staff speak about the child with enthusiasm and compassion. They demonstrate commitment to the child and go above and beyond to promote the holistic wellbeing and development of them while in their care. This supports the child to feel safe and secure.

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

The child’s individual risk assessments and support plans are detailed. Links are made between previous worries and potential triggers to difficult challenges. The vulnerabilities of the child are well understood, and the staff ensure that they are safeguarded across all aspects of their care. These plans help staff to understand how they can best provide safe care and support for the child.

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

The staff have completed all the relevant safeguarding and mandatory training. As a result, they have a clear understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They also receive bespoke training that is tailored to the needs of the child. This supports the child to be provided with the care and nurture they need to develop trusting relationships with the staff team.

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

Medication systems and processes are managed well and safely. Staff receive the necessary training to ensure they are confident and competent in this area there. While medication is stored and administered safely and in line with policy, the monitoring and review of recording have not been robust.

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

The child does not go missing from home, and they are not deemed to be at risk of exploitation. They always have staff care and supervision, which mitigates against many risks. Staff maintain their safeguarding training in these areas and remain alert to possible risk factors for the child in their care. As the child prepares to enter adulthood, staff have worked tirelessly to ensure they are as safe as possible and are supporting the child in developing their independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager. He speaks with commitment and dedication and is an integral part of the home. The manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the home, alongside a vision for the future that has the best care for the child at its core. The manager was open and transparent and consistently demonstrated professional integrity, making him an integral and positive influence in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1248509 5 Staff speak with pride about the home and enjoy their work. They express pleasure in spending time with the child and enhancing their experiences. Staff are well supported by the management team and each other. The manager and team leader are a visible presence and approachable. They work well together, and staff morale is positive. This supports the manager and the team to remain focused on bringing continued progress

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

because they understand this will benefit the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The induction process for new staff is comprehensive and thorough. Staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities that support them in meeting the needs of the child in their care. Staff say that the training they have received has greatly enhanced their understanding of the challenges the child may display. This has supported staff to adopt a more therapeutic approach when responding to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff experience a high level of support through regular one-to-one meetings and team meetings. These are reflective and mean that staff can learn lessons and adapt their own practice. Staff could benefit from further discussions in their one-to-one meetings on wider safeguarding issues. They also receive daily support and guidance from the manager and each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External scrutiny from the Regulation 44 visitor supports the manager in the monthly review of the home. The current visitor is insightful in identifying the strengths and areas for improvements and in highlighting the positive experiences and progress of the child at this home. This level of scrutiny is openly welcomed by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment processes are in place, ensuring that required checks are completed before staff begin working in the home and that only suitable individuals care for the child. However, a gap was identified in the recruitment records. The manager is aware of this shortfall and is taking action to address it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective management systems in place to support the monitoring of the quality of care. However, there are gaps in some recordings and logs. The manager is aware of the shortfalls and the areas that require improvement. The manager has completed the quality of care review and the review of premises, but he has not yet consulted relevant parties to inform these documents. This could further enhance the quality of care and support ongoing development in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1248509 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h)) 1 June 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible, this should be provided by a person whom the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support they need to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They should ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children's home: 1248509 7  The registered person should ensure that the content and/or outcomes of team

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Recommendations

meetings and one-to-one sessions reflect discussions on safeguarding issues, which allow staff to reflect on their practice and the needs and external wider risks of children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. In particular, 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)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive

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Recommendations

environment that meets the needs of their children. In particular, the internal decoration and fixtures should be updated in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvement for the children. In particular, the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff should be ascertained and considered. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 1248509 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: D M O Accountants, 25 Sanders Road, Finedon Road Industrial Estate, Wellingborough NN8 4NL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nokuthula Mangwendeza

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Inspector

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1248509 9 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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