Children's Home run by 5ab Care Ltd in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2783759 1 Registered provider: 5ab Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately operated and provides care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties and have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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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: 20 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: 2783759 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2783759 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved into the home, and one child has moved on. The child who moved on lived at the home for a short period. Leaders and managers supported this child in moving to alternative accommodation in the organisation that was able to meet their growing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer children attuned and personalised care. The children currently living at the home have achieved stability and are making progress from their starting points. Feedback from professionals and parents highlights the positive impact staff support has had on the children’s development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote a healthy lifestyle for the children. They ensure that children attend preventative and specialist appointments as needed. This helps children achieve positive health outcomes. One child with a complex medical condition has made significant progress and no longer needs medication. This is due to the staff’s support and the lifestyle changes implemented. Staff have helped another child manage their medication, and they now independently take their multivitamins.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work in an inclusive manner. They encourage understanding and appropriately challenge discriminatory views. They help children explore their identity and what it means for them. Staff have open conversations with children about individuality and encourage them to attend relevant clubs and events. Staff and children celebrate different cultures. Children freely express themselves, making the home a supportive and inclusive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children developing self-worth. They know the children very well and encourage them with their hobbies and interests. One child attends a dance club, while another is a member of the Young Farmers’ Club. Children participate in varied activities with staff, such as holidays and trips to museums and the cinema. Staff use praise and celebrate positive events. Staff document these positive experiences in memory books. This helps children develop positive self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children achieve well in education. The children have learning packages that incorporate their individual needs. An education professional said that one child has made steady progress in their academic, personal and social development due to the staff’s support. This child has demonstrated improvements in engagement, confidence and independence. Staff support children in developing independence skills. One child enjoys volunteering, and another child has been helped to write and distribute their CV.

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

Staff use therapeutically informed approaches to supporting the children. They understand the risks children face and how their childhood experiences have affected Inspection report for children’s home: 2783759 4 them. Managers and the home’s therapist map children’s incidents monthly and share this information with relevant partner professionals, such as child and adolescent mental health services. Collaborative working with these health professionals informs care planning and medication reviews for children.

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

Staff are attuned to children experiencing distress. They are vigilant to children’s emotional presentation. Staff spend time with children and build relationships with them. They monitor the children’s wellbeing and support them in developing coping strategies. Staff follow clear protocols in managing risks. For example, staff managed to prevent harm during an incident for a child who was at risk of self-harm and ligaturing.

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

Staff help children understand personal safety. Children are now safer and more confident accessing the community unsupervised. Staff have conversations with children about online safety, stranger danger awareness and other important issues affecting them, such as healthy relationships and transitioning to adulthood.

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

Managers promptly respond to any concerns about staff practice. They share information with relevant professionals, such as the local authority designated officer for safeguarding and social workers. Managers promptly carry out investigations and address practice concerns with staff. They share learning with the wider staff team, which helps improve practice.

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

When children are distressed, staff use strategies such as distraction, using a calm voice and negotiation to support them. Physical interventions have been used appropriately to keep children and staff safe when such strategies have not been effective. Managers quickly review incidents and reflect on them with staff involved. However, the manager or a senior member of staff independent of the incident does not speak with the child. This undermines the potential to identify any concerns or how better to manage such situations in the future. This also limits opportunities for the child to freely express their feelings and views about the restraint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and holds a suitable relevant qualification. She is supported by a deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is sufficiently staffed by a core team of staff who say they are well supported and report positive morale. As a result, the manager retains staff, and there is no use of agency staff. Children are cared for by a consistent team of staff who know them well. This offers them stability and enables them to form trusting relationships with the adults who care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff value the supervision and support they receive from the manager. Supervision focuses on staff’s wellbeing and the children’s needs. Managers set specific and time- framed professional development goals for staff. Detailed discussions during regular team meetings and consultations with the home’s therapist help staff understand children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2783759 5 Staff benefit from various suitable and relevant training. They receive training that is specific to children’s needs, such as supporting sexuality and gender identity, neurodiversity, and preventing and managing self-harming behaviour. Managers promote further learning and reflection through discussion of safeguarding scenarios, which helps enhance staff’s knowledge and confidence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have sometimes delayed submitting serious incident notifications to Ofsted. This has potentially undermined Ofsted’s capacity to ensure that managers take appropriate actions to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains appropriate oversight of the home. The requirement raised at the last inspection has been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2783759 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is provided the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In particular, an impartial senior staff member should engage in a reflective conversation with the child to allow them to freely express their feelings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)  The registered person should ensure that there is a system in place to notify all serious incidents to the appropriate parties within 24 hours. Notifications should include details of the actions taken by the home’s staff in response to the incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63,

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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: 2783759 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Devonshire Business Centre, Unit 27 Works Road, Letchworth Garden City, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 1GJ

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Responsible individual:

Registered manager: Nadine Hewitt-Jamieson

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Inspector

Priscilla Koroka, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2783759 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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