Children's Home run by Essential Living Care Ltd in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2817686 1 Registered provider: Essential Living Care 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 emotional and social difficulties.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2817686 2

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Summary of findings

The child lives in a warm and supportive home where staff build trusting relationships and promote stability. The child has settled well following an emergency move and has made good progress, particularly in education, emotional regulation and engagement in activities. Staff use a therapeutic approach and work effectively with professionals to manage risks, resulting in few incidents. Family relationships are improving with staff support. However, the initial assessment does not fully consider the child’s needs, including identity and ethnicity. In addition, the care plan contains inaccurate information, and psychical interventions are not always followed by recorded debriefs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was living in the home during the inspection and the child said they feel happy and safe in the home. The child told the inspector they are happy and feel secure. Staff create a warm and friendly environment. This helps the child to feel settled and engage in positive routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child moved into the home following an emergency. Staff managed this well. They welcomed the child and the child settled quickly. Staff spent time getting to know the child’s interests and needs. As a result, the child felt safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built a strong and positive relationship with the child. The child completes regular key-work sessions and take part in shared activities. The child enjoys boxing, football, bowling and other active hobbies. Incidents in the home remain low because staff understand the child’s needs and act early.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is encouraged to share views and wishes. Children’s meetings take place weekly. These give the child a voice in how the home runs. The child contributes to discussions about daily routines, meals and care. Staff listen and act on these views. This helps the child feel respected and involved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made progress since moving into the home. The child now attends education daily and is motivated to take their exams. The child’s mother and professionals report clear improvements. These include better emotional regulation and reduction in challenging behaviour such as offending and substance misuse. The child’s mother shared that staff have helped them to rebuild their relationship.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with family and friends. Staff made strong efforts to celebrate the child’s birthday. They worked with other professionals so that friends and family could attend the celebrations. This created a meaningful and positive memory.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although the child’s move into the home was managed well, the initial assessment does not fully consider the child’s needs and how the staff skills meet those needs. It also Inspection report for children’s home: 2817686 3 does not consider how the staff will support the child’s identity and ethnicity. In addition, the care plan does not use the correct pronouns and does not clearly set out the support staff provide. This may lead to inconsistent care.

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

The child is protected by staff who understand their needs well. The child is subject to a deprivation of liberty safeguarding order due to previous high-risk behaviours. Despite this, there have been very few incidents. This indicates that staff support the child’s needs effectively.

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

Staff use a therapeutic approach. They build positive relationships, trust and help the child understand risks and consequences. Staff work closely with other professionals, including a therapist and the police. This supports a consistent and coordinated approach to risk management.

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

There has been one incident of the child going missing. Staff responded appropriately and followed procedures. They worked well with the police and other agencies to ensure the child’s safe return. Clear policies and procedures support staff to respond to risk.

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

Staff complete detailed risk assessments. These identify triggers and set out clear strategies. Staff follow these consistently. The manager reviews these plans regularly to ensure that they remain effective. This oversight strengthens care and risk management.

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

The child knows who to speak to if there are worries. The child said they feel listened to and safe. Staff support the child to understand risks and make better choices. Consequences are rarely used. When they are used, they help the child reflect.

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

There have been 2 physical interventions used to prevent the child from going missing. These were necessary and carried out safely. However, it is not clear that conversations took place afterwards with the child and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides clear and effective leadership. The manager understands the strengths of the home and areas for development. This supports continuous improvement in the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses monitoring systems effectively. The manager reviews records and evaluates practice. This provides clear oversight of the home. Feedback from staff and professionals is used to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling well supported. They receive regular supervision and training. Supervision is used to reflect on practice and promote development. Training helps staff have the skills to meet the child’s needs. The therapist also supports staff to better understand the child’s experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 2817686 4 The staff team works well together. Staff provide consistent care and clear boundaries. Records reflect the child’s life and progress. Managers add comments and evaluations to records. This strengthens accountability and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the child well. The manager speaks confidently about the child’s progress, strengths and needs. The manager is committed to ongoing development and is supported by senior leaders. This ensures that the focus remains on improving outcomes for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment processes are in place. This helps ensure that suitable staff are employed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2817686 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and the child’s placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. In particular, the registered person should ensure that all relevant information is accurately recorded within the children’s plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that they have fully considered the impact that any new placements will have on the existing group of children. Assessments should identify staff training to ensure that the needs of the children are met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph

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Recommendations

11.4)  The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained, and any staff using the measure, should be given the opportunity express their feelings about their experience of the restraint. Children and staff should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)

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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: 2817686 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Essential Living Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6th Floor, Amp House, Dingwall Road, Croyden CR0 2LX

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Inspector

Thembie Mzila, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2817686 7 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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