Children's Home run by London Borough of Hounslow in Hounslow

Unique reference number SC032600 Inspection date 09/02/2011 Inspector Karen Malcolm Type of inspection Random

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Date of last inspection 20/07/2010 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children’s Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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About this inspection

This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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Brief description of the service

This short-breaks service provides care for up to five young people aged between 10 and 19 years of age who have either physical disabilities and/or special educational needs and also may have a sensory impairment. The home is owned and operated by a local authority. The home is located in a residential area close to local shops, a library and local swimming pool. The home also has transport links into the town centre. The service operates a respite service each day, except Wednesdays.

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Brief description of the service

The ground floor of the home has a communal area that has a seating area, dining area, pool table and football table. There is also a sensory room and soft play area on the ground floor, as well as the shift office, kitchen, laundry room, bathroom and activity room with computer equipment for young people to use. All of the bedrooms are situated on the first floor along with further bathroom facilities and offices. There is a rear garden with play equipment for young people to use and a sensory garden. The home has appropriate adaptations to meet the needs of young people with physical disabilities that use the service.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is outstanding.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

This interim inspection was unannounced and all the key standards under staying safe were inspected including one standard under organisation. There were no outstanding recommendations made at the previous inspection to follow up. The setting remains judged as outstanding overall. Young people continue to have their safety needs met to a high standard, particularly their emotional care needs. Robust behavioural management strategies are implemented to address any challenges or unsafe behaviours of young people. The individual needs of young people are met in an excellent fashion with intensive plans of care focusing on meeting specific needs and issues.

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Summary

Management and monitoring systems within the service are also of an excellent standard and detailed records are maintained and kept up to date. The service has a consistent record of improvement and development and continues to seek ways to improve the service for children and young people.

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Summary

The minor shortfalls identified relate to recording of informal complaints and the current management arrangements.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There were no actions or recommendations made at the time of last inspection.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The privacy and dignity of young people are prioritised within the unit taking into consideration their individual needs, preferences, personal space and support needs. Staff support young people to be as independent as possible to avoid any unnecessary intrusion of their privacy. Where there are concerns regarding a young person’s health and safety at night, listening devices may be used, but these are appropriately risk assessed to ensure that the young person’s privacy is maintained. Appropriate policies and procedures are in place with regard to confidentiality and these include clear guidance for staff about their responsibilities in relation to dealing with sensitive information. Staff know how to deal with and share information which they are given in confidence for child protection purposes. Staff are sensitive to gender issues especially when dealing with young people of the opposite sex. Also all

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

washing facilities within the home are designed to take account of each young person’s needs for privacy, dignity and their safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Any serious complaints are dealt with promptly and very effectively. When complaints are made they are addressed well with details noted of any actions taken. No complaints have been received by Ofsted since the last inspection. Parents, staff and children are made aware of their right to complain if they are unhappy with any aspect of the service. Where a complaint or concern is believed to be a minor grumble such as 'a young person unhappy about a meal they just had'. There is no clear system in place to record or monitor these. The manager is aware of this and said that before taking maternity leave the introduction of a grumble logbook was put in place.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Comprehensive policies and procedures are in place to keep young people as safe as possible from the risks of harm. All staff undertake child protection training and have a clear understanding of key safeguarding matters. Accurate records are maintained of any child protection concerns with clear details of any actions taken and their outcomes. Bullying is rare within the unit and incidents between young people are often as a result of difficult behaviours displayed rather than bullying. Absconding within the unit is almost non-existent as staff ratios are high and the building secure to keep young people safe as a result of their complex needs and vulnerabilities. Each young person’s file has an up-to-date risk assessment completed of any identified risk of them absconding and what action is taken to minimise this risk. Young people spoken to said that they feel safe here.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All staff are trained in the use of physical intervention with staff actively seeking to diffuse situations before they escalate. The levels of physical intervention are very low, with regular monitoring ensuring its appropriate use. Records of incidents are clear providing a good overview of each situation and its outcome. These can include any behaviour which may be deemed hazardous or risky either to themselves or others. Such assessments offer staff a clear guide as to how to deal with each issue with the needs of the particular young person being kept in mind. Risk assessments are reviewed and updated when necessary. Sanctions are only imposed if they are meaningful to the individual young person involved and are dependent on the level of understanding of that child. The service also takes a multi-agency approach to behaviour management, liaising with healthcare professionals to ensure that methods used are as effective as possible. Any patterns of behaviour which have

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

changed are monitored carefully by the manager and the staff team.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Comprehensive health and safety policies and procedures are in place and are adhered to by staff. There is a very effective quality assurance system in place, for instance, each young person who uses the service has a ‘Personal Evacuation Emergency Plan’ (PEEP) in place. These are updated accordingly when any changes occur. Staff undertaking night duty risk assess each young person’s need, to ensure that if an emergency occurs they are prepared to manage the situation safely. Detailed records are maintained for all health and safety checks that take place and these are carried out at the required regular intervals, this includes all specialist equipment used in the home. The service also carries out very thorough risk assessments of any possible or identified risks to young people and reviews and updates these regularly to ensure that the welfare and safety of young people is maintained at all times.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Robust recruitment policies and procedures are in place and all required checks are completed prior to individuals commencing work to ensure that children are appropriately safeguarded. All recruitment is carried out by the local authority human resources department and the information held in the home is limited.

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Organisation

The Registered Manager exercises effective leadership of the home’s staff and operation, such that the home is organised, managed and staffed in a manner that delivers the best possible childcare. However, for the past year the management of the home has been run by one of the deputy managers who has been temporarily acting up. Ofsted was notified of this management arrangement. The Registered Manager has recently returned to work, but not full time. At present the manager’s role is being job shared, with one of the deputies until such time as the Registered Manager is able to work full time.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 have clear procedures for dealing with an informal complaint in the home and how this is recorded (NMS 16.6)

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