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

Unique reference number SC062128 Inspection date 23/08/2011 Inspector Caroline Wilson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 19/11/2010 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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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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Brief description of the service

The children's home is registered to care for up to six young people aged between 12 and 17 years for an assessment period of between three and six months. The home is owned and operated by a local authority.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home and developmental plans are in place. Strengths include the promotion of education for young people as well as them engaging in a range of activities within the community. The home has identified shortfalls in their transition planning for young people and steps are in place to redress this. Young people make good progress in relation to their starting points across all aspects of their welfare and development, which is underpinned by effective support from staff to meet their individual needs. Staff within the home demonstrate a good understanding of safe working practices to meet individual young people's needs. Areas for improvement relate to ensuring that young people have access to communal areas at night time, unless appropriate risk assessments are in place and to ensure that young people have regular updates in respect of understanding of what behaviours are expected of them.

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 ensure that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment, for example by ensuring that risk reduction does not lead to an institutional feel (NMS 10.3)  ensure that sanctions and rewards for behaviour are, clear, reasonable and fair and are understood by all children and staff. (NMS 3.8)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have achieved good outcomes in relation to their individual needs. For some, this means living at the home consistently after a series of placement break downs. For others, it means that they have regularly attended a school placement after being out of education for long periods of time.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Current arrangements to support young people to successfully prepare them for independent living are satisfactory. Previously, young people were provided with a general overview of what skills are required, for instance, budgeting for food and knowing how to wash clothes. However, this did not sufficiently help young people develop their financial skills in order that they can successfully manage the demands that running a home entails. Staff identified this as an issue. Previous attempts to engage other services to support them with transition planning proved unsuccessful. Staff are now in the process of producing their own development plan that will enable young people to develop resilience and understanding in areas such as developing socially aware responsible behaviour as well as understanding the nature of positive social relationships.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff take the education of young people seriously and impart to young people how this can help improve their life chances. Young people have positive attitudes towards their education and of what they can achieve in respect of this. This is particularly impressive in instances where young people had been excluded from the educational system prior to them being placed. Young people have high aspirations of what they can achieve from their schooling, with a view to pursuing further education or employment.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are provided with the opportunity to engage in activities to meet their individual needs. They have access to a range of activities which are important to give them a sense of achievement and enjoyment. Young people can be kept occupied with activities within the home or feel part of the wider community by activities that are arranged outside of the home. Young people have input into the activities that they can participate in, however, do not always make full use of the activities that are set out for them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy contact with families and friends whom it is safe to do so. This helps them to reinforce and sustain relationships with their family members and wider support networks. Many of the contact arrangements are informal and in accordance with arrangements set out in care plans. Staff liaise with placing authorities and monitor the impact of these arrangements on the young person and others within the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people feel that staff have an understanding of their diverse backgrounds and this is integrated to every aspect of their everyday lives. Young people feel that staff support them with regards to their religious, cultural and gender needs. Young people have a good sense of their self-identity and feel confident in challenging decisions made by external organisations that they believe are unfair and are supported by staff to do this.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is good . Overall, staff ensure that they actively seek the views and wishes of young people during key work sessions and weekly residents meetings’. This is used as a way to support improvement in the quality of care that is offered to young people. For instance, during residents meetings, young people discuss menus and activities that they wish to participate in. Young people learn how to compromise and understand why it may not be possible to act upon their wishes in all cases. Young people felt that there were staff in the home who they had good relationships with and whom they could speak to if they felt unhappy about any aspect of living at the home. However, there were occasional times when young people felt that decisions had been made unfairly, either without proper explanation, or them being fully involved in the decision making process. This leads young people to believe that changes in

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Quality of care

house rules have been made on a ad-hoc basis rather them being made in a manner that fully promotes their welfare.

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Quality of care

Equality and diversity issues are positively addressed in both daily living and care planning. Staff understand and are confident in responding to young people's diverse needs. For instance in respect of their dietary, religious and personal grooming needs. Where finances for young people's personal grooming exceeds that as set out by placing authorities, staff will advocate on young people's behalf as well as looking creatively on how these needs can be met.

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Quality of care

Staff work diligently to gain the trust of young people who have been let down by processes in the past. An effective complaints system is in place, which operates in accordance with the home's policies and procedures, for young people to voice their views. Staff are familiar with the complaints system and have developed constructive relationships with the young people in order that they can support them in communicating their views.

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Quality of care

Staff support young people in challenging barriers to educational progress and achievement. They ensure that young people have a positive attitude towards education. This is evident by the improved communication between the home and school and young people arriving regularly and punctually at their educational provision. In addition, Personal Education Plans are undertaken within relevant timescales in order that staff fully understand the challenges that young people face in order to help them overcome these.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home environment is physically safe and appropriately secure, all relevant health and safety inspections are undertaken at appropriate intervals. There is a homely environment, the home is clean and well furnished. However, communal areas are locked after young people's allocated bedtimes, which detracts young people from feeling comfortable in their own home. No risk assessments are in place to suggest that the doors are locked to promote the safety of young people. Young people feel safe within the home. Care plans are in place which clearly identify risks and protective factors for individual young people and there are clear plans in place to address these. Health and safety risk assessments on individuals are undertaken, this enables young people to take risks that are proportionate to their age and level of understanding. For instance, how much support is required when supporting a young person in maintaining their health needs or whether the young

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Safeguarding children and young people

person has a history of drug or alcohol misuse. This information is then used as points for discussions during key work sessions and where appropriate, services are identified to help young people understand the risks associated with these behaviours or to help build on their successes. Professionals have noted an improvement in the conduct of young people's conduct, they believe this is as a direct result of the work undertaken by staff.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home's safeguarding policy reflects the requirements of the Local Safeguarding Children's Board of the area in which the home is situated. Staff have good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and take appropriate action in the event that a safeguarding concern is raised in order to promote and safeguard the welfare of young people placed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected by staff responses to incidents of bullying. Staff have good knowledge of the home's bullying policy which sets out the various guises of bullying and the negative effect that this can have on young people. These are discussed with young people on an individual or group basis, during either key work or residents meetings. Staff are sensitive that some young people may be bullying other young people due to personal issues that they may be facing, whilst at the same time, aware that they have a duty to protect other young people placed. Strategies for intervention include meetings with the young people involved and if the situation does not improve, disruption meetings. Young people's placements may be terminated if their behaviour does not improve in order to safeguard the other young people's welfare.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff help young people to understand the risks and dangers associated with going missing or being absent without permission. Staff negotiate with young people who are absent without permission to ensure their safe return home. Where this is not successful, staff work with the police and the responsible authority to help locate them in accordance with the Runaway and Missing from Home and Care protocol.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

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Leadership and management

A new manager is in place and professionals state that communication has significantly been improved since the appointment. Professionals now receive more information about the progress that young people are making. This has lead to effective monitoring of young people's progress and an improvement in their outcomes as they are now working together to promote the welfare of young people placed. Arrangements for deputising in the absence of the manager is effective. The acting deputy manager and staff show a very good understanding of the operation of the home and the needs of young people during the course of this inspection whilst the manager was away. The management and staff effectively demonstrate their capacity for continued improvement. They are aware of their strengths and work to improve on their shortfalls, for instance, their need to improve further the support to young people who are in transition to live independently.

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Leadership and management

Regular monitoring of the home is undertaken to ensure that the home is operating in accordance with its Statement of Purpose. This includes regulation 33 visits as well as regulation 34 monitoring. This has proved effective in ensuring that the home continues to provide a good service for young people.

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Leadership and management

The home employs a sufficient number of staff who are appropriately trained and supervised. Supervision is held in accordance with national minimum standards and supports staff in promoting the welfare of young people as well as their own personal development needs.

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Leadership and management

Staff receive regular training. At least one member of staff on shift at any one time, has first aid training which enables them to provide young people with primary care in the event of a medical emergency. The training programme is set out in advance to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people and so that these are undertaken at regular intervals. Staff state that training provided is of good quality and enables them to fulfil their role to a high quality.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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