Children's Home run by Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited in Hounslow

Unique reference number SC409851 Inspection date 19/10/2011 Inspector Caroline Wilson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 11/11/2010 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

This is a children's home registered to care for up to four young people of either gender between the ages of 13 and 17 years. The home is owned and operated by a private provider.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Leaders and managers understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home and ensure that they keep updated with legislation and practice issues that promote the needs of young people. The main strengths of the home are the positive relationships and interaction between young people and staff. As a consequence, young people find genuine pleasure in living at the home, therefore, issues such as young people going missing, are currently rare. Young people and staff enjoy participating in activities together on a group basis, so young people learn about social interaction as well as the benefits of healthy living. Staff’s creativity in ensuring that learning is achieved through everyday tasks, such as reading the newspaper, has led to improvements in young people’s reading skills and their attitude towards learning. Young people make good progress in relation to their starting points across all aspects of their welfare and development, underpinned by effective support from

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Overall effectiveness

staff to meet individual young people's needs. Staff in the home demonstrate a good understanding of safe working practice to meet individual young people's needs, and have a good focus to helping young people meet their individual aspirations.

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Overall effectiveness

One shortfall in respect of ensuring that written records are kept of the outcome of all complaints made has been identified.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that a written record is made in respect of the outcome of a complaint. (Regulation 24 (5) ) 30/11/2011

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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 enjoy good health in all respects. They have regular access to mental heath professionals, who can provide them with an individualised programme which helps them to deal with any difficulties that they may be having in their lives. Young people also have regular checkups in relation to their physical health. This helps support them to grow into healthy, mature, and well-balanced individuals.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are open and gain an appreciation and an understanding of cultures that differ from their own. For example, they have choice in what they eat, and menus reflect children's cultures, needs and individual wishes. Young people enjoy experimenting and enjoy the experience of tasting food from a range of cultures.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's attendance at school is good and they make good progress. Young people receive excellent support that ensures their regular attendance at school to enable them to reach their maximum educational potential. Good interim arrangements are in place for young people who do not have a school placement. They are supported in accessing educational resources within the home to enable them to maintain their academic progress until a permanent school placement is found.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people participate in a full range of opportunities, and enjoy and achieve to their maximum potential. Young people enjoy participating in activities with each other and staff, which helps to build meaningful and effective relationships with each other. Activities available meet the diverse needs and individual choices of young people. The activities provide young people with a personal sense of achievement, as well as promoting their physical and emotional health and developing their social skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people participate in activities that promote their independence skills, such as being involved in the cooking and preparation of food. This provides young people with valuable opportunities to learn important life skills and helps them to develop personal responsibility and independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from regular contact with friends, which helps them to sustain, reinforce and create links with their birth family and wider support networks. Contact arrangements are clear, known to staff and are undertaken in accordance with plans set out by placing authorities.

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Quality of care

A complaints system is easily accessible so that young people can make complaints or representations about the care provided by the home. All complaints are taken seriously and staff support young people in making these. Staff are familiar with the complaints procedure, and appropriate action is taken to ensure that they are responded to within set timescales. Young people are happy with the responses given. Although young people are verbally informed of the outcome of the complaint, this information is not consistently recorded on complaints documentation to evidence that they have been formally responded to.

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Quality of care

Staff consistently challenge barriers to the full participation of young people at school. Staff maintain good relationships with young people’s schools. This ensures that any difficulties that young people may be facing are overcome so that they can receive good quality education. Excellent arrangements are in place to ensure that young people attend school regularly and punctually. Staff have a good understanding of the particular difficulties faced by young people who are in care and work diligently to help them overcome this by ensuring that any matters identified in their personal education plans are fulfilled in order to support them to meet their maximum potential. Staff are creative in ways of promoting educational opportunities for young people on a continual basis. For instance, they will encourage young people to read newspapers aloud on their journey to school.

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Quality of care

Arrangements are in place to ensure that the views and wishes of young people are taken into account in relation to decisions about the daily life of the home. Regular residents’ meetings are held where young people contribute to day-to-day decisions such as menu and activities planning. Young people are also supported by staff to contribute to their overall care plans during statutory review meetings in respect of the wider plans for their care.

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Quality of care

Positive behavioural strategies are in place to support young people to develop skills in managing conflict and to develop positive relationships. Sanctions given are fair and are appropriate to the rule that has been broken. Young people are also provided with the opportunities to earn rewards. Young people enjoy undertaking tasks that provide them with financial incentives in addition to learning valuable life skills, such as clearing the garden area or undertaking basic manual tasks, with the support of staff.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy positive relationships with each other. Care has been taken to ensure that young people are placed with others of similar needs so that they can develop good relationships with each other. Staff enjoy positive relationships with young people, based on a mutual respect which is central and integral to every aspect of care that they give.

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Quality of care

Young people's diverse needs are catered for in relation to a range of issues. Staff treat all young people as individuals and take time to know them in order that they can respond positively to their needs. Where appropriate, staff obtain professional advice so that they can fully understand the full range of young people's identity needs, for instance, in relation to young people's linguistic requirements. Staff are sensitive to matters of religion, and as far as practicable, ensure that every child placed is offered the support that they need so that they are able to attend services, receive instruction and observe any requirement of their religious persuasion.

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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

Satisfactory recruitment practices are in place to ensure the safety of young people. Documentation such as Criminal Records Bureau checks are in place for all staff who work within the home, no matter what their role is. Some information is missing from staff recruitment files, such as gaps in employment history and some references. A recent audit of recruitment files had been undertaken prior to the inspection. The omissions had been identified and the acting manager is in the process of re- obtaining the information that was not on file in order to ensure that suitable background checks are in place for all staff. This enables the home to assess, as far as practicable, that the staff who work with young people are of good character and integrity. Because the omission is in the process of being rectified, a requirement has not been made in respect of this.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are safe and feel safe living at the home. Good steps are taken to ensure that they are safe and secure and that they are protected from harm. There is a culture of openness and trust that ensures that staff are aware of and alert to any signs that might indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Staff are regularly trained in safeguarding and know what constitutes safe care practice.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home provides a good level of physical safety for young people and ensures that the premises are regularly checked in order to eliminate hazards. Health and safety inspections by external agencies are also undertaken within required timescales to ensure that all equipment is in good working order. This ensures that as far as reasonably practicable, the home is free from avoidable risks.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected from bullying by the vigilance of staff. Staff are aware of the indicators of bullying and what procedures to follow in the unlikely event of an incident of bullying.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people rarely go missing from the home. They enjoy living in the home and feel safe and secure. These factors have minimised the risk of young people going missing or being absent without authority. Staff are aware of their duties and responsibilities in the unlikely event that a young person may go missing. This includes the arrangements for contacting the young person and others within their family or social circle, as well as their statutory duties in completing risk assessments and contacting the police and relevant local authorities.

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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

The leadership and management arrangements within this organisation are good. The acting manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Young people speak highly of staff and the care that they are being given. The acting manager has a good understanding of young people's needs and provides services and support for them and staff in order that young people's needs are well met. The home effectively demonstrates their capacity for continued improvement. They have made improvements in the service that they offer to young people, for instance, the statutory requirements at the last inspection have been met.

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Leadership and management

There is no Registered Manager in place. The acting manager is in the process of submitting an application to become registered. Both staff and young people know the acting manager, as she is presently the responsible individual for this home, which provides continuity and consistency of care and support for young people and staff.

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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 by an independent person as well as Regulation 34 monitoring by the acting manager at the home. This monitoring is effective in ensuring that the home continues to provide a good service for young people. The independent person who carries out the visits under Regulation 33 is highly experienced in the care field and regularly challenges the acting manager on a number of issues in order to ensure that the home effectively promotes and safeguards the welfare of young people placed.

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Leadership and management

A sufficient number of staff work in the home; they 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 good quality, regular training. They recently attended courses on physical intervention, safeguarding and first aid. This enables them to undertake restraints safely, should the need arise, as well as respond appropriately to any matters of child protection or a medical emergency. At least one member of staff on shift at any one time is trained in administering first aid. 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. Staff state that training provided is of good quality and enables them to fulfil their role to a good standard.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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