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

Unique reference number SC032600 Inspection date 15/02/2012 Inspector Karen Malcolm Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 11/11/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

Brief description of the service

This short break service provides care for up to five young people aged between 10 and 18 years of age who have either physical disabilities and/or special educational needs and who may also have a sensory impairment. The home is owned and operated by a local authority. The service operates every day, except Wednesdays.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

p.3

Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making satisfactory progress.

p.3

Progress

At the last inspection in November 2011 the home was rated inadequate and was asked to make improvements relating to: the overall safety of the home; policies and procedures; notifications; staff support including training, and the overall monitoring of the home. In addition to this, the registered person was asked to have appropriate management arrangements in place when the Registered Manager is absent. The home has made necessary improvements to address the requirements and most recommendations, and as a result a satisfactory progress is made. However, the shortfalls relating to the home’s policies and procedures, including the safeguarding and missing persons have not been rectified. The safeguarding policy has not been updated with the recommended detail. Where a safeguarding concern is raised and fully investigated by the local authority’s safeguarding team, children’s placement or care plans do not reflect what measures, if any, have been considered in order to

p.3

Progress

fully protect the child or young person if an allegation of this nature is raised in the future. It is rare that children and young people go missing from the home, but this has occurred. The protocol to support staff to mange any situation with regards to safeguarding and a child going missing has not been updated. However, staff were all very knowledgeable about the children and young people they support and the risk assessments relating to them aids in their care. They all were aware of the diverse needs and individual preferences of each child and young person and agreed actions to take for their safety and improvement. Key workers regularly review risk assessments about children and young people, and they are aware of what to do if a child or young person goes missing.

p.3

Progress

The relationships between children, young people and staff are positive. Since the home is a short break service, parents, carers and their representatives remain responsible for meeting the overall health and care needs of their children. Children and young people’s interaction with staff was positive, trusting and they were able to express how they felt and what they wanted. They are thriving within a supportive atmosphere, which meets their diverse needs. Children and young people were observed to be safe and secure and they receive consistent guidance regarding their personal safety. They make good progress in all areas of their lives. Care planning effectively focuses on children and young people's individuality. They benefit from extensive support in regards to their emotional well-being, social and independent living skills.

p.4

Progress

The current management arrangements have changed. The Registered Manager works part time and the proposal is for the assistant manager to undertake the remaining responsibilities of her role. Ofsted is aware of this current arrangement, and there are further discussions on this matter. The Registered Manager has an overview of the home’s strengths and where improvements can be made. The manager’s vision is shared by the staff team. Staff were very positive about their roles and responsibilities and enjoy coming into work on a day -to-day basis. They know each child and young person’s support and care needs and feel that their job is rewarding. Staff receive support and guidance to fulfil their roles. This includes regular supervision and annual appraisals. There is now a clearer and more robust system in place to oversee all training and development needs for staff. Staff spoke positively about the training opportunities they have recently undertaken to develop

p.4

Progress

their skills and overall understanding. Supervision addresses staff performance, development and children and young people's needs. Staff spoken to said that they are working towards improving outcomes for children and young people.

p.4

Progress

The physical safety of the environment has improved. There are clearer systems in place with regards to storage and ensuring that foods open are labelled and stored appropriately. There is a clear procedure for the maintenance of the building and advice on health and safety is sought from outside professionals. Staff understand their role and responsibilities with maintaining a safe environment and training updates such as fire safety has been arranged for all staff.

p.4

Recommendations

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

p.5

Recommendations

 ensure that if a child is absent from the home and their whereabouts is not known (i.e. the child is missing), the home's procedures are compatible with and have regard to Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) protocols and procedures maintained and managed by the police or by the local authority for the area where the home is located (NMS 5.6)  ensure that the children's home procedure is in line with Government guidance and requirements including the duty to refer information to statutory bodies. It is know to staff, volunteers and children (NMS 20.2)  ensure that the safeguarding policy set out clearly any measures that may need to be considered in order to protect children and young people in the home following an allegation. (Volume 5, statutory guidance paragraph 2.68)

p.5

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.

p.6

About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

p.6