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

Unique reference number SC068789 Inspection date 06/06/2012 Inspector Muhammed Harunur Rashid Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 23/02/2012 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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Brief description of the service

The home is a purpose-built, short-break provision which opened in January 2007. In April 2011 the capacity increased from a four- to an eight-bedded unit. The unit is run by a local authority. The home provides short breaks, day care and tea visits for children and young people of either gender who have learning and physical disabilities.

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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 Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The outcomes for young people and the quality of care provided by the short-break service are good. Young people benefit from a stable and caring staff team who are dedicated to their roles. Care planning and the practice of staff are highly personalised to meet the individual needs of young people. The home's quality of care promotes improved outcomes for young people. Young people make progress from their starting points across all aspects of their welfare and development. For example, this includes their greater access to a wide range of stimulating opportunities to promote their development.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people live in a safe environment and staff manage their behaviour well. The management arrangements are strong; leaders and managers are effective at tackling weakness and securing improvement.

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Overall effectiveness

To further improve, the home must ensure that the premises are kept clean at all times.

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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 the premises are kept clean. For example, the carpets in the hallway and resident's bedrooms. (Regulation 31) 30/06/2012

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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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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 using this short-break service come from the local community with diverse backgrounds and their dependency levels are very high. Staff work closely with young people's parents, the disabled children's team and with the health professionals to achieve good outcomes for disabled young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people develop very good relationships with staff who get to know them as individuals. Young people are cared for in a very individual way and develop their skills and abilities over time. Positive progress is made relative to each young person's individual starting point. For example, this includes their greater access to a wide range of stimulating opportunities to promote their development.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people who are non-verbal are actively able to make decisions about their daily lives through regular house meetings, link working sessions and looked after children's reviews.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy eating home-cooked healthy meals. Staff have developed a very good resource of symbols and pictures of different foods and meals so that young people can communicate their needs and choices. As the home provides short-break services, the provision of education and general health care arrangements remain the responsibility of parents. Staff monitor and respond to any health issues that arise while young people are staying at this service. Small amounts of medication are stored in the home as young people bring the medication that they require with them. There is a clear audit trail of medication entering and leaving the home and all medication administered to young people.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The majority of the young people attend special schools. During their stays at the short-breaks provision the local authority arranges transport for young people to travel to and from schools. Staff also encourage and support young people to attend school during these short-breaks. Young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to their home and the wider community. Staff ensure their access to local community resources, including visits to the library, day trips to the seaside and visits to safari parks. Young people also take part in various household activities at home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have a positive experience while away from their home. They benefit from having peer contact in a social setting and learn from the diverse range of individual needs with which they come into contact. Through mixing with adults other than family members, young people gain an understanding of appropriate greetings and how to develop social relationships.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have opportunities to develop various independent living skills within their abilities, in preparation for adulthood. Staff encourage and support them with training about travelling, including developing road safety awareness. At the home young people participate in carrying out household tasks, such as washing up and laundry tasks. Some of the young people cook simple meals and snacks under staff supervision.

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Quality of care

A number of young people are non-verbal. Staff communicate with young people through various communication methods. Staff are provided with various training to communicate with young people who are non-verbal or have very limited vocabularies. Relationships between young people and staff are positive. Interactions between staff and young people are very warm and genuine.

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Quality of care

All young people have individual care plans and these identify their individual holistic needs, including cultural, religious and dietary needs. Young people have complex heath care, educational and emotional needs. Individual care plans and positive behaviour management programmes are in place and these are reviewed regularly.

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Quality of care

Young people's views and wishes are listened to. They are consulted through various ways; for example, through link sessions, house meetings and their looked after children's reviews. Staff send questionnaires to young people and their parents to feed back about the service they receive in the short breaks. Young people have access to independent advocates.

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Quality of care

Young people attend school during their stays at the short-breaks service. Young people are provided with computers and various learning aids to promote their education. A range of purposeful and enjoyable activities are provided in the service. Young people enjoy playing basketball and trampoline in the rear garden and doing art and craft works in the house. The home provides a sensory room which is well used. Staff supervise young people with these activities and risk assessments are in place to ensure their safety. Staff work closely with health professionals, such as a physiotherapist and occupational therapists, to meet young people's assessed needs. They visit the home and contribute to young people's care plans. Sufficient facilities are provided for disabled young people to meet their physical needs and staff are provided with training to use all mechanical equipment, such as ceiling tracking hoists. The

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Quality of care

premises are purpose built and wheelchair users have easy access.

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Quality of care

There are procedures for admissions to the home. Young people have opportunities to visit the home and they are gradually introduced to the home. The home has a children's guide; this provides information about the facilities available to them.

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Quality of care

There is an appropriate complaints policy and procedure in place. Staff maintain records of all complaints received from young people and their parents. Complaints are managed in accordance with the home's procedures.

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Quality of care

The home is a purpose-built centre for young people who receive respite care. The home also provides day care for a number of young people. The home is appropriately located, designed and maintained. Community amenities are nearby and the home has good access to public transport. However, the carpets in the hallway and some of the bedrooms were found to be stained.

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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

There are good arrangements to safeguard young people. Young people are safe and feel safe living there. All staff have attended child protection and behaviour management training. Young people's welfare is protected through the application of the home's safeguarding procedures by members of staff. All of the staff demonstrate a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in keeping young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff actively encourage and promote positive behaviour. Staff are provided with guidance and they apply de-escalation methods to deal with any form of challenging behaviour. There are agreed measures to deal with unacceptable behaviour. Staff rarely apply restraints, and only as a last resort, in order to protect young people and others from injuries.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have sound knowledge and skills to deal with bullying if it is suspected. Young people have good relationships with the staff team and the other young people living in the home. Young person rarely go missing from care due to the high levels of supervision in place. However, the home has an appropriate policy in place for dealing with unauthorised absence from care.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are recruited in line with the policy and procedure of the local authority in order to protect young people. The home has recruited a new permanent member of staff since the last inspection. The human resources department of the local authority ensures that all necessary information is obtained prior to the appointment of staff. Staff have attended health and safety training. They take appropriate steps to keep young people, visitors and themselves safe from the risk of fire and other hazards. A risk assessment of the premises is in place. Staff carry out regular fire alarm testing and fire drills. Current gas and electric test certificates are available.

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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 home's Statement of Purpose clearly highlights their aims and objectives. Young people, staff and placing authorities understand the aims and objectives of the home and what services and facilities it provides. The young people's guide provides information about the facilities available to them.

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Leadership and management

There is a consistent commitment to improving equality and diversity in practice. The local authority has comprehensive policies and procedures on equality and diversity in order to improve their practices in the delivery of services. Staff have attended relevant training. Staff support young people to make personal choices and to access community resources. Staff have attended equality and diversity training and have a good understanding of young people’s dietary, religious and cultural needs.

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Leadership and management

The home has met the only recommendation made at the previous interim inspection.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from an effective management. The Registered Manager is well qualified with a number of years management experience. The management structure is strengthened by a unit manager and a head of care who provide clear accountability and leadership.

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Leadership and management

The home has a stable staff team which provides consistency and continuity in delivering care and support to young people. Sufficient numbers of staff are on duty at all times. The Registered Manager reviews staffing levels in accordance with the assessed needs of young people.

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Leadership and management

There are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the home. For example, the manager regularly monitors the home’s records, policies and procedures and risk assessments. There is a system in place to carry out Regulation 33 visits. However, for a few months, visits did not take place due to a senior manager's absence. This has now been resolved.

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Leadership and management

The home is adequately resourced. Managers understand the strengths and weakness of the home. The service is in the process of recruiting for three vacant posts which are currently being covered by long-term agency staff.

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Leadership and management

The home is committed to the professional development of their staff. Staff attend in-house and external training, such as child protection, health and safety, administration of medication, first aid, food hygiene, team teach and level 3 national vocational qualifications. All staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals from their line manager. Regular staff meetings and daily handovers are held which promote communication between the staff team.

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Leadership and management

Each young person has a permanent, private and secure record of their history, development and progress throughout their childhood. This helps young people to reflect on and understand their history and allows them to keep appropriate memorabilia of their time in the placement.

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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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