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

Unique reference number SC033805 Inspection date 16/08/2012 Inspector Keith Riley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 05/01/2012 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

This is a local authority children's home. It is registered with Ofsted to support up to six children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality 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

Young people receive personalised, well planned care resulting in good progress in relation to their starting point on admission to the home. They form good and positive relationships with the stable and consistent staff team who provide a high quality of support.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safe and say that they feel safe in the home. They identify adults who they can talk to about their worries and concerns. Their views are central to the running of the home and are taken very seriously when they raise any concerns.

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Overall effectiveness

The shortfalls are around known maintenance issues not being addressed promptly, the monitoring of the home not totally in accordance with regulations, and controlled substances not being managed in accordance with guidance. Other recommendations are made around record keeping, in particular the lack of risk assessments to support the locking of cupboards to safeguard young people. The final recommendation is to include the use of external electronic monitoring of the Statement of Purpose.

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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 all parts of the children's home used by children are of sound construction and kept in good structural repair, in particular all doors and bedroom door locks (Regulation 31 (2)(d)) 31/10/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure there are suitable arrangements for the recording, handling, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of any medicines received into the children's home, in particular controlled drugs are managed in accordance with the British Royal Pharmaceutical guidelines (Regulation 21 (1)) 31/10/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals and improving the quality of care provided in the children's home (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)) 31/10/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) supply a copy of Regulation 33 reports to the HMCI (Regulation 33 (5)(a)) 31/10/2012

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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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Recommendations

 provide a comfortable and homely environment that is well maintained and decorated (NMS 10.3)  ensure supervision records are signed by the supervisor and the member of staff at the end of the supervision (NMS 19.5)  ensure decisions about the use of locks are based on a careful risk assessment that allows children as much freedom as possible, consistent with the need to keep them safe (Volume 5, statutory guidance, para 2.108)  ensure there is a clear statement of purpose, in particular include the use of all electronic monitoring. (NMS 13.1)

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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

Staff provide a caring, open and homely environment where young people are supported to work on their self-esteem, behaviour and focus on the future. The consistent staff team means that long-term relationships are built with young people. Staff have good knowledge of young people's needs. Young people develop emotional resilience and are able to express themselves in as calm an environment as possible. Staff are on hand to de-escalate any issues. As a result significant incidents are infrequent.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people feel comfortable with staff and interact well with them in a relaxed manner. They speak positively of the relationships they have with their link worker. The individualised support keeping young people at the centre of practice generates a culture of respect and security. Young people say they like living at the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Some young people engage in risk-taking behaviour such as drug or alcohol use. However, they have the best possible care and support through staff engaging with a variety of other professionals and such behaviours are decreasing. There are a variety of diversionary activities available such as gym, swimming or cinema. Young people are learning social skills and how to engage positively with the wider community.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are well supported to lead healthy lifestyles and have their health needs met. For example, there are lots of opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities. Healthy eating is consistently encouraged and young people have lots of opportunities for learning about healthy food.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The educational achievement is good taking into account the starting point of young people at the time of placement. Young people speak positively of what they are doing such as engaging in work experience. Education and support staff work closely together. This creates an ethos and culture in the home that helps to transform the attitude and approach of young people toward their education. Some young people, who have previously disengaged from education, are now learning academic and practical life skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Formal pathway plans are not currently relevant in the home. However, young people have independent living targets and are supported to be ready for independence as appropriate to their age, for example young people are able to plan and prepare their own meals.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Children benefit from good levels of contact with their families and people who are important to them. Contact is fully facilitated by care staff, who support individuals to receive visitors or have home visits. Young people have an understanding of their history and a sense of identity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Overall, young people are receiving good levels of support and nurturing from a staff team who know their strengths and vulnerabilities.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding . Young people enjoy excellent supportive relationships with staff that are on based on effective communication and trust. The opportunities for exploring young people's emotional and psychological health are central to care planning processes. They benefit from the consistent relationships that are in place between them and their link worker. Young people say they have someone to talk to about their worries. Regular team meetings ensure the current needs of young people are central to the practice of all staff. Staff show empathy and understanding of how young people are feeling. This means that young people are able to express themselves and develop their self-management competencies.

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Quality of care

Staff are unquestionably committed to de-escalation techniques when presented with challenging behaviours. As a result the potential for situations to escalate is minimised. Any incidents are analysed with possible triggers identified and positive corrective action. External professionals are involved as necessary such as substance misuse workers or anti-bullying campaigners. The number of significant incidents requiring physical intervention is minimal.

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Quality of care

Young people have considerable input into their statutory review. Their views are promoted and seen as central to running the home. They benefit from numerous opportunities, both formal and informal, to consult with members of staff and to voice their feelings and opinions. As a result, issues such as laundry days or noise are resolved quickly without the need to access the formal complaints procedure. Other issues, such as bullying, are addressed through the formal complaints procedure. This is robust. Any complaints from young people are taken very seriously. The Registered Manager takes decisive action such as providing further training and support for staff and young people. On occasion, such events trigger a review of the placement.

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Quality of care

Young people are learning to understand the nutritional value of eating a good diet. They also have an appreciation of different cultures and a range of international cuisine. Needs relating to young people's cultural background and personal identity are identified and positively addressed in both daily living and care planning. For example, young people are encouraged and supported to explore their ethnic background and their belief system.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from carefully planned health care. Their emotional well-being is promoted to an excellent standard, with the staff arranging and facilitating contact with other professionals if appropriate, for example, the child and adolescent mental health service. Other routine health appointments are offered to the young people who take advantage of them and stay healthy. Individual needs are identified and strategies put in place in consultation with the placing social worker, for example referring to a weight management clinic.

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Quality of care

Staff have high aspirations for all young people, irrespective of their initial educational starting points. There is a robust staff structure and a carefully planned programme in place for each young person. Excellent communication between education and care staff ensures strategies are in place to support young people, who are experiencing difficulties, to continue to access education.

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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

Overall there are good arrangements to safeguard young people. Young people state they feel safe and secure at the setting. Adherence to good quality policies ensure all are protected and supported. For example, individual risk assessments are under regular review. The culture embedded in the home ensures that the young people benefit from a robust and rigorous approach which treats the young people's emotional and physical safety as paramount. The Registered Manager ensures that all the relevant agencies are informed of any safeguarding issues. This ensures that strategies and plans can be developed in the event of any concerns being identified.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff promote safe behaviours outside the home as well as positive behaviour within the home. Excellent care practice adopted by staff protect young people while empowering them to take responsibility, for example staying in contact with young people who are choosing to return back late to the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in the home's behaviour management programme. There is a strong emphasis on de-escalation and distraction. Incidents are analysed so care plans and risk assessments are amended as necessary. The consistent feedback into practice means that the incidents requiring physical intervention are low level and occur infrequently.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are involved in setting behaviour management incentive targets. They are rewarded when their objectives have been met for example through the use of monetary rewards. Sanctions imposed relate to the loss of privileges. The methods being used are proving effective in the management of young people's behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people feel secure and their needs are being met. This means that incidents where young people go missing from the home are minimised. Staff are aware of the individual vulnerabilities of each young person and are very clear what action to take should an incident occur. They follow a detailed procedure encompassing the particular risks for a particular episode. The procedure includes the protocol with the police clearly identifying unauthorised absence from missing for each individual young person. Specific staff are trained, for example in identifying risks of child sexual exploitation. Young people are kept as safe as possible.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Although bullying is not a current issue in the home, there has been incidents since the last inspection resulting in young people accessing the internal complaints process. A robust response, including training of staff and young people as well as a review of placements, keeps young people as safe as possible. Young people are happy with the outcomes and say this is not a current problem in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is physically safe and appropriately secure. Health and safety certificates verify the safety of the environment. The privacy of young people is respected and information is confidentially handled. Staff are aware of particular needs such as those young people who enjoy quiet time in their rooms or other areas of the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are good arrangements to ensure medication is dealt with safely and effectively. However, the procedure for management of controlled drugs does not comply with the British Royal pharmaceutical guidelines.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

Young people enjoy good, strong and trusting relationships with the home's staff and manager. The motivated and consistent staff team and visible management ensure that each young person is valued and nurtured as an individual. The deployment and numbers of staff on duty at any one time is indicative of the needs of the young people. The management team ensures that staffing levels take into account extra responsibilities and any presenting issues. The planning of each young person's care, combined with the effective use, when appropriate, of external professional support ensures that each young person is encouraged to achieve their full potential. Young people say staff are, 'quite nice here'.

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Leadership and management

There are adequate management systems in place to ensure staff have regular training targeted for specific needs. Staff are kept up to date with regular refresher courses such as managing challenging behaviour and cultural diversity. Young people of different backgrounds are supported by a well-trained and diverse staff team.

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Leadership and management

Staff work hard to encourage young people to reach their full potential. Young people benefit from a manager and staff team who are committed to their needs. However, some practices, such as restricting access to cupboards, do not have clear risk assessments to indicate this is necessary to safeguard young people. This means that young people may not have free access to all parts of the home they need.

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Leadership and management

Good communication is a feature of the home, which enables staff to be well informed about daily events, routines and the progress of each young person. Staff are confident in the management support they receive. They speak positively of the formal supervision they receive on a regular basis. However, some supervision records are not signed. This means there is no recognition of the agreement to the record of the discussion.

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Leadership and management

The home offers care and accommodation for young people in line with its Statement of Purpose. Although this has been recently reviewed, it does not include some of the electronic monitoring used, necessary to safeguard young people, such as external closed-circuit television for security and external door sensors used at night. However, the aims and objectives of the home are understood by authorities who place young people in the home.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager considers the running of the home to maintain good care levels. However, there is not a formal system in place to monitor matters as required by regulation. Visits are conducted by an independent visitor, who reports monthly on the service being delivered. However, such reports are not sent on a regular basis to Ofsted as required by regulation. Although the quality of care young people experience is monitored, this is not in total compliance with regulations. This means the opportunities to improve the service are not maximised. Significant events are notified promptly to the appropriate authority. This means that incidents are dealt with appropriately and in consultation with other professionals.

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Leadership and management

There is a system for monitoring and fixing problems. However, this is not robust. Known issues, such as damage to doors and problems with bedroom locks, are not addressed promptly. This results in frustration for some young people who have to ask staff to unlock their bedroom door when they want to enter their room. Although most rooms are well maintained, not all of the physical environment is maintained to the same standard. This means there is not a comfortable and homely environment in all parts of the home.

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Leadership and management

Records, giving an understanding of young people's lives are stored securely. These are regularly reviewed and regular updates are given to the placing social worker. The Registered Manager is proactive at chasing updates to care plans.

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Leadership and management

The previous requirement to review the home's behaviour management policy and practice is met. Young people have individual behaviour management plans where appropriate behaviour is fully supported and promoted.

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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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