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

Unique reference number SC068789 Inspection date 07/02/2013 Inspector Muhammed Harunur Rashid Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/06/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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

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.

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Progress

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

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Progress

At the last inspection in June 2012 the overall effectiveness rating for the service was judged as good. One requirement was made relating to keeping the premises clean at all times. The children’s home has acted upon this. This interim inspection has identified that the home’s capacity to continually improve is good. Young people continue to make good progress across aspects of their development and placement outcomes.

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Progress

Young people regularly attend schools or other provisions during their short breaks. The service responds to the young people’s complex physical and emotional health needs. Young people attend various sporting activities and visit various places which reflect their interests. Young people develop a wide range of independent living skills within their high dependency levels. They learn to shop and plan to prepare a meal as part of the life skills towards future semi-independent living.

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Progress

Individualised care plans are tailored to meet young people’s individual needs and these are reviewed on a three monthly basis. Young people have individualised positive behaviour management programmes, and risk assessments are in place. A clinical psychologist based in the centre supports individual young people with reinforcing their positive behaviour. Appropriate strategies are in place to reduce or eliminate the identified risks, and supporting documents are regularly updated.

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Progress

Young people live in a safe and nurturing environment. Young people spoken to said that they feel safe in the home. Young people are safeguarded through appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures and staff knowledge and skills. Safeguarding issues are addressed at each handover and staff meetings. Staff communicate effectively with young people who have communication difficulties through various communication methods and listen to their concerns.

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Progress

Current staffing levels are appropriate to meet young people’s complex assessed needs. The Registered Manager reviews staffing levels in accordance with the overall needs of young people. The home has recently recruited 10 permanent members of staff, including two deputy managers, to establish a stable team and provide continuity of care.

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Progress

All staff receive regular supervision and appraisals from their line manager. Weekly team meetings promote good communication between the staff team. The service offers a wide range of training to staff to update their knowledge and skills in many areas. This includes training on child protection, first aid, moving and handing and physical intervention.

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Progress

The building is well designed; the first floor accommodation has recently been redecorated and refurbished to make it homely and comfortable. The service is anticipating resuming the service on the first floor, which will provide care and accommodation for up to eight young people. However, some areas of the ground floor accommodation, such as the residents’ lounge, activity room and residents’ bedrooms, are not well maintained and require repair and redecoration; these provide a less than homely environment.

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Progress

Systems and practice within the home are constantly under review and improvements made whenever necessary. Quality assurance systems, which include internal and external monitoring checks and visits, are robust and the findings are always shared with staff team.

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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 are kept in good structural repair and are reasonably decorated and maintained. (Regulation 31(2)(d)(e)) 31/05/2013

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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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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 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.

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