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

Unique reference number SC033805 Inspection date 13/02/2013 Inspector Keith Riley Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 16/08/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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

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 previous inspection in August 2012 the home was judged as good for overall effectiveness. There were four requirements and four recommendations made. These have been met in full.

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Progress

The Statement of Purpose now includes the use of external electronic monitoring for security purposes. Supervision records are now being signed by the supervisor and member of staff at the end of supervision. The medication procedure has been reviewed and there are good arrangements for the handling of controlled drugs in the home. The standard of care is being evaluated on a regular basis in accordance with regulation and statutory guidance. Monitoring by the Registered Manager reviews relevant areas of care with an assessment as to the success of strategies, for example to safeguard young people. Copies of monitoring reports are submitted to Ofsted at the frequency recommended in statutory guidance.

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Progress

Since the last inspection the setting has undergone extensive redecoration and refurbishment. Doors are now fit for purpose and all young people have keys to their rooms. Young people have as much freedom as possible, consistent with the need to keep them safe, within the home. This has contributed to a settled and calm environment for young people to flourish. The atmosphere of the home is open, inclusive and safe. Young people live in a homely environment and speak positively of their future. Young people were seen to be very comfortable in the company of staff and spoke positively of the home and the support they receive.

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Progress

Young people enjoy high standards of care, support and guidance and continue to make progress. A stable, committed and enthusiastic staff team ensure young people have their specific needs met. Staff display considerable insight of each young person in their care. Staff are working very well together to ensure the individual needs of each young person are met. This means that young people are developing well such as engaging in education, developing independent living skills and taking individual responsibility for improving their health. Firm but fair boundaries are consistently applied by staff which ensures young people are provided with clear messages as to the appropriateness of their behaviour. As a result there is a culture of mutual respect and understanding. Young people trust the staff that are caring for them. This means that they are able to share any worries or concerns and staff are able to ensure their on-going safety and well-being.

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Progress

Young people say that things are working well and they are comfortable in the home. Staff say that the progress of young people in their care is 'amazing'. Good progress is being made in education, health and behaviour management.

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Progress

Young people continue to be protected by sound safeguarding policies and practices. The Registered Manager ensures that there are appropriate referrals to other professionals when required, such as the risk of sexual exploitation. This means there is a swift and robust response to any potential risk and young people are safeguarded. There are robust systems in place to protect information held electronically. However, some records were not easily traceable at inspection. This had no impact on the high standards of care or the safety of young people.

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Progress

Care planning is comprehensive and records are kept up-to-date to inform staff about the immediate and on-going needs of the young people they support. This includes planning for the future and preparing young people for their transition to adulthood. Although pathway planning is identified as a task to be completed, pathway plans are not yet in place for all young people at the relevant age.

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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

 consider how records kept in electronic form are capable of being reproduced in a legible form (NMS 22.1)  work closely with the young person's social worker and personal adviser and the young person themselves to contribute to the development of the pathway plan. (Volume 5 statutory guidance para, 2.135)

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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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