Children's Home run by Laurel Leaf Homes Ltd in Newham

Unique reference number SC060545 Inspection date 16/05/2013 Inspector Jackie Graves / Angus Mackay Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 23/07/2012 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 privately run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for eight children with learning disabilities or emotional and 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 adequate .

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Overall effectiveness

Staffing is more settled, the staff team are stronger and provide more consistent care to young people. The home has developed in many ways. An independent reviewing officer (IRO) said, 'Previously there were serious problems with discipline with no clear rules or boundaries and the young people seemed to be running the place.' Improved behaviour management helps young people feel more secure. The food in the home has improved dramatically.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people feel the staff are looking out for their best interests and want them to do well; one said, 'They treat me like their own kid.' They like the staff and experience warm, firm relationships with them. One young person said, 'It's one of the best homes I have been in.' Staff show determination to help young people achieve better outcomes in all areas of their lives. An IRO commented, 'The home are coming across as very aspirational and I like that they want to push the kids to achieve.'

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Overall effectiveness

The main weakness limiting the home's progress is the admission to the home of some young people whose needs the staff could not meet, ultimately resulting in their moving on to more appropriate placements. Even so, social workers say the young people did make progress while in the home, some quite considerable, and that staff tried very hard to maintain the placement. Nevertheless, the home's admission process has not been sufficiently robust at times, resulting in incidents and disruption.

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Overall effectiveness

The Statement of Purpose does not make clear what type of needs can or cannot be met in the home. A social worker commented, 'I think the home have to look at the needs of the young people they are taking on and evaluate them properly before accepting them.' Another said the home needs to 'find its niche'. Staff commented, 'It would be better with more appropriate training and not accepting anyone or everything.'

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Overall effectiveness

Other shortfalls relate to staff training, staffing levels, some record keeping, the appearance of the building, monitoring the service, reviews, offering young people medical assistance following restraint, purposeful activity when young people are not in school, and the home's development plan.

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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 the Statement of Purpose consists of all the matters listed in Schedule 1. The children's guide shall be produced in a form appropriate to the age, understanding and communication needs of the children to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 4 (1) and (4)) 01/07/2013

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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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Recommendations

 evidence that where there has been a physical restraint, young people are always offered the opportunity to be examined by a registered nurse or medical practitioner (NMS 3.16)  ensure suitable arrangements are made to manage any medication, with specific reference to non-prescription medication (Volume 5, statutory guidance paragraph 2.51)  make sure young people who have been excluded from school or attend part- time have access to appropriate education and training, with specific reference to engaging them in purposeful activities during the day and maximising opportunities to learn or study (NMS 8.8)  provide admission only to those young people whose assessed needs the home can reasonably expect to meet (NMS 11.2)  initiate a review no more than 72 hours after any emergency admission to consider whether the young person should remain at the home, or if it is in the child's interests to move to a different placement (NMS 11.7)

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Recommendations

 create a written development plan, reviewed annually, for the future of the home, either identifying any planned changes in the operation or resources of the service, or confirming the continuation of the home's current operation and resource (NMS 15.2)  consider how the number of staff, both as a staff group and on individual shifts, can fulfil the home's Statement of Purpose and meet the individual needs of all young people resident in the home (NMS 17.1)  ensure staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of the young people and purpose of the setting (NMS 18.1)  ensure monitoring procedures are effective in improving the quality of the provision. (NMS 21.1)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good general health. They eat varied foods of different cultures and experience sharing meals as social occasions in the evenings with staff. They understand the importance of healthy lifestyles, with some making progress in reducing risk taking behaviour such as drug use and some giving up drug use entirely. They take control of their own health arrangements, making use of those health services they feel they need, for example, for sexual health and drug counselling. Young people benefit from staying in touch with people who are important to them. Friends are free to visit them in the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make a positive contribution to the home. Their views are listened to. They give their opinions on everyday matters, for example, the choices of food, decoration and holiday plans. They also participate in the recruitment of new staff and contribute to staff appraisals. Young people feel their views are respected and that they can make a difference to what goes on in the home and who works there.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people acquire satisfactory skills to help them do things independently and prepare for their adult lives. Young people feel reassured that, although they would like staff to do a lot for them, with support they can learn to do things for themselves and they may be able to cope when they are living independently. For example, they clean their rooms, do laundry and prepare small meals and snacks. A social worker commented on a young person's progress: 'Their self-help skills improved greatly….bathed regularly and improved skin care and all aspects of personal hygiene. This has continued in their new placement.' Young people are helped to mature and learn to take responsibility for their own actions and behaviour.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's progress in attending and achieving in education is variable. Some have attended regularly and made satisfactory progress; a social worker said, 'The home did really well at supporting the young person in education. Prior to coming they had been out of school for years and they got them back in and keen to do examinations.' Others have less regular attendance, in some cases due to appointments scheduled during school time, such as with the Youth Offending Team. However, the home tries to reschedule appointments to minimise disruption to education. Young people feel they are supported to have aspirations and are encouraged to achieve, for example, by enrolling on college courses relevant to a vocation which suits their personality and abilities.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Improvement in behaviour which puts young people at risk of offending is variable. A young person said they 'stopped doing crime' as a result of being in the home. Others have reduced offending then this has resumed. On a few occasions, young people have been involved in the criminal justice system as a result of extremely challenging behaviour in the home. A social worker commented on this, saying, 'It was not the home’s first recourse and they had tried a lot before taking this action. It was important that (the young person) understood that their actions have consequences.'

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Quality of care

The staff demonstrate a very clear understanding of young people's personal identity; they provide personalised care in relation to their heritage. Young people are encouraged to feel proud of their backgrounds, follow their religion and explore their cultural identities.

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Quality of care

There are very sound arrangements to make sure young people fully contribute their opinions to reviews and decisions regarding their futures. An accessible complaints procedure ensures young people know how to raise any concerns and be sure of thorough investigation and response.

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Quality of care

Young people receive effective support to access the health services they need. Suitable arrangements are made for their basic healthcare, for example, annual medicals, dental treatment and immunisations, as well as more specialised services such as counselling and advice on sexual health. Staff are proactive when young people refuse to attend appointments, for example, by encouraging them to attend re-booked appointments and pointing out the benefits of doing so. Arrangements for dealing with medication are mostly good. Staff carefully check prescriptions to ensure young people receive the correct dosage and record prescribed medication appropriately. However, records of non-prescribed medication contained a minor error.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to eat healthy diets. Special dietary requirements are met, for example to meet young people's religious needs. Social workers find that young people's diets improve; one commented, 'They were good at supporting (young person) in healthy eating and getting them to try new food types. Previously they would not eat any veg or salad but they got them eating salad and aware of diet and healthy eating.' Staff are proactive in working with schools to encourage young people's progress and attendance, for example by attending open evenings and supporting them with homework. Young people say staff really 'push them in a good way' to get involved with education and training and that this has benefits in all areas of their lives, for example, less involvement in criminal activity. When young people are not in full- time education, staff work with them to improve their attainment, for example, by

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Quality of care

helping them learn times tables, as well as any homework set by the school. However, there are occasions when young people who attend education part-time or who are excluded are not engaged in purposeful activities during the day and therefore not maximising all opportunities to learn or study.

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Quality of care

Staff encourage children to enjoy their leisure time. Activities outside of the home are planned, although some young people prefer to meet their friends and make their own arrangements. Young people find there is enough to do in the home when they are there, for example, playing cards or table tennis with staff, although some suggest gym equipment would be useful.

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Quality of care

Young people find the premises acceptable, although they say there are 'too many doors!' Due to its design and layout, it is a challenge to make the building appear homely. However, redecoration is on-going; some improvements to parts of the building have helped make some areas more domestic in places, although it still appears stark in others. An IRO said, 'The home was very unwelcoming and very institutional but it has been decorated and is much more like a home and is more of a place you would want to place a child in.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is adequate at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people feel safe in the home. An IRO commented, 'Previously in the home there was a very tense atmosphere which is not there now. The atmosphere is positive and it comes across as a safe place for young people to live.' They also feel safe when out and about in the local area, for example, from the influence of gangs.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Behaviour management is improving in the home. An IRO said, 'They are focusing on rewarding positive behaviour rather than focusing on don’ts'. Young people experience some warm, affectionate relationships with staff who are good role models. Staff help young people feel secure by setting boundaries, being open and honest and, as young people say, 'on their case' to improve all areas of their lives. Staff respond appropriately to any anti-social behaviour; they employ use of rewards to recognise acceptable behaviour and appropriate sanctions where necessary, for example, financial contributions to rectify loss and damage. Young people say that when their behaviour is challenging 'staff talk to you' and they try to get them to consider alternative ways of expressing their feelings. The use of restraint is infrequent and appropriately recorded. However, it is not clear from records if children are always offered the option of medical attention following a restraint.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is a good approach to child protection in the home. Staff are trained to recognise and report any suspicions or concerns. This ensures any concerns are reported without delay. The home's effective recruitment policy helps to ensure only suitable people are employed to work with the young people. Young people feel staff protect them and are concerned for their welfare and safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The environment is physically safe. Checks of systems and equipment as well as risk assessment contribute to the safety of the premises. A high profile is given to fire safety to make sure all young people know how to respond in event of an emergency in order to keep them safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The frequency of incidents of young people going missing from the home is variable. Some young people do not go missing at all; for others, the frequency of incidents appears to improve in that they are not placing themselves at risk when they are missing and return quickly to the home. In one case, the episodes have recently increased, although the young person makes contact with the home to let them know they will be late. Young people describe these episodes as 'sometimes coming back late', with some objecting to staff reporting them as missing. Nevertheless, staff are vigilant about helping young people understand that they need to know their whereabouts at all times, and of their obligation to find them, including reporting any absences to the police.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There are effective arrangements in place to make sure young people are kept safe and protected from bullying when using various media. For example, they are given written information and staff discuss the safe use of the internet with them in key work meetings. Young people say 'no-one's bullying here' and that they 'know their rights'. Staff are vigilant about protecting young people from bullying. However, they have not received specific training on preventing bullying or recognising the signs of more subtle bullying.

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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

Central to the home's progress is the establishment of a more effective staff team. An IRO commented, 'There is a new regime in there and it has massively improved,' and, 'I see them as having some good staff, produce good reports and have improved on all of the areas which were so poor previously and have a very aspirational approach to their work with young people.' The staff team is more diverse, particularly in relation to meeting children's identity and gender needs.

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Leadership and management

Staffing is flexible, for example, with extra staff brought in to accompany young people to appointments. Those staff on shift rightly prioritise their duties, and at times delay tasks such as record keeping so they can work with the young people. However, when all young people are in the home (and also due to the size of the building) it is hard for the staff on shift to manage their time and tasks sufficiently.

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Leadership and management

Staff are sufficiently supported with team meetings, handover sessions and regular recorded and structured supervision, which they find helpful and challenging. Half of the staff team have achieved the minimum qualification, with the other half working towards achieving this. They receive the basic training to help them in their jobs, for example, child protection, health and safety and managing challenging behaviour. However, some feel further training in different types of challenging behaviour would be beneficial in their care of young people. Also, they are keen to learn more about young people's specific needs, for example, autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. At times, staff training has not been sufficient to help them understand some young people's very specific needs.

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Leadership and management

The home takes action to ensure reviews of young people's care or any other arrangements take place when they are due. However, despite the home requesting this, one review has not taken place so plans have not been finalised for the young person concerned.

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Leadership and management

Young people's records are maintained well so they have a history of their time in the home. Young people are encouraged to read their files so they can understand and make comment on what is written about them. This is used to good effect to help young people reflect on incidents when their behaviour has been challenging and to help them understand how their behaviour impacts on others.

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Leadership and management

Regular monitoring of what goes on in the home contributes in some ways to the home's development and does ensure young people's views are considered. However, monitoring is not been entirely effective as the manager's and provider's checks have not identified shortfalls identified at this inspection, some reports lack analysis of findings, and some reporting is inaccurate. Management have plans for the future of the home but these plans are not incorporated into a written development plan. The home has responded well in meeting the requirements made at the last inspection and all recommendations apart from one which is partly met, relating to making the building homely. This indicates a commitment to improving the service young people receive.

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Leadership and management

The home has a Statement of Purpose but this is insufficiently detailed in a number of areas. Crucially, it is unclear about the criteria for admission and those needs which the home cannot meet, information which is essential to placing authorities considering using the home. The young people’s guide does contain some useful information for young people. However, it is over-long, inconsistent in style and not always easy to read, so may not be understood by all young people.

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Leadership and management

Management oversight of health and safety requirements is good. The maintenance of the home is reasonable with replacement bed-bases on order and repairs to small areas of damage planned.

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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 and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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