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

Unique reference number SC032600 Inspection date 17/01/2014 Inspector Wilfried Maxfield Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 11/04/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This short-breaks service provides care for up to five children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, physical disabilities, learning disabilities and a sensory impairment. The home is owned by the local authority.

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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

The short breaks centre was last inspected in April 2013 when overall effectiveness was judged to be good. Two recommendations were made. These have since been addressed. This inspection found that the centre is making good progress. No requirements or recommendations were raised. The short breaks centre provides a nurturing and safe environment in which the specific care needs of each child and young person is being addressed. The management of the centre has been able to demonstrate a strong commitment to maintaining and improving the already high standards of care.

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Progress

The centre has employed a new manager who has since passed the suitability interview with Ofsted. This appointment has further improved and strengthened the quality of care and the leadership and management of the centre. Staff are highly supportive of recent changes and praise the manager's positive impact. Changes to the management structure and the implementation of his improvement agenda are already proofing to be highly effective. Children and young people benefit form a staff team that is exceedingly well supported. The current team is able to provide excellent stability and continuity of care. With few exceptions, the current core group of staff have worked together for many years. Highly professional supervision and team meetings are at the centre of a very effective and supportive management style. Training and development needs are carefully assessed as part of an annual training strategy. All staff members have

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Progress

been supported to gain good and relevant qualifications and training over time.

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Progress

Staff know the children and young people in their care extremely well. Placement planning is a particular strength of this service. Care plans are exceptionally detailed and insightful. Short breaks are reviewed regularly and care plans are updated to reflect children's and young people's current development. This process is driven by highly engaged, knowledgeable and motivated key workers. Key worker records have been reviewed as a result of the previous inspection and are now of a good quality.

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Progress

Children and young people are safe at the home. Staff are knowledgeable about how to protect children and young people. The staff team is very vigilant and competent to implement effective and safe care practices. Welfare concerns are reported promptly. Comprehensive risk assessments make staff aware of any possible circumstance that may trigger a safeguarding concern. A recommendation was raised at the last inspection to include children and young people in the recruitment and vetting of staff. This has been considered carefully but was seen to be not practicable at this specific time.

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Progress

Children and young people at the centre benefit from an excellent approach to the management of challenging behaviour. Physical interventions are rarely used. A robust refresher and verification programme provides staff with frequent opportunities to update their practice. The process of continuous verification and updating of de-escalation and intervention skills is exemplary.

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Progress

Staff maintain strong and supportive relationships with families and carers. Communication between schools and the short breaks centre is equally strong. Consultation and collaboration with external agencies is central to the service and positively influences and informs the care packages of all of the children and young people.

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Progress

The environment is well maintained. There is a good choice of specialist adaptations and facilities to meet a range of needs. The short breaks centre provides a good range of resources that encourages and supports play and child centred activity.

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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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