Children's Home run by S P Homes Limited in Lambeth

Unique reference number SC065535 Inspector Patrick Sullivan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person S P Homes Limited Registered person address 3 Gateway Mews Bounds Green LONDON N11 2UT Responsible individual Sarra Pond Registered manager Marcia McKenzie Date of last inspection 11/02/2014 2 of 8 Inspection date 03/12/2014

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Previous inspection inadequate progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

Overall the service performs well in meeting the identified needs of the young people in the home. This is a good home because young people make progress and their needs are met. The staff team is committed to improving young people’s outcomes. Young people make progress in their educational attainment and in their interpersonal skills. Individual care plans are detailed and robust. Young people are challenged to do better and to have high expectations of themselves. Young people lead healthy lifestyles and are encouraged to become involved in the local community.

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Overall effectiveness

The home benefits from an experienced Registered Manager who has a clear vision for the future of the home. Placing authorities and parents are very positive about the difference the home is making to young people. Staff are resourceful in managing young people's behaviour. Relationships between staff and young people are positive, friendly and caring.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is well maintained and presents a homely atmosphere. 3 of 8

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately-run children's home which caters for up to six young people who have emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2014 Interim inadequate progress 17/07/2013 Full adequate 14/03/2013 Interim good progress 17/10/2012 Full inadequate 4 of 8

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Outcomes for children and young people good

The home provides young people with a stable, caring environment. Placement stability is good despite some young people posing significant challenges in terms of behaviour. Relationships between staff and young people are positive with staff seldom having to resort to sanctions.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people receive individual care and the quality of this care is good. Identity needs have been clearly identified and met through the home’s care planning process. Young people who are approaching independence have clear plans for this transition.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people lead healthy lifestyles. They are registered with primary health providers and have received support from the designated Looked After Children's Nurse. Files contain health care plans and there is evidence of staff monitoring these plans on a regular basis.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

In general young people have improved outcomes in education since coming to live at the home. Educational attendance has been maintained or improved with some young people remaining in education as a result of extensive support from the home. Education providers speak positively about the impact that the home has made to some young people who were not attending education regularly prior to coming to live at the home. Education providers are positive about the staff’s attitude and support they provide to young people, stating that staff 'want the young person to succeed'.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people have access to a range of leisure activities in the local area. Some young people are more engaged in this than others. The home provides a range of activities; however, some young people do not engage as they have other, outside interests.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are encouraged to maintain contact with their families. Some young people have improved their relationships to such an extent that shared care arrangements are now in place with an eventual return to the care of family members the objective of the care plan.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Staff encourage positive contact with family members and friends and try to discourage less positive influences. This has led to a decrease in missing episodes as well as a decrease in criminal behaviour outside the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Older young people are prepared for independence by engaging with the home’s semi-independence programme. This involves the home monitoring progress in key tasks such as cooking, budgeting and household chores. Staff then offer support and 5 of 8 supervision to assist young people to develop these essential skills in preparation for moving on from the home.

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Quality of care good

Staff are caring and provide young people with individualised care. The staff group enjoy positive relationships with the young people. Staff members state that they 'look forward to coming into work'. They feel that they have made a difference to the lives of the young people living at the home.

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Quality of care good

Young people are cared for in line with their individual placement plans. Detailed monthly reports are provided to the placing social workers who feel well supported and informed by the home. Social workers describe staff as being 'very consistent and working with the Pathway Plan'.

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Quality of care good

Young people have opportunities to share their views on the running of the home via house meetings and 1-2-1 meetings with their key worker. Key work sessions are well recorded. The children's guide is age appropriate and contains essential information including how to make a complaint.

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Quality of care good

Staff at the home have been proactive in ensuring that young people remain in education. This has included offers for staff to attend school with some young people in an attempt to maintain attendance. Staff want the young people in the home to do well and are pleased when the young people achieve academic success.

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Quality of care good

Staff at the home feel that they have been able to make a difference to young people's lives while they live at the home. This has been achieved primarily through consistency of care and keeping to the care plan. Episodes of challenging behaviour have significantly decreased and no sanctions or restraints have occurred since the last inspection.

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Quality of care good

Staff engage positively with family members who comment that the home is good at communication and working together. They feel that staff do their best for the young people and in general that young people have benefited from living in the home and that their behaviour has improved. Family members comment that the staff 'support young people very well and provide a god service'.

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Quality of care good

Since the last inspection the home has undergone refurbishment and redecoration. The Registered Manager has plans to further develop rooms within the home to provide additional services such as therapy. The home presents as a warm, welcoming place with adequate communal areas and well decorated bedrooms that young people are allowed to personalise. It is well maintained and there is a clear plan for further work. 6 of 8

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff work hard to promote the safety of young people living in the home. They have been proactive in working with the local police and the local authority around missing episodes which has resulted in a significant decrease in these occurrences. The home has clear policies and procedures in place to address issues around young people going missing from the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people living in the home are provided with information about how to complain. This includes advice on how to access an independent advocate. There have been no allegations or complaints made by young people or staff since the last inspection. The home uses appropriate books to record complaints.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Bullying is not an issue in the home and no restraints or sanctions have been imposed since the last inspection. The Registered Manager has worked with staff to develop a more behaviour modification approach to managing challenging behaviour. This approach appears to be paying dividends with some young people significantly reducing their challenging behaviours.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff have received safeguarding, gang awareness and control and restraint training over the past few months. The Registered Manager has used the relatively low occupancy levels as an opportunity to ensure that all staff are up to date with their training.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home has policies and procedures in place with regard to the safe recruitment and vetting of staff. Two staff have been recruited to the home since the last inspection; all vetting procedures have been followed. References are verified and both staff members provided with a detailed induction programme.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home's premises is appropriately secure and the building is maintained so as to minimise any potential hazards. There are no health and safety concerns. Fire drills and checks are undertaken on a regular basis and clearly recorded.

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Leadership and management good

Since the last inspection the leadership and management of the home has improved considerably. The Registered Manager had only recently been appointed at the time of the last inspection. Since then, she has had a significant impact on the running of the home. New staff have been appointed who share her passion and enthusiasm for improving the services that the home offers. Existing staff in the home feel reenergised and more optimistic about the future of the home. External agencies have noted the difference that the new Registered Manager has made in service delivery and in partnership working. Staff in the home speak in positive terms about 7 of 8 the difference that the manager has made. They state that she has made a 'massive improvement' and is providing 'fantastic support'.

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Leadership and management good

The home is well run and benefits from having a Registered Manager who is experienced in residential child care and who has a passion for improving the service. There is an ambitious development plan which is very aspirational but could be more detailed. This vagueness has to an extent been down to a degree of uncertainty around the ongoing operation of the service.

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Leadership and management good

Staff working at the home are well supported by the Registered Manager. Supervision is regular and of good quality including time for reflection. Staff have had appraisals which are detailed and set clear, achievable targets.

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Leadership and management good

The home employs a sufficient number of staff to ensure that young people’s needs are met. The Registered Manager has plans in place to recruit additional staff should the number of admissions to the home increase.

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Leadership and management good

The home has good and improving monitoring systems in place. Independent monitoring visits occur monthly and the subsequent reports are helping the manager to further improve the home, but could provide more detail. Monitoring reports by the Registered Manager are also completed and sent through to Ofsted in a timely manner, ensuring effective information sharing.

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Leadership and management good

The home's Statement of Purpose is up to date and meets requirements. It provides a good, detailed outline of the services provided by the home.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager has a good overall understanding of the areas of strength as well as those areas which require further development. She receives regular supervision from the responsible individual and finds this useful and supportive. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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