Children's Home run by Norwood Ravenswood in Barnet

Unique reference number SC010415 Inspector Seka Graovac Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Norwood Ravenswood Registered person address 80-82 The Broadway Stanmore Middlesex HA7 4HB Responsible individual Angela Duce Registered manager Annette Shimoni Date of last inspection 19/09/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 19/02/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

In September 2014, the registered persons were asked to revise the home's Statement of Purpose (SOP) and bring it in line with the legislative changes. They were also asked to improve the quarterly reports on their own review of the quality of care provided. They were asked to make these reports more evaluative, and to write them in a way that more clearly evidence the impact of consultation on the development of the service.

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This inspection

The manager revised the content in both documents and has achieved improvement. The SOP now provides a more detailed picture of the service. The quarterly monitoring reports have become more evaluative. They more clearly evidence how the views of various stakeholders have impacted on the managers' review of the quality of care and on the further development of the service.

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This inspection

The main improvement focus in the home has been on strengthening and fine- tuning the consultation with various stakeholders, and particularly with children and young people. The great majority of them are non-verbal and find it difficult to understand options, to make choices and to express themselves.

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This inspection

The manager and staff reviewed the processes for consultation that were in place. They identified things that worked well and those that did not. They met with managers from other homes that provide a similar type of service to share learning and ideas for improvement. They have continued to search for more creative ways to empower children to communicate with the aim of securing their fuller participation. As a result, a number of initiatives have been instigated, with a positive effect.

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This inspection

The individual care plans have been improved by adding a specific and more detailed section on the communication needs. A communication profile has been 3 of 5 created for each child. This has enhanced the consistency of the staff approach to communicating with children.

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This inspection

A pictorial consultation board has been introduced as a feature in the environment. It has been used on a daily basis as an effective communication tool to support children's understanding of the questions asked and to find out about their feelings, views and choices.

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This inspection

Spontaneously made comments and informal feedback received from various professionals who visit the service and parents are now systematically logged. This log contributes to building a wider evaluative picture of the quality of the service.

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This inspection

Formal feedback is also gathered in a more systematic manner. For example, parents are now explicitly asked a specific question about the quality of the service, as part of the formal annual review of their children's care.

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This inspection

The home also uses its complaints procedure as an opportunity for improvement. An example of this is that an informal complaint from a parent led to a more effective use of a system for diverting telephone calls. This change has secured more prompt answering of the calls.

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This inspection

The managers have started working on the assessment of the location of the premises, but have not completed it. They checked the information available in the public domain. They also had discussions with the police and the fire brigade regarding the risks in the local area. The crime levels in the area are low. No child went missing from the service and there have been no concerns regarding drugs or child sexual exploitation. The risk created by the very close vicinity of a busy A-type road has been minimised effectively by the strategies that are in place. Not having completed a written local assessment has not had a negative impact on the welfare of children and young people.

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This inspection

Children have continued to thrive while receiving this good quality service. The highly individualised care and skilled staff ensure that the needs of children and young people, no matter how complex, are consistently met. They have excellent opportunities to enjoy a wide range of activities in the home and in the community. They have positive experiences and good opportunities for extra-curricular learning. Staff ensure that children and young people are safe at all times, when using this service.

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This inspection

The management and staff have continued to work in close partnership with the parents and professionals from other services, such as health, education and social care. They have been effective at continuing to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the good progress that children and young people are making across different aspects of their welfare and well-being. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide short breaks for up to nine children and young people who have a learning disability, physical disability or sensory impairment. The breaks are provided on a rolling programme to over 40 children and young people with multiple, profound and complex needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2014 Full good 16/12/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 12/04/2013 Full good 08/01/2013 Interim good progress

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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) review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises. (Regulation 31 (1 1A 1B) 01/05/2015 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Reg. Requirement Due date

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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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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