Children's Home run by Deborah Pacquette in Waltham Forest

Unique reference number SC007290 Inspector Seka Graovac Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered manager Deborah Pacquette Date of last inspection 15/12/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 25/02/2015

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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

The home provides young people with a positive, nurturing and orderly environment. The highly individualised care that young people receive enables them to set a more positive direction in their lives. Staff have a deep understanding of young people and are effective at meeting their needs. Depending on the placement plans, staff members focus on helping young people to develop life-skills in preparation for independence or on supporting them to develop a feeling of belonging.

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This inspection

Young people describe the staff members as caring and the home as a good place to be. They feel accepted and valued for being who they are. These feelings enable them to engage more positively with the world around them. This has a positive impact on their emotional development, social skills, confidence and overall progress across different aspects of their well-being.

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This inspection

Staff are effective at building trusting relationships with young people and promoting stability. An example of this is a young person who has settled well in this home after having had eight broken placements. A recently admitted young person told the inspector that she already felt that this was her home. She was happy to live in this home until, in her own words, she was ready to spread her wings and live on her own.

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This inspection

All young people are in education and have high aspirations for their future. They are making steady progress in their learning and in the other aspects of their welfare. They enjoy having good food in the home. Their awareness of the importance of having a healthy life-style is rising. They have good opportunities to explore their interests, hobbies and talents. Some young people have made significant progress in developing more positive relationships with their families and relatives. When it is possible, staff work closely with parents to promote positive outcomes for young people. 3 of 5 The home has continued to build on their links with local services such as children's social care, education, mental health, police and youth offending services. Staff collaborate with other professionals to safeguard young people and to consistently and jointly work on removing any barriers to their progress.

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This inspection

When young people go missing, staff follow appropriate procedures to alert the local police and children social services and, if appropriate, their families. They ensure that swift actions are taken to locate the young people and to protect them from the risks as much as possible. Robust and balanced risk assessments and safe plans are effective at promoting the welfare of young people. As young people spend more time in the home and develop good relationships with staff members, they go missing less frequently. An example of this is the young person who was missing almost continually for 11 days at the beginning of their placement, but afterwards did not go missing at all until the end of the placement. Staff are committed to helping young people to take more responsibility for their behaviour and to develop safer and more constructive behaviours.

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This inspection

The home favours the use of recognition, rewards and positive strategies for the promotion of good behaviour. Staff are still working on the recommendation given at the last inspection to evidence better that the views of young people on the sanctions and other means of control are taken into account. This is part of the wider review that the home is undertaking to fine-tune and strengthen the effectiveness of the behaviour management strategies used in the home. This remains an area for recommended improvement.

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This inspection

The standard of young people's behaviour is generally good. There has been only one incident between young people, during which one of the young people called the police to the home. Staff members are still dealing with the repercussions following this incident to enable the young people to take responsibility for what has happened, to learn from it and to move on.

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This inspection

The management has appropriately addressed all three requirements that were given at the last inspection. The statement of purpose has been updated. It now more accurately reflects the service and provides a more comprehensive picture of it. The form for recording physical interventions has also been revised to bring all relevant information together and to facilitate easier monitoring of these incidents. The monitoring processes have been strengthened: the latest quarterly report is based on more detailed evidence and is more evaluative. The home has continued to develop its reflective practice and learning culture, while having children's welfare at the centre of all its activities. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of two privately owned children's homes in the area operated by the same provider. It provides accommodation and support to four young people of either sex, aged between 11 and 18 years old. The home is registered to care for young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties and young people with a mild mental disorder.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/12/2014 Full good 27/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 28/10/2013 Full good 19/03/2013 Interim satisfactory progress

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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

 improve the strategies for promoting positive behaviour and relationships in the home and encourage and record the views of children, when any sanctions, disciplinary measures or restraint are used. (NMS 3.18) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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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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