Children's home in Hammersmith and Fulham

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good care and support for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 Young people have difficulty sustaining attendance at school or engaging consistently and meaningfully with home tutors.  Young people’s willingness to take part in physical activity and to be involved in organised events outside of the home has reduced.  Records of restraint lack detail about the description of the measures used during an incident. Staff de briefs following an incident do not take place at all times.  Young people have independence plans. However, not all young people engage in these. Plans sampled had gaps and were not organised. This means young people’s progress is difficult to track.  Incidents of young people being absent without permission are high. Independent return home interviews with young people do not take place.

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The children's home strengths

 Some young people say that they feel helped by staff and have made progress in developing skills in independence while living at the home.  The Registered Manager and staff have developed good relationships with agencies who visit the home including placing local authorities and the police.  Staff receive regular supervision and value the range of training provided. This helps them to develop their practice and recognise areas for professional development.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

ensure that young people make measureable progress towards achieving their educational potential (1) and consistently promote opportunities for each child to learn informally with particular reference to while waiting for any alternative education provision. (2) (v) 30/06/2015

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Requirement Due date

6.The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff understand and apply the home's statement of purpose (2) (b) (i) and consistently help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepares the child to live independently as an adult (2) (b) (vi) and ensure the premises are furnished throughout to meet the needs of each child with specific reference to young people’s beds. (2) (c) (i) 30/06/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

ensure that all children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles specifically through direct encouragement and role modelling. (1) (c) 30/06/2015 14. The care planning standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place to plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (2) (b) (iii) 30/06/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are clear details recorded of the description of the measure of restraint and the steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure and ensure that within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person authorised by the registered person has spoken to the user about the measure and has ensured that the recording of the incident is clear in detail. (Regulation 35 (3) (a) (iv) ( v) and (3) (b) (i) 30/06/15

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided from independent return home interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child (The Guide to the quality standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that staff access appropriate resources to support their training needs with specific reference to equality and diversity. (The Guide to the quality standards, page 53, paragraph 10.11) 

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Information about this children's home

 This home is registered to provide care for up to four children and young people with emotional and or behavioural difficulties. It is one of a small group run by an independent provider. A psychologist offers direct psychological support to young people alongside staff consultation. The provider also operates a school. Staff are available to support young people to access this resource.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Requires improvement

All young people have difficulty sustaining attendance at school or engaging consistently and meaningfully with home tutors. Staff liaise with relevant agencies, advocate for young people and put in effort, none the less; young people do not make measureable progress towards achieving their educational potential. This falls short of the education standard.

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Requires improvement

Young people and staff benefit from direct advice and guidance from a psychologist employed by the provider. This helps staff to gain a better understanding of young people’s behavioural triggers and how to support their emotional well-being. As a result incidents of self-harm have reduced. Young people access health services such as GP, dentist and opticians. Some young people are encouraged to make their own appointments which helps to develop life skills.

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Requires improvement

The provider has a clear structure in place to help young people develop necessary skills towards living independently. This includes budgeting and household management. A reward system provides additional incentives to encourage young people to engage in meeting individualised daily targets. Some young people recognise that the structure helps them. In addition some can pinpoint where they are developing new skills. One young person said:’ I have a budget every week and from that I buy and make my own food.’ Observations and records evidence that there is much discussion between staff and young people about the independence plan. However, young people’s willingness to engage with their tailored plan varies. Staff do not follow a consistent approach to implementation of the plan. Muddled folders and gaps in recording mean that it is difficult to track young people’s progress in developing independence skills. This does not meet the

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Requires improvement

Young people make progress in building family relationships. Staff help them to remain in contact with, or visit those who are important. For some young people this means that they continue to benefit from ongoing relationships with significant attachment figures. This helps young people to build self-esteem.

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Requires improvement

Communal aspects of the home provide sufficient space for young people to live. The living room is bright, spacious and welcoming. Walls display pictures of young people who live in the home. None the less some young people found it difficult to say what they liked about the environment. Young people have the opportunity to personalise their rooms. However, this inspection noted that one young person’s bed frame was broken. This falls short of the quality and purpose of care standard.

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Requires improvement

Young people previously benefited from the routine of accessing a range of physically energising activities such as, swimming, gym and horse-riding. Some staff are successful in motivating young people to engage and together they go out to cycle or play badminton. However, recently the majority of young people have disengaged from the routine of physical activity. More regularly they choose to play on games consoles, smoke or sleep. There is not a consistently clear message from the whole staff group prioritising physical well-being. As a result this falls short of the health and well-being standard.

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Requires improvement

Incidents of missing have decreased recently. Staff follow local protocols which contributes to the home’s good relationships with partner agencies. This makes a positive difference towards speeding young people’s return to the home and keeping them safe. However, incidents of absent without permission remain high. Staff seek to stay in regular contact with young people when they are absent and young people do make contact with staff, for example, when they need money. When young people return to the home following a period of missing or absence the home does not have a system in place to ensure that independent return home interviews take place. To strengthen safeguarding this inspection recommends that the Registered Manger implements this practice.

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Requires improvement

Staff listen to young people and give advice about how to stay safe when out in the local community. As a result young people talk to staff and tell them about incidents which have caused them concern. The Registered Manager responds to matters brought to her attention and has no hesitation in involving partner agencies such the police and local authority. This helps young people to understand that adults working in social care have a responsibility to keep them safe and protect them from further harm. Staff use rewards to acknowledge and encourage positive behaviour. Staff recently adopted a donkey for a young person’s birthday. This helps young people to recognise that they are doing well. Staff appropriately implement negative consequences towards reducing the likelihood of reoccurrence of unwanted behaviour. Staff are trained to use physical intervention. Incidents are few. However, recording of incidents lacks clarity. In addition staff de briefs do not

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Requires improvement

consistently take place. This reduces the opportunity for staff to reflect on their rationale for using physical restraint. This means the application of the current system falls short of regulation.

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Requires improvement

The Registered Manager is experienced and has been leading this home since 2013. She holds the required management qualifications; a National Vocational Qualification Level four in Management and Social Care.

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Requires improvement

There have been a number of staff changes since the last inspection. As a result the homes managers are spending additional energy, supporting the development of those new to working in a children’s home setting and guiding the team.

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Requires improvement

External and internal monitoring systems are in place. Analyses of the homes activities and recommendations from quality assurance monitoring help the Registered Manager to understand the homes strengths and areas for development.

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Requires improvement

Senior managers with the Registered Manager have updated the homes Statement of Purpose which links to the one requirement from the previous inspection. Staff spoken to were unable to recognise the function of this document and as a result could not evidence that they understood it. This falls short of the quality and purpose of care standard.

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Requires improvement

The Registered Manger ensures the sharing of young people’s activity with key stakeholders. There are good professional working relationships with partner agencies such as the police and local authority social workers. As a result the home receives good feedback about the work carried out with young people.

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Requires improvement

The provider has systems in place to enable all staff to access a range of practice based training. This includes cognitive behavioural therapy. Staff spoken to particularly value training provided. Staff attend team meetings and receive regular supervision. In addition they have the opportunity to meet with the provider’s psychologist. This helps them to develop professionally. One member of staff said: ’It’s good to know that I am making a difference however slight that difference might be.’ Staff use their knowledge to support young people by offering individual and group meetings. Some young people use language intended to shock and challenge staff. This inspection recommends that to enhance staffs confidence in helping young people to recognise the impact of inappropriate remarks, all staff access training in equality and diversity.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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