Children's Home run by Young Generation in Haringey

GOOD

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff are a very stable and experienced group of workers who are totally committed to providing a home for young people where they feel part of the family and are treated with dignity and respect.  There is a strong emphasis and expectation that young people will be doing something purposeful with their lives and are supported to achieve even the simplest of goals.  Young people are included in making choices about the running of this home, their views are valued and respected and they have an impact on what happens.  The overall environment is relaxed, homely, friendly and a place where young people feel comfortable.  Young people are making positive progress from their starting points.  There is good interagency working with the police and local authorities to keep young people safe in this home.  Simple daily logs consider the smallest issues that keep young people safer and help them to feel their safety is important, for example taking water

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The children's home provision is good because:

with them on a hot day.  Staff understand safeguarding and receive regular training on key safeguarding issues such as child sexual exploitation, gang affiliation and young people missing from care.  When young people go missing, there are good processes in place to ensure that the maximum is done and considered to ensure their safe return. Searches of local areas and continuous telephone calls to young people and other professionals to trace young people’s whereabouts are made with good levels of success.  Meetings are called to consider risks and difficult decisions are made about continued placements when this home does not feel it can keep young people safe.  The home is effectively managed by a Registered Manager, deputy manager and a stable staff team which ensures continuity of care for young people.  Leaders and staff are working well with other agencies and professionals to ensure positive outcomes and to keep young people safe.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 External monitoring of this home is effective. Reports are provided to the regulator on a regular and timely basis and have helped the Registered Manager to make improvements.  Staff support, supervision and training is given high priority and this shows in their commitment to the service and to including young people in the running of the service and feeling part of the home.  Policies have been updated in line with the new quality standards and the staff team are aware of the framework around these.

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Recommendation

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendation

 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 by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Information about this children's home

Young Generation is a family owned business which provides care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/03/2015 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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GOOD

Young people are supported to build trusted relationships with adults working in the home. Staff are suitably qualified and experienced and provide consistency and support for young people.

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GOOD

Young people are encouraged to make choices in their day-to-day care; this is very evident when talking to them, reading case files, in minutes of residents meetings and from feedback collated. Expectations of behaviour, home rules and boundaries are clear and young people respect these.

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GOOD

Young people are encouraged to talk about difficult topics and are very clear about how to complain. The complaints information is included in the children’s guide which is easily understandable and has the contacts needed, including numbers for advocates, to support young people to have more choice. There are few complaints but these have been followed-up and resolved effectively.

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GOOD

Young people are all on role for education and there is good evidence of progress from their starting points. One young person has just taken five GCSEs and has other achievements. Staff are ambitious for young people and have supported them at school events and to resolve difficulties with education when needed. For example, one social worker says, ‘They have encouraged and supported work to help X get the school situation resolved and have been really positive with this.’

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GOOD

There are a wide range of activities on offer, for example cinema and shopping trips, gym and leisure centre membership, holidays and drama workshops. Young people have excellent choices with their individual needs catered for when they prefer not to be involved in group activities. They are able to see friends with clear boundaries placed around these arrangements which keep all young people safe.

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GOOD

There is good evidence that young people are supported to learn skills for later life, for example in doing their own laundry, learning cooking, shopping, financial skills and keeping their own rooms tidy. This helps with their transition to independent living and raises self-esteem.

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GOOD

Young people are encouraged to look after their health needs and are supported to make and keep appointments to ensure this. Young people are registered quickly with local health services and encouraged to engage in preventative services to promote health, such as sexual health services and a nutritionist. One health worker stated, ‘We have found it a positive environment where we would be happy for other clients to be placed.’

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GOOD

Specialist help is available for drugs and alcohol services, children and adolescent mental health services and mentoring services. In addition, the Registered Manager has commissioned additional support from a psychologist to offer direct support to young people or to talk through strategies for staff to manage, understand and support behaviour.

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GOOD

Young people say they felt welcome when they first moved in and really like living in this home. A real strength are the positive, trusting relationships between staff and young people. There are consequences for difficult behaviour and rewards for positives; this is working well and fosters trust and respect.

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GOOD

Dignity and respect is evident throughout staff practice. For example, young people have been encouraged to identify on a world map where they originate from and what is important for them as a result. Young people’s meetings show they have been given a choice in choosing furniture and equipment for the home, such as the sofas, washing machine, dryer and the newly-fitted kitchen.

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GOOD

Young people’s well-being is the centre of everything. There is a high level of support and attention to the small details, for example support in managing appointments, travel arrangements, contact arrangements and giving good choices in shopping and activities.

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GOOD

Contact with friends and family is important to young people. One regularly brings her friends to the unit and feels staff are welcoming and supportive of this. The young people are generally of an age where they sort out their own arrangements to meet-up with people, but staff oversee and this and have communicated well with social workers to ensure supervision arrangements are in place when needed.

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GOOD

Life story work is a general feature of a young person’s stay at this home. There are documented worksheets which young people are encouraged to complete and many photographs and records of holidays, activities and day-to-day events; these are given to young people when they move on. Young people like this and it shows positive outcomes and memories of time spent at this home.

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GOOD

Children and young people live in a safe environment and have been helped to stay safe by direct actions taken by staff, for example staff constantly contact young people who are absent from the home beyond their curfew times, to establish their whereabouts and safety. When one young person went missing for a number of days, staff went into the community and actively searched for him. Regular professionals meetings were also attended to plan strategies to keep him as safe as possible.

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GOOD

The young people trust the staff and like them. All say that the staff are really helpful and supportive. Staff know the young people well and understand the risks they face. Work undertaken with the young people has reduced these risks, for example, in one case, risky behaviour was reduced through key work sessions to help understand the risks and gain self-respect.

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GOOD

Appropriate notifications are sent to the regulator. Regular professionals meetings to assess risk are taking place when young people go missing. Calls are being made to the family, police and local authorities if young people are absent to ensure safety. Risk assessments are clear and have been regularly updated to reflect any new or risky behaviour.

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GOOD

This home’s approach to preventing young people from going missing is very good; the hard work from staff to locate and support young people to return is good and well recorded. Not all young people’s placing authorities are routinely offering return interviews and this has not been sufficiently challenged by the home. The staff have taken a pragmatic attitude to prevent young people from going missing, for example, by keeping in very regular telephone contact with young people and encouraging their return. Staff have supported this with rewards and through key work sessions.

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GOOD

Young people feel welcomed to this home and find staff very supportive. The Registered Manager undertakes good planning for new admissions, including introductory visits, where possible. Early placement planning meetings and risk assessments are evident on files and clear and easy to use.

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GOOD

Care plans are clear. Young people are aware of their care plans and attend regular reviews where their views are heard.

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GOOD

Bullying is not tolerated; when this is reported it is addressed quickly and effectively to ensure young people feel protected. For example, when one young person raised issues the Registered Manager quickly put an action plan in place to manage this and support both young people involved.

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GOOD

Young people feel secure living here and feel that staff are taking appropriate actions to keep them safe. There are clear, set boundaries and a sense of security. Expectations of positive behaviour exist. These boundaries are backed up in individual key work sessions.

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GOOD

Negative behaviour is managed well. When there has been a difficulty this was resolved effectively by involving the police in working with the staff and young person to challenge negative behaviour. During a recent incident, staff intervened appropriately and have spoken to those involved and recorded their response to this. This has also been fed back to the young person who felt bullied. Clear boundaries have been put in place and a consequence given to the young person involved.

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GOOD

This home manages conflict well and encourages positive behaviour by rewards and positive reinforcement. Restorative practice is used and sanctions are given to manage difficult behaviour. As a result of the above restraint is rarely used and there have been no incidents recorded since the last inspection. All staff are trained in restraint techniques and there is a restraint log with clear guidance on how to report.

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GOOD

Young people are in the older age range at this home and have access to the internet, although the main computer has safety settings applied. There are clear notices near the computer reminding young people of how to stay safe online and a clear e-safety policy in place; these strategies help to safeguard young people.

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GOOD

Young people’s dignity is respected at this home, for example staff always knock prior to entering private bedrooms. Young people’s individuality is catered for, for example through specific dietary requirements and choices offered.

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GOOD

Staff are vetted prior to working with young people and there are safe recruitment practices in this home. A record is kept to track all who have been in the home. There is a location assessment in place which recognises all the positive and negative aspects of the area in which the home is located.

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GOOD

All staff undertake safeguarding training as part of their induction and they receive updated training at regular intervals through the local safeguarding children board. They have undertaken child sexual exploitation training and have gang affiliation training planned. Although there have not been any child protection investigations since the previous inspection, staff are aware of the process to follow.

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GOOD

The homes safeguarding policy has been shared with the local safeguarding children’s board. The policy has been recently reviewed and this version is also in the process of being shared. There is a good network with the local safeguarding board, the missing person’s team of the police and the local authority designated officer, all of whom promote young people’s safety.

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GOOD

A monitoring visit was undertaken in May following a complaint from a young person when the kitchen was being re-furbished. Requirements were made and these have been complied with. The kitchen is now fitted and very well equipped, clean and functional with all necessary equipment. The washing machine has been replaced and the bathroom is clean and presentable. The home is well decorated and furnished and looks homely and comfortable. The Registered Manager had identified that the garden needed some attention and has bought some new garden furniture.

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GOOD

Adequate precautions are taken to prevent fires. For example, safety equipment is in place and there is evidence of regular and compliant checks and fire drills.

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GOOD

This home is effectively run by a Registered Manager who is currently undertaking the relevant qualification and has relevant experience.

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GOOD

There is a consistent staff team who the young people know and like, some of whom are the Registered Manager’s family members. There are a range of skills within the staff team. The home occasionally has to use agency staff and endeavours to use the same staff to ensure continuity for young people. All staff are well qualified or undergoing relevant training.

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GOOD

External monitoring of the home is good and pro-active. There is a development plan in place and the home has dealt with complaints appropriately. The requirements arising from the recent complaint to Ofsted have been fully complied with.

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GOOD

The Registered Manager has ensured that comprehensive plans are in place for young people in the home and it is evident that care plans are informed by the young people. They have been involved in reviews whenever possible or uodated soon after so they are kept fully informed about plans for their care.

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GOOD

This home engages with wider networks to ensure positive relationships to enhance young people’s needs. One social worker says, ‘They attend meetings; they provide good reports and good communication. They are very pro-active and ask for guidance and support on issues if unsure.’

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GOOD

There is less evidence of leaders and staff working with community groups, although there are positive relationships with the neighbours and young people’s religious needs are promoted. Young people are supported to attend the leisure centre and the mentoring services offered from a large local football club.

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GOOD

The Registered Manager has called for reviews of placements when it has been evident the staff cannot meet a young person’s needs, for example, they attended professional meetings, did all they could to trace a young person who was missing and then in agreement with the local authority gave notice as they felt unable to keep this young person consistently safe. Staff request relevant paperwork when this has not been forthcoming, for example, young people’s care plans.

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GOOD

Staff supervision is regular and there are good appraisals. Supervision is clear and reflective, identifying areas of strength and weakness in staff practice, with clear actions recorded. Yearly appraisals are clear and review practice outlining key objectives for the coming year.

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GOOD

Young people are actively involved in the running of this home and there is clear evidence of their input to choices of decoration, furnishings, food menus and activities. Regular feedback is sought from young people, social workers, professionals and parents and this is used to consider the development of this service. Appraisals and recruitment do not involve young people at this stage but this is an area management are considering developing. .

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GOOD

There is a very experienced, well qualified and stable staff team working at this home. They work closely together as a team and interactions with young people are very positive.

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GOOD

The Registered Manager has been very careful and robust in her approach to admissions and considers carefully any prospective placements, thinking about the impact on the current young people in placement and the location. There are certain behaviours that the home accepts they cannot manage and they do not try to, the outcome being a much more stable group of young people with some really positive outcomes.

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GOOD

There is a clear and accurate statement of purpose which has been updated to reflect the new regulations and quality standards. The home feels comfortable and friendly and is maintained to a high standard. Several bedrooms have been or are undergoing refurbishment. The kitchen is also recently refurbished and includes all required modern equipment.

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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, work based 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

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

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