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

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 home has a small but experienced, dedicated and highly committed staff team. Staff have good relationships with the young people who show a caring attitude to staff. One young person said, ‘They are like a family for us.’  The staff team receive guidance and support from a dynamic, knowledgeable and highly involved manager. One young person said, ‘The manager is great. I give her a nine out of ten.’  The senior management team, including the responsible person, have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and are working on a programme of continuous improvement.  The home works well with other professionals, providing good quality monthly reports and regular communication about young people to schools and placing social workers.  Staff are vocal and persistent champions for young people’s ongoing education and 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

13. The leadership and management standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to providing a stable and consistent staff team, the registered person must ensure that: (2)(d) the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. 21/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to HMCI. ( Regulation 44 (7) (a)) 30/11/2015

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Complete a workforce development plan, ensuring it identifies the ongoing training and professional development needs for staff in the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 53 paragraph, 10.8)

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Recommendations

 Ensure records clearly record progress where staff are continually and actively assessing the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them,. In particular that their behaviour support plans and risk assessments clearly evidence their progress. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that sanctions are restorative in nature to help young people recognise the impact their behaviour has on themselves, other young people, staff caring for them and the wider public. In particular do not use access to telephone credit as a sanction. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all staff have the skills and knowledge to administer basic first aid and minor illness treatment, in particular ensure staff gain this during their induction. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 34, paragraph 7.12)

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Information about this children's home

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

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

04/03/2015 Interim Improved Effectiveness

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Good

Staff are persistent and caring in their attempts to form relationships with the young people. Relationships are relaxed but with appropriate boundaries in place. One young person says, ‘They are really good. The staff here they have really helped me. I was naughty when I came here and I am well behaved now.’ Staff have high expectations for young people’s education. Where schools have excluded young people the staff have appropriately, professionally and consistently challenged local authorities to provide a suitable alternative. Schools say that they have a close working relationship with the home which helps in young people’s engagement in education. Young people have made significant improvement in attendance and attainment. Young people have the opportunity to join in activities and some make excellent use of this. Examples include joining clubs and travelling to engage in sporting activities and gaining qualifications in these. Staff use local resources well,

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Good

including where young people wish, places of worship. Special events in young people’s lives such as birthdays and religious festivals are celebrated. This helps young people to develop appropriate leisure interests and to maintain their cultural and family links. The home has an effective admissions procedure which provides staff with detailed information on young people. Local authority placement teams say that the manager adheres to a strict matching policy when considering new referrals. One placements manager said, ‘The manager will not accept admissions which would upset the balance in the home. They are very strict about that.’ Staff use pre- admissions assessment information to construct detailed placement plans which clearly identify areas of responsibility, targets and outcome measures. Included in the placement plan is clear guidance on family contacts, any religious requirements or cultural care needs. The placement plans are a well-maintained and regularly

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Good

updated record of the young people’s progress. Monthly monitoring of the targets gives evidence of progression which is included in the monthly report to social workers. Young people develop good independence skills in the home. Some have pathway plans which staff support with comprehensive and well-documented independence programmes. One young person said, ‘It is really helpful, it gives you the skills and confidence you will need to live independently.’ All young people have detailed health care plans which provide a good record of their health care within the home. Staff encourage young people to take responsibility for aspects of their health care and in particular to learn the benefits of healthy eating and exercise. One young person said the thing she was most proud of was learning to cook proper meals. Staff treat young people with respect and encourage them to develop positive self- images. Young people are aware of their progression and receive praise and

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Good

recognition from staff. Staff are proud of the young people’s successes and ensure that they reinforce these with appropriate praise and rewards. There have been no arrests of young people who were offending prior to coming to the home. They have complied with any conditions related to their previous offending orders and worked with keyworkers to reinforce the work to reduce offending. The staff work well with placing authorities to support their work on victim awareness, drugs awareness and offending behaviour.

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Good

Young people say they feel safe in the home and that they trust the staff. Staff engage in regular training in safeguarding and actively apply this in their work with young people. The manager has responded to staff questions about issues in the Prevent agenda and has created a useful practical guide for them. Staff say they have discussed this but have not got sufficient knowledge or training to apply it in practice. Staff recruitment is rigorous with all required checks in place. The involvement of young people in the recruitment process enhances the safe selection of appropriate staff. There have been no restraints in the home for over two years. Staff maintain good order through their effective relationships with the young people. One member of staff said, ‘It can take a long time to work through issues but it is worth it and we do not then have to use restraint.’ The restraint logbook has a format mainly in line

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Good

with guidance but has no section for young people’s comments. This has no impact on the current residents and templates were modified during the inspection. Staff reinforce positive behaviour with rewards. Behavioural plans have targets which link to these rewards. In addition young people have regularly reviewed risk assessments which clearly identify their risks and provide guidance to staff on how to manage these. Monthly reports to social workers comment on progress in these areas but there is no simple accurate recording of ongoing success in reducing risks or in achieving behavioural targets. Where staff use sanctions young people are involved in setting these. They are often more punitive in setting these than staff and include some sanctions which are not restorative in nature and do not fit with the positive behavioural approach of the home. Where young people attempt to go missing staff make appropriate measure to

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Good

persuade them to remain. When this has not been successful they follow appropriate procedures to encourage young people back. The home have developed good relationships with the police and community support officers who work with young people in highlighting the risks in the community and how to avoid them. Most young people are settled in the home and do not go missing. Where individuals have continued to go missing the manager analyses all available information and modifies approaches with them. If this fails, the home works with the placing authority to implement suitable plans to keep the individuals safe. This close partnership working ensure that plans are dynamic and risks are not allowed to drift and inaction endangers the young people. All health and safety risk assessments are current and contain adequate information. Health and safety checks of all fittings and appliances is suitably regular ensuring a safe environment for young people. The home responds

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Good

positively to complaints about health and safety issues, calling in specialists where required and taking any recommended actions.

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Requires improvement

The responsible individual has not ensured that the home has sufficient full-time permanent staff to meet the needs of the young people accommodated. There is an over reliance on a small number of staff supported by the Registered Manager. The rota is only possible with the use of a small number of bank staff who are experienced at working with the young people. The independent visitor has identified the urgent need for the appointment of a deputy, to allow the home to provide the service described in the statement of purpose. The responsible person and manager are in the process of recruiting staff, and a deputy is due to start next month. The current arrangements are not sustainable and do not ensure that staff can respond flexibly to unexpected events. The home has not completed a workforce development plan although most components of it are in place. There is a clear induction process with agreed

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Requires improvement

timescales and well-recorded progression. This leads to confirmation of employment and enrolment on a suitable level 3 qualification. The induction does not include all necessary training such as basic health care and first aid. The overall training programme had planned for a wide range of highly appropriate training for staff but this did not occur due to cancellations from the training providers. Consequently, the home has not provided staff with sufficient ongoing professional development. The young people say they ‘love’ the Registered Manager. Staff say that she is a good teacher and listener. The manager has extensive and successful experience of managing and improving children’s homes. She has suitable professional qualifications, including a level 6 in management, and a drive for continuous improvement. Staff say she is constantly researching areas of social work ensuring they remain up to date and well informed. She has a good understanding of the

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Requires improvement

strengths and weaknesses in the home as demonstrated in her internal monitoring and the home’s development plan. For example the development plan highlights training and staff recruitment as necessary and high priority areas for immediate action. External monitoring reports supplied by the independent person are suitably detailed and challenging. However, the independent visitor does not send the reports directly to HMCI. This potentially compromises the integrity of the information contained in them and delays the provision of this helpful safeguard for young people. The home works well with other professionals. Examples include: the close working with children and adolescent mental health services to provide staff with monthly consultancy and training; positive engagement of community support officers in the home; and close working with a number of voluntary agencies.

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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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