Children's Home run by London Borough of Hillingdon in Hillingdon

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:

 Children enjoy staying for short breaks; they make and sustain friendships with other children.  The service gives careful thought to the mix of children that spend time together in the home. This means that children who enjoy more active play, can play together and those who prefer a quiet space can enjoy a calmer environment.  Parents value the service and are extremely positive about the difference it makes to theirs and their children’s lives.  The staff team are experienced, well trained and look after children with genuine care and commitment.  The management team is very effective. They lead by example and work together creatively to deliver high standards of care to children. Because of this, the service continues to improve in all areas.  The physical environment is homely, clean and comfortable. Children make good use of the space and equipment to learn, have fun and engage in constructive activities.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff pay attention to detail and are attentive to the needs of children. They provide individualised care, help them make progress and ensure that they are safe.  The service works closely with a clinical psychologist to inform interventions and help children make progress. They work effectively with children with complex needs and manage challenging behaviour safely.

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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

The registered person must ensure that all employees- receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. In particular, ensure that staff receive formal monthly supervision as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 20/12/15

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that the registered provider offers children a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home which provide appropriate opportunities to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings. This relates to taking children out into the community more often to enjoy themselves and learn skills that will help develop their independence skills when it is appropriate to their needs. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 31, paragraphs 6.4, 6.5)

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Information about this children's home

The London Borough of Hillingdon operates this service. The home provides short breaks for up to eight children with learning difficulties and physical disabilities.

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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

The home provides respite care for children with learning and physical disabilities. Some children spend a significant amount of time in the home and others have occasional overnight stays.

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Good

Each child has a detailed care plan; staff use information from parents, schools, health services and, when necessary, specialised input from child and adolescent mental health services. Staff regularly review and update these plans in response to how children experience their stay, making good use of feedback from parents and partner agencies. This means that children receive individualised care that is responsive to their needs.

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Good

Staff know the children well and use this knowledge to match groups of children in a way that maximises their opportunities to make friends, socialise and enjoy a range of activities. Children enjoy their time in the home and look forward to their stays. Parents appreciate this as it helps them also enjoy the short break, safe in the knowledge that their children are happy and well cared for. One parent says, ‘All of the staff are very caring, I feel very comfortable about leaving my son here.’ Another parent comments that, ‘The staff are brilliant, without this service, my child would not be living at home.’

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Good

Children learn a range of skills as appropriate to their needs and abilities. Through group living and activities, they learn social skills and staff encourage them to express themselves through art and music. The home provides a range of equipment, toys and games to engage them in constructive activities during their stay, so they have fun and learn. They go out to the local community to learn about how to shop for food and to get used to using public transport. Some parents feel that the staff could do more of this and that sometimes, their children do not go out into the community very often, spending most of their stay indoors. This means that some children may miss out on opportunities to lead a more active lifestyle and have fewer opportunities to learn independence skills.

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Good

The home gathers detailed information from a variety of sources, including specialised input, to inform their care and interventions. This close partnership work with parents, schools, health professionals and social workers enhances care planning and risk management. This is particularly important for children with severe learning difficulties, who may not be able to communicate their needs and wants. Staff use a variety of communication methods to help children express their needs. They also work with children to help them develop their ability to communicate and understand.

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Good

The physical environment is homely, warm and provides a lot of space for children. They can make use of a large garden and play area if they want to be active or, if they prefer, relax indoors. Bedroom decor is to a high standard and all bedrooms different, which means that children have a choice about which room they stay in and can usually stay in the bedroom that they like the best.

p.7

Good

The home has a cook who knows the dietary needs of each child; he cooks a variety of meals each day to reflect their particular needs and preferences. Children with different cultures, faiths and health needs always have meals available to them that are healthy and that they enjoy.

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Good

The home makes detailed assessments of the needs of each child. Staff make use of this information to inform staffing levels so that all children have the attention they need to keep safe. Staff assess the risks for each child when they go out of the home to ensure that they can safely supervise and monitor any risks relating to the environment, such as road safety.

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Good

Some children have complex health needs and staff manage these well. Individual care plans and risk assessments set out what each child needs to stay healthy; this includes how to safely administer medication and what steps to take in the event of an emergency. There are clear arrangements in place to ensure that only staff who have undertaken specialist training are involved in administering medication or using medical equipment for feeding. The systems for administering medications are effective and regularly monitored by the Registered Manager.

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Good

Children are supervised at all times and the home environment is secure in order to prevent them absconding and to prevent unauthorised people entering the building. Children do not go missing, but staff have clear protocols in place and relevant information to hand to ensure a robust response in the event that a child absconds.

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Good

Staff carefully consider the mix of children staying at any one time. They ensure that children, who may be vulnerable or present a risk to others, are not staying together. Incidents of bullying between children are rare and when incidents do occur, staff take prompt action to manage the situation safely and make sure that children learn how to behave appropriately. The staff have very positive relationships with children, they interact warmly, know them well and are attentive to their needs. The staff hold the children in positive regard at all times and when children present challenging behaviour, staff are skilled at helping them cope with their feelings and to learn from mistakes. Sanctions are seldom used. Physical restraint is used only as a last resort and by trained staff.

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Good

The staff use a wide variety of approaches to promote positive behaviour and, when a child’s needs are particularly complex, a clinical psychologist informs these strategies. They understand potential triggers for behaviour and intervene early to prevent children from becoming anxious or distressed. They adjust their strategies to address the particular needs of each child. This prevents behaviour which may be normal to children from developing into incidents that may be distressing to them or others.

p.8

Good

The home’s robust recruitment and vetting procedures make sure that only staff who are suitably experienced and safe provide care to children. Staff do not always receive regular formal supervision. This means they miss opportunities to discuss the emotional impact of the work and to discuss development needs. They feel supported by the management team and are able to share any concerns, so the current impact on the quality of care for children is not significant.

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Good

There have been no recent concerns about the safety of children. Staff are aware that the children who stay are particularly vulnerable to abuse: they are vigilant for any signs that children may be at risk of harm and they understand the child protection procedures necessary to keep them safe.

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Good

When children need intimate personal care, staff do this in a way that protects and promotes their dignity; for example, only staff who know the children well and only staff of the same gender undertake personal care. Staff pay attention to each child’s health needs, race and culture when undertaking personal care. This makes sure that children use the same products that their parents use for skin and hair care.

p.8

Good

Staff are mindful of the need to balance safe supervision while still allowing children to take risks appropriate to their abilities in order to develop independence skills. Staff clearly identify risks and plans are in place to manage risks; this means children are safe.

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Good

The physical environment is clean, well maintained and safe. Each child has an individual evacuation plan in the event of a fire and there is always a trained fire marshal on duty. Regular checks of the fire equipment and practice drills ensure that the risks in the event of fire are minimised. Staff trained in manual handling understand the approaches necessary to protect each child from injury. Approved contractors regularly maintain specialist equipment used for moving and handling children. Judgement grade

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Good

The Registered Manager is currently on maternity leave and two interim managers share management of the home. Both managers are extremely competent and experienced. They work effectively as a team and clear arrangements are in place to ensure that there is a strong management presence in the home at all times.

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Good

The service has improved significantly in recent months. Parents comment on how the physical environment is much more homely, that staff are more enthusiastic and happy. They are particularly impressed that the service is much more flexible and that they can now make use of a short break when they most need it.

p.9

Good

The managers of the home have taken a thoughtful approach to develop staffing resources to improve the quality of care. Senior staff have clear shift-leading roles and responsibilities and this gives more structure and sense of purpose to each shift. This ensures that staff do not overlook small but important details in respect of caring for children with complex needs.

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Good

Children make progress and develop skills for independence. Both managers also manage adult services and have good knowledge of the types of services available for children as they move into adulthood. They use this knowledge to plan transitions and to help children learn the independence skills they need to maximise their future life chances.

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Good

There are effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care and the managers have clear plans to develop the service and make further improvements. They ascertain the views of staff, parents and children to improve practice. When managers identify any shortfalls in service provision, they act quickly to address them.

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Good

The deputy manager has close involvement and oversight of the day-to-day care of the children. He knows the children well and understands the challenges that frontline staff face in their role. He works closely with staff and the managers of the home to address any practice issues or concerns. This creates an open culture and means that staff share the child-centred vision advocated by managers and children experience this.

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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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