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

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 service provides young people with new experiences that they do not routinely have access to.  Young people are making good progress from their starting points.  Young people enjoy have warm and caring relationship with the staff team.  Staff promote young people‟s cultural and identity needs.  The staff team are qualified and experienced. They know the young people well and are committed to ensuring they have a fun and safe experience.  The staff team work holistically to support young people and parents both in and out of the home.  The home provides young people with a warm and welcoming environment. They are happy and relaxed.  There is robust support for young to learn independence skills, engage in community activities and develop their own personalities in preparation for moving on to alternative provision.  Good assessments are in place to enable young people to take age- appropriate risks.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Work force and development plans are in place in line with regulations.  Transition planning for young people is individualised to meet their specific needs. However, staff do not always receive appropriate and relevant information on the plans to enable them to fully support young people for their move.  The homes policies and procedures are not in line with new legislation.

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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- (a) keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and (b) notify HMCI of any revision and send a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 18/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must- (a) ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) 18/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which- (a) is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children‟s home from abuse or neglect; and (b) sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)) 18/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) setting out- (a) the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and (b) the procedure to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34 (4)(a)(b)) 18/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place- (a) a person other than the registered person caries on or manages the home. (Regulation 49 (a)) 18/12/2015

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

Where positive relationships exist between children and staff these are respected and maintained as far as possible when making any decisions to alter staffing arrangements. The registered person should respond to the children‟s views about changes to staff and be aware of the potential impact this may have for the child‟s stability and emotional well-being. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 39, paragraph 8.12)

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Recommendations

Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, with specific reference to understanding their roles and responsibilities for looked after children. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 53, paragraph 10.11 )

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Recommendations

Any Registered Manager placed in charge of a children‟s home or staff members in a deputy or supervisory role such as „shift leaders‟ should have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.21)

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Recommendations

The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure the planning of each child‟s transition and help each child to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally with specific reference in respect of staff fully understanding and working with the plan. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 57, paragraph, 11.9)

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Information about this children's home

This local authority home provides a short-breaks service and/or full time care on an interim and emergency basis for up to five children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, physical disabilities, learning disabilities and a sensory impairment.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people enjoy a warm and homely environment, where they are comfortable, feel welcome and are encouraged to personalise their individual bedrooms with pictures and other items to make their stay as pleasant as possible.

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Good

The staff team are long standing, experienced, enthusiastic and passionate about the care they provide to young people. They have good relationships with staff, many of whom have been in the team for a number of years. Young people trust the staff, feel listened to and are happy. A parent comments, „This is a safe haven for X, l can feel him relax as soon as he enters the door, he displays none of the challenges that we see at home, staff know and understand his needs.‟

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Good

The home provides care and support for two looked after young people on an interim to long-term basis. For these young people, placement plans are established with identified needs negotiated through partnership working with all professionals involved in their care. For example, staff work with a placing authority‟s psychologist, developing strategies for regulating and managing the behaviour of one young person.

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Good

Senior management have developed creative and innovative plans for young people‟s move to alternative provisions to ensure they maintain contact with families, education provision and community links. A parent said of the plans, „We are struggling to accept that we can no longer manage X in the family home. However, consultations with us, good planning and the fact that he will be living near to us, initially receiving outreach support from staff that he knows, makes it better.‟

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Good

Staff are positive about the transitional plans for young people; however, staff do not evidence or fully share changes to care plans with key people. This leads to differing understanding and confusion over roles and responsibilities. For some young people who are due to move on in the near future, the staff team do not fully understand the process and planning for this move. This compromises staff ability to support young people to develop emotional and mental resilience to understand and manage the changes in their lives.

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Good

Staff work holistically with parents to support them in caring for young people with disabilities. Outreach work is undertaken with families in their home, to assess and develop strategies to support positive behavior, is ongoing. A parent says of the outreach work with her family, „X came into our home and helped us to make a plan where every member of the family had a task. She made a visual timetable which we all understood and that enabled us to manage better as a family. She was like a partner to work with and a friend to talk to; l did not feel l had to hide anything.‟

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Good

Staff work well in seeking the views and opinions of young people, their parents and carers. This can pose some difficulty as many of the young people are non- verbal. Young people are encouraged to express their views and wishes through their preferred communication systems and others use written feedback forms. Parents complete feedback forms, surveys and attend parents meeting. Feedback from parents and carers on the service is overwhelmingly positive. A parent said, „Staff are transparent and they understand. We would have given up long ago if it was not for their support and encouragement.‟ A social worker comments, „The service is not just about the young people, they include parents, who are consulted at all levels.‟ This leads to trusting relationships with parents and young people, leading to improved outcomes and experiences for young people.

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Good

Staff are familiar with the health needs of all young people. They receive comprehensive and detailed information as part of the referrals and planning process. Risk assessments are in place for personal care to ensure privacy and dignity. Only staff that have completed training and demonstrate competence carry out medical interventions. Well-kept records of young people‟s health needs and the administration of medication are in place.

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Good

Maintenance of healthy lifestyles is encouraged. Healthy eating choices are in place and staff cater to specific cultural, health and religious needs. Young people are encouraged to be physically active, using the garden and nearby park for exercise.

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Good

Young people access a range of stimulating, fun and educational activities both in the home and out in the community. Many of these activities are on display throughout the building. The service is well equipped, with a large garden, sensory room and soft play area.

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Good

The home has a good focus on keeping young people safe from abuse and neglect. Staff have kept themselves abreast on safeguarding procedures and have effective and supportive discussions with young people on keeping safe. This is particularly important for looked after young people, who are encouraged to take age appropriate risks as part of their independence planning.

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Good

Young people understand the importance of staying safe and the actions to take. The success of this work is apparent when through social media a young person was encouraged to take part in potentially sexually exploitative behaviour. She took immediate action and informed staff. This enabled staff and senior management to take prompt and effective action to ensure her safety. The young person and her keyworker have accessed further safeguarding and e-safety training following this incident.

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Good

Despite this serious incident, no review of policies and procedures has taken place to promote the safety of young people. The procedures for staff to follow should a young person go missing are equally out of date. Parents say they feel confident in the service to safeguard young people and staff use effective behaviour management support plans and risk assessments to guide their actions. However, strategies are not in place should an allegation be made or young people go missing to enable staff to have a comprehensive approach on the procedures to follow. Staff are vigilant in their supervision of young people both in and out of the home; as a result, few incidents occur.

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Good

The staff team are skilled and experienced in their understanding of the impact disability may have on the behaviour of young people. Some young people present with very challenging and often-unpredictable behaviour; staff are skilled in managing behaviour and use a range of calm and distracting techniques to divert young people and encourage positive behaviour.

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Good

Records on mandatory training for staff are not available during this inspection. In discussions with staff, training appears to be inconsistent and for many out of date. Robust recruitment procedures ensure the careful vetting of staff before they start work in the home. This ensures the safety of vulnerable young people.

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Good

Staff are mindful when grouping young people for their short break stays. Decision-making is based on promoting and maintaining friendship, shared and happy experiences and the avoidance of bullying or negative behaviour towards others. Good planning ensures young people have a gradual introduction to the home their own pace, with overnight stays happening when young people‟s parents and the staff assess they are ready. A parent comments, „They took time with X and really helped him to manage his fears and anxieties about being away from me.‟

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Good

The service is located in a purpose built building; it is well cared for and all relevant health and safety checks are in place. Specialist equipment is maintained and where necessary serviced or replaced. Staff receive training in fire safety and each young person has an individual evacuation plan. A location risk assessment is in place to support the safety of young people in the community and identify potential risks.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection a new interim manager is in post. She was not available during this inspection.

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Requires improvement

The senior manager for the service has a clear vision for its future development, which if implemented will have a major impact on the service. He holds a comprehensive knowledge of the young people who use the service and has played a leading role in the management of young people moving on to alternative placements.

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Requires improvement

The management of the service in the absence of the interim manager lack clarity. The home has two assistant managers; however, they do not have defined roles. This leads to inconsistency in their understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Induction packages for managers are not in place to help manage this confusion.

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Requires improvement

Staff supervision, appraisals and training records were not available for review during this inspection. In discussion with staff, they do not fully understand the impact of the new Quality Standards on how the service operates. Safeguarding training for staff is unclear, with some members of staff unable to identify their last training date. This can lead to confusion about the actions to take to safeguard young people.

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Requires improvement

Staff have good and effective relationships with local authority social workers, school and health professionals in the best interests of young people. A social worker comments, „Staff are very good on keeping professionals up to date on young people‟s progress, they communicate well and are always available.‟ Another social worker comments, „The service is good at making young people feel safe and are especially good at promoting positive outcomes for some our more complex and challenging young people. The service is a bit special.‟

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Requires improvement

Staff have constructive and warm relationships with all young people. Over the years, some young people have built secure and positive attachments with particular members of staff. Young people do not always fully understand the reason for changes or alterations; they believe management do not fully consider their wishes and feelings prior to making changes. This has the potential to impact negatively on young people‟s emotional stability at a crucial stage of their development. The home‟s statement of purpose accurately describes the service provided by the home. However, it does not reflect new regulations and the Quality Standards.

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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

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 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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