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

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people receive excellent guidance from the local authority education support team..

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff work with parents and other professinals to ensure that young people are able to enjoy supported contact with parents and friends.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 A long-standing and committed permanent staff team work hard to develop positive relationships with young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are able to access a wide variety of activities and services from the local authority.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Regular and well planned key work, which addresses any sources of conflict and ensures good behaviour and stability for young people

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Excellent and well-planned support for young people when they go missing from the home, ensuring that young people are effectively safeguarded.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 A strong and committed management group who value the importance of regular staff supervision and training.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 A rigorous admissions policy, which prioritises the needs of existing residents and the stability of the home.    Young people are encouraged to have their wishes and feelings heard during regular visits to the home by an independent advocate.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There is insufficient recording or monitoring of the work on independence skills.

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Information about this children's home

 This is a local authority run children’s home. Registration is for up to six young people with emotional/behavioural issues.

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Recommendations Due date

Assist each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope with the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 17, paragraph 3.27) 30 December

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

There is a warm and welcoming home. Young people have personalised one of the walls in the communal area and recently assisted in painting the dining area. Young people build secure and long-standing attachments to staff members. One professional comments, ‘The staff present as incredibly professional and have the best interest of young people as their core focus.’

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Good

Staff gain a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction when former residents return to the home to thank them for their help and support. The home has recently established a Facebook page to allow for the exchange of photos and general updates from former residents. Laughing, joking and warm interactions between staff and young people occur consistently in the home.

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Good

All of the young people are in the care of the host local authority. This allows for close proximity to family and friends and for close support from specialist support services such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Staff are able to gain priority access to these services, hence a reduced waiting time. Young people feel helped and fully supported as a result.

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Good

Staff support safe contact in the home with parents and friends who are regular visitors. Staff press allocated social workers to agree overnight contact with friends and family where appropriate. This helps to sustain family relationships, lower incidents of unauthorised absence from the home and reduces any stigma that young people may feel.

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Good

Staff have an established relationship with the local youth service. This ensures a wide choice of activities and courses for young people, including the recent offer of a specialist course in horse riding and membership of a local football club. Young people recently participated in a street festival organised by the local neighbourhood watch. This helps to encourage the benefits of positive engagement with the community.

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Good

Staff prioritise achievement in education. A private room in the home allows for quiet study and safe use of the internet. One teacher comments, ‘The staff are extremely good when it comes to education and constantly encourage the young people to better themselves and to get to college/school every day.’ Staff offer creative solutions when young people struggle to attend, including transportation into school and asking schools for mentoring support.

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Good

A dedicated education officer regularly monitors progress and engagement within the local authority. Education plans are subject to review three times per year. Young people have a broad range of choice and support as a result.

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Good

Young people access specialist support services in the home. A CAMHS worker visits weekly to liaise with both staff and young people. This avoids the stigma of visiting an external agency and helps to promote informal engagement. Staff and young people are able to reflect on strategies discussed and address presenting behaviours more effectively.

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Good

Staff push for specialist assessments of young people’s needs. For example, on reaching adulthood, one young person was able to move on to a supported unit. This was due to the recommendations of the assessment that staff had pursued. He is now receiving the appropriate level of support.

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Good

There is insufficient evidence of work on developing independence skills. This does not allow professionals full information regarding any progress made in key work sessions and may result in ill-informed care planning decisions. Judgement grade

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Good

Young people are happy in their home. They benefit from a staff team that is multi-talented and of different ages and ethnicities. This helps them engage with staff for numerous activities and topics of conversation.

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Good

Staff adopt a versatile and responsive approach to young people. The tone and style of verbal interaction is of great importance. On attending activities or events with young people, staff agree a term of reference for themselves. This helps young people to avoid embarrassment in front of peers.

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Good

Key work is well planned and coordinated. Staff strive to support young people in making positive and constructive life choices, seeking to increase young people’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem achieve this. Recently keyworkers stressed the importance of informed consent for sexual activity. These sessions link to areas of concern outlined in care plans and help to reduce risk.

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Good

One young person comments, ‘I meet with my keyworker all the time and we talk about stuff.’ Case records show staff exploring creative means of support. In one case, the possibility of a return trip to a young person’s country of birth is under assessment. This helps promote a sense of identity for the young person concerned.

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Good

Behaviour is good with no use of restraint. Staff use their experience and excellent verbal skills to help de-escalate and manage confrontation. Staff effectively mediate between young people.

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Good

Staff support progress and achievement. Consistent verbal praise and encouragement supports motivation and supports positive interactions between staff and young people.

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Good

The behavioural management system allows for creativity and negotiation. For example, one young person had the choice of supervised spending with staff or an appointment with the drugs worker. An element of choice allows motivation to address substance misuse issues and outline the dangers of the possession and use of cannabis.

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Good

Staff prioritise healthy living in the home. Young people access a local gym and assist staff in planning the weekly menu. This focuses on reducing intake of ‘junk food’. Sexual health screening and statutory medicals help monitor and support physical health.

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Good

The home prioritises advocacy support for young people. An independent advocate visits the home on a regular basis; she has explored the possibility of legal representation in one case and liaised well with managers regarding any areas of concern.

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Good

Consultation with young people occurs on a regular basis. In addition, they understand and utilise the complaints system effectively. Managers monitor and respond to any concerns promptly. Young people feel heard and represented as a result.

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Good

Staff focus on openness and honesty. Young people read their case files with the authorisation of the allocated social worker. The home is able to access a life story worker from within the local authority. This assists young people in understanding their previous history thus far and the reasons why services became involved in their lives.

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Good

There is a proactive, inventive safeguarding culture in the home. For example, staff have given young people a coded phrase, which they can use to phone the home if they feel unsettled or nervous. This would allow staff to locate them without raising the suspicion of others.

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Good

Multi-agency work helps to minimise risk-taking behaviour. Staff have access to the computer information system used by the local authority. This ensures sharing of case recordings and risk assessments with fellow professionals. A police officer from the missing team is a regular visitor to the home. For many young people this is their first positive interaction with the police and assists in challenging any stereotypical views.

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Good

Recently, one young person moved to a placement outside of London with the approval of the family court. This was due to extreme concerns of possible sexual exploitation and running from the home. Staff liaised closely with police to trace possible perpetrators and evidence key work discussions. Strategies included tracking travel by Oyster card, Facebook use and insisting on meeting anyone who was a risk. This has helped ensure the safety for the young person concerned.

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Good

Managers meet with local police monthly to assess any concerns from the local community and patterns in missing behaviour. Young people receive a return to care interview when they return after a period of going missing from home. This helps managers to monitor any themes or concerns from young people. Judgement grade

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Good

The home benefits from a long-standing and committed Registered Manager. She is a qualified social worker who has worked at the home since 1997. She attends local authority panel meetings regarding child sexual exploitation and is a member of the local neighbourhood watch and alliance of care home providers.

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Good

One deputy manager and three assistant managers support her. All have enjoyed an extended period working together, therefore ensuring consistency and cohesion within the management team. Managers lead by example and are a consistent presence in the home. The staff and young people have a mutual respect for the management team.

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Good

Managers ensure that the home is well equipped and all necessary risk assessments are completed. As a result, young people live in a safe environment.

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Good

Staff morale is high. Young people benefit from a committed and long-standing staff team. There have been no staff departures since the last inspection. This has allowed for the development of close working relationships.

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Good

Staff value the importance of training and supervision. One staff member comments, ‘We feel supported and work like a big family in the home, everybody really cares.’

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Good

A plan for service development is in place. The Registered Manager is seeking to maintain an improving and dynamic service. She has commissioned extended training for staff, focusing on motivational techniques for young people. This will help staff develop their engagement skills and be of future benefit to young people.

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Good

Case files illustrate regular management oversight. Risk assessments are clear and concise; they outline the concerns and the strategies to address them.

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Good

Staff are encouraged to use their knowledge of young people and experience to focus on analytical writing and not simply reporting facts. Hence, professionals are fully informed and make appropriate decisions for young people.

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Good

Staff are suitably qualified. They have access to a good level of training directly from the local authority. Managers have allocated specific ‘champion’ roles to staff members. One staff member is the champion of information regarding child sexual exploitation. Her role is to feedback to the staff team and assist in risk management. This helps to ensure a broad range of understanding of specific issues and specialisms within the home; care plans are fully risk assessed and young people benefit as a result.

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Good

Staff meetings are regular and used as a forum for reviewing care plans and the progress of young people. This helps to ensure staff consistency in behavioural management and young people benefit as a result.

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Good

Managers learn quickly from past mistakes. Following a recent disruptive emergency admission, the home now only accepts emergencies once every four weeks. The Registered Manager uses her access to the council’s information system and established relationship with senior managers to cross-reference any potential referrals. This helps to ensure the stability of the home.

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Good

Managers advocate regularly on behalf of young people. They alert independent reviewing officers as to possible drift or delay issues. Young people receive the best possible service as a result.

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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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