Children's Home run by Heartwood RSW Ltd in Redbridge

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home has sustained effectiveness since the last inspection in September 2015. It is judged as sustained because all the young people residing in the home have moved in during the past two weeks and therefore it is difficult to measure their progress. Further shortfalls are found, resulting in four recommendations.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All the young people who were living in the home at the time of the previous inspection have left the placement, following decisions by the registered manager to give notice based on ensuring their safety. The organisation is reviewing how appropriate the mix of young people in the home was, and is meeting with placing authorities to see how they can better manage and avoid disruptions in the future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people moving into the home enjoyed positive transitions, receiving information from the home prior to them having an opportunity to look around and meet staff. One young person was able to visit two residential homes and chose this one over the other.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager devised an assessment tool to consider the match of new young people referred to the service with existing residents. This is a good initiative; however, its use is inconsistent. For example, two young people with similar needs are placed without enough consideration to the impact one may potentially have on the other. The matching tool was only used during one admission.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All the young people living at the home are newly resident and placed within the preceding two weeks. It is difficult to measure progress after such a short period within the home. Some progress is evident; for example, staff accompanied one young person to enrol in college and are supporting another young person to complete set schoolwork while awaiting a new education placement. Scheduled meetings are booked to progress planning for young people as soon as possible.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two young people with a significant history of absconding are receiving one-to-one staff support and have not gone missing since their admission. They are engaging well with the staff and the support on offer at the home. Despite only being in the home for a short time, young people are complimentary about the home, saying they like the staff and feel welcomed. One young person said: ‘I like it here, the staff are really good.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people benefit from being looked after by a core team of permanent staff who work well together and support one another. The registered manager has recently resigned; however, the responsible individual is currently overseeing the management of the home, supported by a deputy manager. A new interim manager is due to start shortly, and appropriate arrangements ensure the continued smooth running of the service.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The responsible individual is currently supervising the staff. Staff say they feel well supported; however, only one member of staff received a formal appraisal of their performance and fitness to carry out their role. The responsible individual is aware of this and plans to have completed these by the end of February. Staff appraisals allow for any poor practice to be addressed and for ongoing staff development. Appraisals help leaders and managers identify the ongoing training and development needs of the staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team know the young people well and feel positive they can do good work with them. Despite obvious disruptions to the management team, all staff felt ‘positive’ and that they ‘work well’ as a team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

External monitoring of the home by an independent visitor helps the leaders and managers to plan and improve the service. The registered manager completed a review of the quality of care provided, showing a good understanding of the service and how it can improve. The responsible individual has good vision for the continued improvement of the service and a development plan is underway. There is some shortfall in the recording of some documents, such as incidents and sanctions, which, despite management checks, do not accurately reflect correct dates.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people say they feel safe in the home. One young person did not receive information about complaints or a children’s guide, however, did know how to complain. Young people like their bedrooms but would like the opportunity to purchase items to personalise them, such as duvet covers of their choice. Recent redecoration of all the rooms makes the home comfortable and clean. Staff say the next phase of improvement is to include the young people in choosing detail such as duvet covers, notice boards and feature walls.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people have been at risk of sexual exploitation. Staff have received refresher safeguarding training, which included child sexual exploitation. They have worked well with the police and other agencies historically to manage this risk and improve young people’s safety. One new staff member has not had child protection training but will complete this as part of a probation period. At the last inspection, one requirement and three recommendations were made. The provider was asked to ensure Ofsted were notified of changes to the responsible individual and this has been completed. The manager was asked to review the quality of care specifically in response to updating essential documents to reflect quality standards and to provide training for staff on the quality standards. The staff completed training on the quality standards, and policy, procedures and young people’s files now reflect this. The manager was also asked

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

to ensure placing authorities provide a complete and current relevant plan. Young people’s files contained clear referral information and placement plans, despite being new admissions.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for five children of either gender who may have 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

13/03/2015 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure the registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs as recorded in the child's relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure all staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and the children in the home's care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the children's guide is made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home if the placement is made in an emergency). (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  Ensure staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4) 

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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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