Children's Home run by Anna House Limited in Havering

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 declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children benefit from a stable, nurturing environment where staff strive to help them to maximise their potential. They enjoy meaningful activities tailored to their respective needs. Parents and placing authorities appreciate the service which provides a good basic standard of care. However there is a need for a greater level of monitoring and observance of the regulations and quality standards. The service is not using the wide range of resources to enhance care practices. They need to keep up-to-date on research, training and development to ensure staff have the confidence and competence to meet children’s diverse needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirement and one of the recommendations from the last inspection have not been addressed. Although staff use the internet to access information to improve their practice the service continues to miss opportunities to inform and improve practice by utilising research and developments within the sector. Therefore this requirement is repeated. In addition staff have yet to receive training in managing sexualised behaviour. Staff would benefit from this and other training related to disabilities to enhance their skills and knowledge. Staff have undergone training in other areas and are completing their level 3 vocational course.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are improvements in relation to the life story work which enables children to understand who they are and where they come from. Staff are ambitious for every child and actively support them to achieve their potential. Children enjoy a range of individual and group activities. Personalised photo albums and scrap books uniquely capture children’s memories. Summer was a particularly fun time where they had a holiday at a specialist venue for children with disabilities.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children enjoy time out in the local community which includes trips to the park, cinema, farm, fun fair, a sensory adventure play centre, swimming and bowling. Within the home they enjoy arts and crafts, playing musical instruments, watching television and DVD’s, listening to music and amusing themselves on electronic devices. The home celebrates children’s birthdays, religious and secular festivals. A visiting church provided an in-house concert during the Christmas period. Parties are an opportunity to socialise together, during the summer they enjoyed a barbecue. The home promotes a family atmosphere, which enables relatives to visit in a relaxed welcoming atmosphere.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children’s records detail their everyday experiences and progress. However there is a need for information to be recorded in a non-stigmatising way. For instance some staff occasionally use language which could be seen as discriminatory and disempowering. Such as using terms including ‘native food’ and ‘nappy.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of monitoring is varied. Regulation 45 reports contain a degree of analysis, however they do not focus on improving the quality of care. Although visits by the independent visitor do provide reasonable scrutiny.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has good partnership arrangements with other residential homes for disabled children. This enables them to network and share relevant information including referrals and vacancies to promote the wider needs of children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Pictorial aids assist with communication and consultation enabling children to share their views. They report they ‘get looked after very well’ and appreciate their ‘own space’ and ‘independence.’ Relatives are very complimentary and thankful describing the staff as ‘wonderful’ and ‘amazing.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children live within a home which is subject to ongoing refurbishment that ensures a pleasant environment. There are plans to improve this further by installing a new bathroom over Easter and a new kitchen in the summer.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children appear safe and are comfortable in their surroundings. There are no issues with bullying or going missing. Staff receive ongoing training on safeguarding and child sexual exploitation. This ensure they are up to date with current practice and protocols.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home do not always inform Ofsted when required. In particular there was an occasion of a child protection allegation that the Registered Manager failed to notify as required.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Occasionally staff have to sanction a child or restrain them to protect them from harming others or themselves. However the records of such practice do not contain all the required information. Pertinent information regarding the effectiveness, discussions with staff ad children is inconsistently recorded. This results in limited analysis or monitoring of trends and patterns to inform future practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is an adequate admission procedure, which ensures a smooth transition into the home. Staff work in partnership with other professionals to ensure children leave the home in a planned manner. However the home do not always inform the host authority of every admission and discharge. This is a regulatory requirement which managers were unaware of. In addition the home’s children’s register does not contain all the legally required information. While this shortfall remains there is a risk that the details of children’s journey through care may be lost.

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Information about this children's home

This privately-operated children's home provides respite and long term care for up to six children and young people with physical and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

Staff are able to care for children with challenging behaviour, those who require gastronomy or nasal feeding, and children born with specific and rare disorders including HIV.

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Information about this children's home

Staff are also able to care for children with global delay, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Asperger’s syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, autism, communication difficulties and hearing or visual loss.

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Information about this children's home

The home is able to provide care for young people over the age of 18 provided they are in the minority .

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

26/01/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

15/01/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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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

ensure practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on research and developments in which the needs of children are met. (Regulation 13 (2) (g) (i)) 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the skills to meet the needs of each child, this relates to working with young people with sexualised behaviours and specific disabilities (Regulation 13 (2) (c)) 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a sanction or restraint a record is made which includes the time of the use of the measure, the effectiveness, description of an injury to the child or any other person (Regulation 35 (3) (a) ) 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the sanction or restraint they or a person authorised by them has spoken to the child about the measure and within 5 days adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child (Regulation 35 (3 (b)) 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must maintain a register of children which details all the information in Schedule 4 (Regulation 37 (3 (2) (a)) 01/06/2016 40: Notification of a serious event

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must notify Ofsted without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against a person working there (Regulation 40 (4) (c)) 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

41: Notification with respect to children admitted into, or discharged from, a children's home

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must notify, without delay, the local authority for the area in which the children's home is located of every admission of a child into the home and every discharge of a child from the home (Regulation 41 (1)) 01/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure their quality of review system considers any actions necessary in order to improve the quality of care (Regulation 45 (2) (c)) 01/06/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  record information in a non-stigmatising way (The Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations including 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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