Children's home in Lambeth

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 New monitoring systems and a review of the home‟s records have been implemented. As a result, the manager can now identify areas of improvement, patterns and trends of behaviour, and identify shortfalls in practice and record keeping.  Records of restraints, incidents and complaints need further reviewing so that they are clear, concise, factually accurate and readily accessible within the home.  The behaviour management of one young person has been problematic. Staff have not always successfully managed this young person‟s behaviour. Staff have failed to consider alternative strategies resulting in the young person‟s behaviour escalating and causing damage to property, injury to staff and the young person.

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because:

 Essential maintenance work needs to be prioritised so that the home is comfortable, welcoming, adequately furnished and maintained.

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The children's home strengths

Overall, young people are making good progress to meet their individual goals and placement aims. Placing authorities are pleased with the progress young people have made since they came to live in this home. Staff help young people to develop their skills for independence. In doing so, staff support young people to reach their potential and have high aspirations for them. Staff speak positively about the young people and clearly enjoy supporting them. They work hard to keep young people safe and to ensure they maintain constructive and positive relationships with their families. The team ensures that young people enjoy their leisure time. A good range of activities are provided, some of which young people may not have experienced before. Staff ensure young people‟s health needs are met well. This includes their physical and emotional health needs.

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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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Regulation 11: Positive relationships standard

In order to meet the positive relationships standard the registered person must ensure that staff — (i) meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans; (ii) help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. 05/02/2016

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Regulation 13: Leadership and management standard

In order to meet the leadership and management standard (1) the registered person must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children‟s home that — (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to — (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 05/02/2016

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Regulation 36; Children’s case records standard

In order to meet the registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which-

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Regulation 36; Children’s case records standard

(a)Include the information and documents listed in schedule 3 in relation to each child; In particular;

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Regulation 36; Children’s case records standard

(19) A copy of any plan for the care of the child prepared by the child‟s placing authority, and of the placement plan 05/02/2016 (20)The date and result of any review of the placing authority‟s plan for the care of the child, or of the child‟s placement plan.

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Regulation 36; Children’s case records standard

(b) are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Recommendations

Ensure that all adults working in the home provide a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children, this will, in most cases, be a homely and domestic environment that is well maintained. (Guide to the children‟s home regulations page 15 paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

Ensure the local authority Running away and Missing From Home and Care (RMFHC) protocols are in place that are agreed with the local police and other partners. These protocols should be agreed and reviewed regally with all agencies and be scrutinised by the Local Safeguarding Board. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.23)

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Recommendations

Ensure that all incidents of restraint are recorded and reviewed by the registered person and that they respond promptly where any issues of concern emerge. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

Ensure that all staff are familiar with the home's policy on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who may have learning disabilities. This home is operated by a charity .

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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 declined in effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The home is not warm and welcoming because it is not well maintained. The front room, which is used by all the young people and staff, has insufficient seating. Not all windows have curtains and the general presentation of the room is cold and uninviting. The manager has identified this and has taken steps to address the ongoing maintenance needs of the home. A member of staff is raising charitable funds, the proceeds of which are being used to purchase new sensory play equipment and soft furnishings for the home. Staff provide young people with stability and good routines that help them feel secure and cared for. However, these routines are not reviewed. For example, one 18 years old young person‟s bedtime routine starts at 7.30pm; this is not age appropriate. Listening monitors are used for two young people; the need for these has not been reviewed and, as such, young people‟s privacy is potentially

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Requires improvement

Overall, young people have made good progress since coming to live in this home. Young people get on well with staff and benefit from the stability the staff team provides. Two young people regularly attend school and are achieving their individual goals. One young person who has not received education for a significant period of time is now has a suitable education package.

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Requires improvement

Staff support young people to participate in a range of new activities and interests and celebrate their achievements. These activities help young people to develop confidence, social skills and discover new interests.

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Requires improvement

The central records relating to incidents and intervention are not always well maintained. These records lack clear, concise factual information. Some records are incomplete and the time scales for interventions are not consistently recorded. The records do not always confirm whether parents and social workers have been informed of an incident.

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Requires improvement

Despite high staffing levels, not all staff are successfully managing and monitoring one young person‟s behaviour. Occasionally, staff practice is more akin to „policing‟ the young person‟s whereabouts and preventing damage rather than promoting positive engagement and encouraging the young person to consider alternative choices.

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Requires improvement

Young people have not gone missing from this home. In the event that this might occur, staff are clear about what action they need to take. However, in line with best practice, the home does not have individual missing from home protocols that are approved by the police. This is to ensure if in the event young people go missing they are quickly located and returned safely.

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Requires improvement

The manager and deputy who interview, select and appoint staff have completed online training in safer recruitment. As a result, the three new employees appointed since the home‟s last full inspection have been carefully selected and checked. Young people are not at risk of harm from those who look after them.

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Requires improvement

The manager has completed a detailed and comprehensive locality risk assessment. This details the risks prevalent in the local area against the needs of the current young people to prevent risks from occurring.

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Inadequate

The registered manager has taken steps to remedy the weaknesses identified at the previous monitoring visit. She has worked closely with a consultant and independent visitor to review the records and care practices. The systems and procedures are newly introduced and not yet fully embedded. Therefore, it is not possible to evaluate the effectiveness of these new systems and procedures. While records and care practices have been reviewed, not all records provide sufficient, accurate and up-to-date information. These include sanctions, complaints log, waking night staff monitoring. Behaviour management plans do not give staff clear direction as to how to proceed when young people‟s behaviour becomes challenging. In addition, the registered manager has failed to obtain up to date local authority care plans for two young people. Monitoring of the quality of care is ineffective. The manager completes an overview

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Inadequate

report on the quality of care. In the main, this report is informative, identifying patterns and trends but has failed to identify shortfalls identified at this inspection.

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Inadequate

Staffing levels are high; two young people receive one-to-one support and one young person receives two to one support. The staff team is now well established and any gaps in the staffing rota are filled by three long term agency workers. . This consistency of staffing provides familiarity for young people and contributes to them feeling safe. Staff say they feel well supported by each other, the deputy and registered manager. Staff benefit from the on-call system and are able to liaise and request additional staffing should they need it. Staff receive frequent supervision and training that is relevant to their role and work with young people. The manager has started to use the information she gathers through her supervision sessions to plan for future staff training.

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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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