Children's Home run by Laurel Leaf Homes Ltd in Newham

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 new registered manager is experienced and motivated. She are establishing a new team of staff , developing and supporting them to work well together to make positive changes in practice.  Young people benefit from updated policies and procedures, which reflect the quality standards and children’s homes regulations. These include a new policy on radicalisation. A child protection consultant is available to support with safeguarding issues.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The new registered manager understands the impact of admissions on existing residents. Clear information is sought and early impact risk assessments are undertaken prior to agreeing new placements.  Leaders and managers have commissioned a chartered psychologist to work with the staff team to support young people’s therapeutic needs.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people have respect for staff. They accept routines and boundaries. Although they do not always like them, they understand why these are necessary.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people feel safe at this home, and report that staff listen to them and take action on their views. They share positive relationships with staff, and feel that they can approach and talk to them about anything.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are encouraged to be heard through support, empowerment, access to advocates and, if necessary, solicitors.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 A recent refurbishment/redecoration of the home is of a high standard. Despite the size and layout of the home, it feels homely and welcoming.  The statement of purpose is revised and updated. Not all new members of staff are familiar with the ethos and objectives of the home.  A lone working policy is in place. However, this must include guidance about arrangements for restraint, allegations and first aid/medication administration.  New staff have not begun inductions to ensure that they are fully aware of the processes and arrangements in this particular home.  A quality of care review is complete. However, more feedback that is external would help to improve practice in the home.

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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) ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33(1)(a)) 30 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

6. The quality and purpose of care standard. In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must ensure that staff: (2)(b) (i) understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; 30 April 2016

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The leadership and management standard

In order to meet the leadership and management standard in respect of lone working: (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child 30 April 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):

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person oversees the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child, the home’s staff; each child’s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to eight young people aged from 10 to 17 years. It accepts referrals for young people who have a range of emotional and/or behavioural problems or young people with learning disabilities. The home accepts emergency placements, as well as offering longer term care.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

4 January 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11 February 2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Good

Staff have worked hard to establish and promote secure relationships with young people at this home. The new registered manager has implemented clear structures and boundaries within the home, and is training a new staff team to work consistently on building up trust with young people.

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Good

Staff are respectful of young people’s individual differences. For example, staff say they ensure halal meat is available, cook food of choice and ensure that young people have any particular needs, such as prayer mats. Staff also support personal connections to family and friends. For example, one young person is supported to stay and have contact at the family home, and several visitors were welcomed into the home for contact during the inspection. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘it is impressive when a home gives time to parents.’

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Good

Young people are engaging in complex decisions about their lives and care plans. Examples of this are attendance at personal education plan meetings, reviews, and regular attendance at key work sessions and young people’s meetings. One young person was told of a move to semi-independence and said, ‘my social worker told me she was moving me, I was excited about moving, afterwards I reflected and told her I didn’t feel ready for this.’ The manager and staff supported this young person to challenge this decision with the support of an advocate.

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Good

Staff encourage young people to talk about difficult feelings in key work sessions. One young person stated, ‘I can talk to her about anything, feel really close, she is probably the best worker ever.’ Staff act on complaints raised and encourage young people to seek further help and support when they do not feel listened to. For example, one young person has engaged with an advocate about her care plan and has spoken to a solicitor. The discussion about this care plan continues with the placing authority and the young person said they felt listened to.

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Good

Young people have access to primary health services and, if geographically possible, are encouraged to remain with their own doctor’s surgery for consistency. Due to the age of the young people, if responsible they are encouraged to sign agreements to self-medicate, for example for home remedies, supplements and contraception. Staff encourage young people , with some success, to look after themselves by attending regular check-ups and preventative health appointments. Staff raise these issues in key work sessions to encourage young people and to help them to understand the importance of taking care of themselves.

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Good

Staff work hard to engage young people to attend education. All young people are on roll at a school or college. Staff promote attendance by ensuring that young people are up in time, have the equipment they need and even take them, to school or college on occasion. Progress is slow due to young people’s complex needs, and because other events sometimes interfere with education plans.

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Good

Young people make progress from their starting points. For example, a young person who was out of education for several years has completed all their coursework and said, ‘I don’t want to go to college, but I do want to learn.’ Their attendance has fluctuated between 18% and 87%. The staff team works well with the college to help them understand and work with this situation, and to maintain the young person’s college place.

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Good

There is good networking between staff and the professionals involved in the young people’s care to ensure that care planning is progressed and that communication is effective. One social worker said that staff, ‘presented a good report with clear understanding of support needs and how to manage them. Good direct work has been undertaken.’

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Good

Young people are encouraged to make choices, for example helping to pick out colours to decorate their rooms, and choosing food and activities. Due to their age, young people prefer to go out with their own friends or to negotiate activities of their own choice, such as shopping or going to the hairdressers. Young people say that they know how to complain and that the children’s guide provides them with phone numbers on which they can contact advocates, or the children’s commissioner or Ofsted.

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Good

Independence skills are encouraged and supported by staff. Young people gain basic skills in preparation for moving into semi-independent living. These include budgeting, planning and cooking meals, being responsible for cleaning their own rooms, helping with washing up and doing their own laundry. Other skills include creating curriculum vitae, applying for essential documents such as a national insurance number and a passport, and working through an independence programme booklet. All these tasks help to support young people to prepare for leaving care, and promote self-esteem and confidence.

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Good

The children's home provides help and protection that meet the requirements for good.

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Good

Young people say that they feel safe in this home. For example, one young person said when asked about relationships with staff, ‘I feel safe and secure, I have no worries about one-to-one and no issues with the staff.’

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Good

Young people benefit from updated safeguarding policies and practices. These include the risk of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. These documents cover the key areas required to help staff to understand their duties and to provide guidance about what to do to keep young people as safe as possible. Staff say that they feel confident about what they would need to do in the event of a safeguarding concern coming up while they were on duty.

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Good

Young people have built positive relationships with staff. One young person said, describing a key worker, ‘best worker ever’. This young person also says that they have never accepted support from anywhere apart from this home.

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Good

Staff spoken to showed a good awareness of issues such as drug use, self-harm, missing from care and child sexual exploitation. Staff are familiar with what worrying signs and symptoms to look for in young people. The home has access to a child protection consultant who supports the manager on any safeguarding issues and provides regular training for the staff.

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Good

The home takes a pragmatic yet responsible position in relation to young people who go missing from home and care. The manager is clear about the responsibilities of the staff to ensure appropriate reporting to police and other agencies when young people are absent. Prior to this, staff take steps to locate young people, for example looking for them in areas that they are known to frequent, and calling family and friends. They also discuss these issues with young people and encourage them to keep in touch and to advise the staff where they are going and when they will be returning.

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Good

The manager is aware of the placing authority’s responsibility to offer an independent person to undertake a ‘return interview’, and is persistent in trying to ensure that it fulfils this role. Despite this, out of 10 ‘missing’ episodes, the placing authority has only provided one ‘return interview’ since the last full inspection.

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Good

There have been no new admissions to the home since the previous inspection. However, there is a clear admissions policy and the manager has devised a questionnaire for placing authorities when they wish to place young people in an emergency. This will help to ensure that the impact of new referrals on existing residents is taken into consideration prior to admission.

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Good

Clear risk assessments determine the level of the risk-taking behaviours presented by young people. These help staff to develop behaviour management plans to minimise or prevent unwanted behaviour. Positive behaviour is promoted through a rewards system, whereby young people can earn rewards and treats. This helps to reinforce wanted behaviours and gives young people incentives to reduce risk- taking.

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Good

Conflicts are rare, in part due to a reduced number of young people in placement. However, this is also due to staff building trusting relationships, where young people listen to and respect staff.

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Good

The use of restraint is rare and there has not been any since the last inspection. The manager is aware of the requirements for recording restraint and has a log for recording which meets regulations. Staff are not all trained in restraint, yet are lone working. The lone-working policy does not adequately reflect this issue or the potential gender issues of lone working for staff. Restraint training is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

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Good

Staff respect young people’s privacy within the home. For instance, they knock on doors prior to entering. Where concerns require room searches, these take place sensitively. The statement of purpose clearly sets out when it is appropriate to undertake room searches, for example if a young person is under the influence of alcohol. This ensures everyone’s safety within the home.

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Good

The registered manager has begun to develop professional networks within the local community to support keeping young people safe, for example meeting with the police, the missing person’s unit and the child sexual exploitation lead for the hosting borough. Contacts have been made with the local safeguarding children’s board and many other professionals to advise that the new manager is now in post.

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Good

Young people live in a more homely environment. The physical environment has improved significantly, with major refurbishment taking place since the last full inspection. The home now has rugs on the floor and all the rooms have matching duvet covers, curtains, and soft furnishings.

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Good

Robust staff recruitment processes are in place. These protect young people from exposure to unsafe people working in their home.

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Good

Adequate precautions prevent the risk of fires. Safety equipment is in place, and there is evidence of regular and compliant checks and fire drills

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Requires improvement

The impact and effectiveness of leaders and the manager are not yet showing the characteristics for good, and require improvement.

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Requires improvement

An experienced and suitable new manager runs this home. The manager holds the required management qualification, a national vocational qualification level 4 in management and social care.

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Requires improvement

The required improvement judgement in this area is not a reflection on the new manager. She has only been in post since the beginning of this year and has begun to make changes which promote practice that is more positive. The home has had limited placements due to its history of inspection. The challenge is to continue positive practice and good outcomes with more young people in placement.

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Requires improvement

There have been a number of changes to the staff since the last inspection. The manager has been busy recruiting, training and developing a new staff team. Staffing has been reduced due to limited young people being in placement. Despite this, the home is responding well to Ofsted recommendations to have staff on permanent contracts, which is a positive step in the right direction. There is good external monitoring of the home. An independent visitor regularly visits the home and seeks feedback from young people, professionals and parents. These reports allow for an objective view on the progress made or any improvements needed.

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Requires improvement

The manager has recently completed a thorough quality of care review. This is helping leaders and managers to know the service and improve areas requiring development. Some feedback is sought for the review, although the manager acknowledges this could be improved by having a comments book or telephoning service users. The registered manager’s review is comprehensive. However, it might be more effective if it focused on specific circumstances of the home at that particular time.

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Requires improvement

Young people benefit from clear care plans and are supported by staff to attend reviews and personal education planning meetings, to ensure that their views are represented. Leaders and managers know young people well. They have challenged placing authority plans effectively when they feel that it is not acting in young people’s best interests. An example is ensuring that transitions are planned, well thought through and at a pace that the young person is happy with.

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Requires improvement

The manager is organising a training schedule to ensure that staff receive appropriate training, which helps them to feel confident in their roles. All staff received woman and gang association training earlier this year. In addition, training events are planned to ensure that staff have the capacity and are given sufficient notice to attend. Induction programmes are in place, but staff have not started these and it was evident that some staff had not read policies and procedures. This means new staff are not fully prepared to work safely with young people. Leaders and managers have commissioned the services of a chartered psychologist to provide training and consultation to the staff team. This will be in general terms to begin with, for example requesting ideas or strategies to manage behaviours.

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Requires improvement

The new manager is working hard to update and develop all the relevant policy, procedures and other documents required by the regulations. Due to the home not having had a registered manager during the past 18 months, many documents require attention. Some documents still refer to old government objectives such as Every Child Matters and the national minimum standards, and require updating.

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Requires improvement

The home’s statement of purpose is updated and is a good working document, with only minimal reference to old legislation. Some staff spoken to were not familiar with how the home proposes to support young people. Staff must understand and know the ethos of the home, and be familiar with this document, particularly with new staff joining the team.

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Requires improvement

Case records are accurate and reflect the work taking place with young people. The staff work well together, despite new members joining. The cohesion of the new manager and the drive to improve are helping this. Files show clear progress for young people. This demonstrates the hard work undertaken by the manager and staff team.

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Requires improvement

Staff state that they receive regular supervision and feel supported to do their jobs confidently by having a new manager. Staff said, ‘morale is better’, ‘new manager has brought ideas’, ‘has asked for opinions’ and ‘feel that she listens to us’.

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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, work- based 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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