Children's home run by Barnardo’s 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 .

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The service continues to deliver high quality care to children and young people. They enjoy coming for short breaks, they have fun, make friends and learn skills that are important for them to enhance their quality of life.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff work closely with parents, children and young people to make sure that they understand their needs. They pay close attention to their likes and dislikes, ensure they have their favourite things to play with and that they understand any health needs. Staff are also mindful of the cultural background of each child and young person and work hard to respect their parents’ wishes in order to meet their faith and cultural needs This is particularly important where they are unable to communicate their own choices, and it helps parents feel confident that their children are well cared for in a way that is consistent with their cultural needs.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The service is thoughtful when matching groups of children and young people for short breaks. They ensure that they stay with others who they know well and can interact with positively. This helps them experience consistency and gives them the opportunity to develop friendships.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Detailed care plans called ‘all about me’ set out in detail what children and young people need to keep them safe and healthy. They identify communication strategies so that staff know how best to communicate with them. They also identify non-verbal clues so that staff are alert to any signs that the child or young person may be upset or want something that they cannot easily communicate. Each child and young person has clear goals to help them learn new skills and staff work in partnership with parents and schools. This ensures staff are helping them learn in a way that is consistent with the methods used at home and at school. As a result, children and young people make progress in areas such as self-care skills and improved diet.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to develop approaches to learning from social pedagogy. Children and young people benefit from having the freedom and space to explore, they get to try new things and learn social skills from the group living experience. Staff are very mindful to get the right balance between close supervision and allowing children and young people to take calculated risks in order to develop a level of autonomy that is consistent with their abilities. This allows them to try new things in a safe and supportive environment.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When children and young people use the service for the first time, staff ensure they have all the information they need to keep them safe and make their time enjoyable. They work closely with parents to get this right, and often plan periods of introduction before overnight stays. The manager has made improvements to partnership work and planning since the last inspection. She now holds six monthly reviews with parents and relevant professionals, to make sure that the child or young person is getting the most out of the service and staying safe. This has been particularly useful when young people are leaving the service, especially when social workers from the transition team are able to contribute to identify appropriate adult services for them to move on to. This does not always happen, and this means that when young people turn 18, they sometimes leave the service without any clear plans as to how their needs will be met into adulthood. This is an

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

area that the registered manager is looking to address and improve on.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are genuinely caring and display emotional warmth towards children and young people who use the service. They are experienced, committed and confident, and this contributes to a calm, safe environment. They understand triggers that may upset children and young people and quickly de-escalate situations or head them off before they arise. Children and young people are generally very well behaved, there are seldom any incidents of concern and staff do not use physical restraint to manage challenging behaviour. They use positive reinforcements and distraction techniques to encourage positive behaviour. When it is possible to help a child or young person to ‘make things right’ they do so. They understand that not all of the children and young people can understand or learn from the consequences of their actions and do not use any forms of sanctions if they misbehave. The approach to managing behaviour is excellent and consistent

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

with social pedagogy principles of focusing on strengths and learning by ‘doing’. The home’s behaviour management policy does not clearly reflect this approach and should be amended so that staff are absolutely clear about the practice and ethos in respect of encouraging children and young people to learn positive behaviour.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is effective in her role and achieves a good balance between a ‘hands on’, practice-led approach and undertaking management administration tasks. This means she is visible in the home and has a good understanding of the experiences of children and young people and the challenges faced by staff in maintaining high quality of care. She has good systems in place to monitor the quality of care, and produces detailed reports that highlight the strengths of the service and areas for development. She has a good knowledge, training and experience of delivering care based upon social pedagogy principles. This means she promotes a model of care that is well regarded and has a good evidence base for success. Using these approaches to underpin practice helps her deliver a consistent, child-centred approach and promotes a learning culture within the staff team.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager supports the staff well through regular, formal supervision. She also ensures that staff have the relevant training to enable them to understand how to meet the needs of the children and young people using the service. She works effectively in partnership with partner agencies and takes appropriate, prompt action to deal with allegations or child protection issues. She reviews these incidents to understand any learning points for practice and takes steps to improve performance. She has good support and supervision from her manager.

p.4

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed, and this means that there have been improvements in the frequency of supervision for relief staff, and closer monitoring of the health and safety in relation to the physical environment. The manager has also updated the statement of purpose to ensure parents are clear about the way that personal care is carried out, and staff now consult more closely with parents on this issue.

p.4

Information about this children's home

The home is run and owned by a charitable organisation. It is registered as a short break service for up to four children with learning difficulties and physical disabilities.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

26/03/2015 Interim Improved Effectiveness

p.5

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.6

Recommendations

In order to ensure that children have a smooth transition and access appropriate adult services when they reach 18, the registered person should work with the relevant professionals from the commissioning authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned to help each child prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally. ( The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

p.6

Recommendations

The behaviour management policy should clearly describe how positive behaviour is encouraged and outline the strategies that staff employ to manage behaviour with children who may have limited understanding. This is so that staff understand the factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. They should encourage positive behaviour using strategies outlined in the child’s relevant plans. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 39, paragraph 8.13)

p.6

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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 .

p.7

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,

p.8

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

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

p.8