Children's home in Hammersmith and Fulham

This monitoring visit

The purpose of this unannounced monitoring visit was to assess the progress that the home has made since the interim inspection in February, when a declined effectiveness judgement was made.

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This monitoring visit

During this inspection, it was apparent that some good progress has been made in some areas. While a registered manager is not in post at the moment, the remaining senior team is working hard to address shortfalls. The senior team iscommitted to raising standards in the home to benefit young people.

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This monitoring visit

In order to support the senior team, the company has drafted in a registered manager from another of its registered children‟s homes. The responsible individual is also spending several days based at the home each week.

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This monitoring visit

An extensive programme of recruitment means that the home is now much less reliant on the use of agency staff. Staff induction and the frequency of supervision have also improved. Training is being provided in key areas of practice. Young people‟s care files have been reviewed and improved. They feel personalised and child-centred, and there is good focus on progress and achievements. Young people are enjoying a good range of activities, and their interests are positively encouraged.

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This monitoring visit

The most apparent shortfall identified during this inspection remains the staff team‟s inability to manage young people‟s complex and challenging behaviour positively and effectively. Staff continue to lack good skills in this area. For example, records of incidents show that staff are not using enough or varied de- escalation techniques. At times, their intervention actually escalates behaviours, resulting in young people being restrained, the police being called and staff being assaulted. These outcomes do not help young people to form positive attachments to staff. One young person said that things were becoming a little more „settled‟, but that „staff cannot manage behaviour very well‟, and the impact of this was still being felt.

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This monitoring visit

Records are detailed, but they convey negative staff attitudes to young people. For example, one record refers to a young person „moaning‟ and makes several references to the young person being in a „negative frame of mind‟. In some records, staff portray themselves as victims. There is a lack of insight into the diverse and complex needs of the young people, and how their autism, insecure attachments and other emotional issues impact on their behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

There is some monitoring of these incidents, but it is not challenging, robust or timely enough. All staff, whether recently appointed or not, need really clear direction about what is expected of them, and how they should be responding to young people in a consistent and positive way. Only then will their practice improve, along with outcomes for young people.

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This monitoring visit

Role modelling is not sufficiently robust to develop really good practice, and there is the danger than new staff are learning practices and responses to young people that do not reflect good childcare.. The separate living areas feel isolated from each other, and this may well be impacting on practice. An acting senior carer does not have the necessary skills and care experience to model good practice that will benefit new members of staff.

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This monitoring visit

The use of obstruction by staff to prevent young people leaving their house is highly questionable and needs reviewing. In an open children‟s home, staff are not legally permitted to prevent a young person from leaving. Only in circumstances when there is a serious risk of harm or death would obstruction be considered acceptable practice. While young people‟s revised files contain individual behaviour management plans, they are not detailed enough to provide a rationale for such action, nor do they fully explore a diverse range of techniques and strategies to be used with individual young people.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff actions remain punitive. While the use of sanctions has been reviewed in favour of a more restorative approach, this positive approach is not consistently applied. A recent example of this is where a young person‟s Xbox was removed for unrelated „unacceptable behaviour‟. The result was an escalation in the young person‟s behaviour and an allegation about inappropriate staff conduct during a physical restraint.

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This monitoring visit

The response to the requirements from the interim inspection could not be fully assessed during this monitoring visit, as the responsible individual was not present. It is understood that the responsible individual is intending to submit a detailed action plan to Ofsted. Where evidence was available relating to unmet requirements, these have been included in this report. Ofsted will continue to closely monitor developments at this service.

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a large private provider of healthcare, social care and education. It provides care and accommodation for up to 14 children of either gender who have a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties. Some may also have additional learning needs. Educational facilities are also provided on-site at the provider‟s school.

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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 „Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards‟. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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The leadership and management standard

13.—(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that—

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The leadership and management standard

With particular reference to the staffing of the home, and robust management oversight that promotes improvements in practice and recording.

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The leadership and management standard

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes set out in the home's statement of purpose; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 15 May 2016

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Fitness of workers

32.—(1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s 15 May 2016 safety. (4) For the purposes of paragraph 3(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has an appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— (a) the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or (5) The relevant date is—

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Behaviour management policies and records

35.—(1) The registered person must ensure that— (a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— (ii) details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— (i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and (c) within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person

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Behaviour management policies and records

or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. 15 May 2016

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the home since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. 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 0300 123 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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