Children's Home run by Kartikeya Solutions Limited in Haringey

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people make good progress and benefit from direct access to supportive packages of education and therapy.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff are creative and inventive in seeking to engage young people, recently introducing ‘pets as therapy’ and a gardening programme.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people receive a holistic programme of care. Staff support contact with families, where appropriate. Staff engage parents in the care planning process, encouraging cooperation and consistency.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people feel safe and secure. They reduce risk-taking behaviours, supported by comprehensive behavioural management plans.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There is regular and well-planned key work, which addresses any sources of conflict, and ensures good behaviour and stability for young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff benefit from a comprehensive training package, and clinical supervision delivered by an in-house therapist.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are encouraged to have their wishes and feelings heard during monthly visits to the home by an independent advocate.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff do not prioritise case recording in the home. This means that neither professionals nor young people have a clear and accurate update on the progress that they have achieved.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The area risk assessment and manager’s summary of progress report lack detail.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which enable the registered person(s) to meet 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 within the given timescales.

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Review of quality of care

45.—(2) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system of monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— a) the quality of care provided for children; b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided to children. 30 June 2016

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Review of premises

46.—(1) The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). 30 June 2016

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Children's case records

36.—(1) The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child, which— (b) are up to date; and 30 June 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):  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should provide opportunities and support, where needed, for children to engage with their local Children In Care Council, or other such local arrangements, which enable the views and experiences of children in care to be heard (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.15).

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Recommendations

 The following elements of the workforce plan should be included in the Statement of Purpose: (in accordance with Schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20)) the staffing structure, experience and qualifications of staff and arrangements for supervision of staff practice (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events remain notified, within 24 hours, to the regulator… (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13).

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Information about this children's home

 This is a privately run home registered to care for up to five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Good

Young people feel happy and safe. They benefit from unique access to therapy and education provision within private areas in the home. Staff support engagement by good use of behavioural contracts and incentive charts. Young people make consistent progress from their own individual starting points. Laughing, joking and warm interactions between staff and young people occur consistently in the home. A young person commented, ‘The staff here are amazing and supportive, they stick by you when others would not.’

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Good

Staff are aspirational and want the best for young people. Strong links exist between academic attainment and home life, such as telling the time and a recent trip to the Greenwich meridian. One young person recently achieved an A* mock GCSE grade. This acts as a source of inspiration for others. Access to employment and apprentice programmes remains supported. Young people benefit from extra finance and increased self-esteem from constructive activity.

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Good

Young people engage well in therapy. The in-house therapist provides consistency and perseverance. They use a number of settings, such as local coffee houses and the comfort of the placement, promote attendance and avoid the stigma of attending an outside agency. Therapy allows young people to develop strong, secure attachments and to explore difficult issues at their own pace. The therapist liaises well with key professionals to advocate for formal psychiatric assessment. This prevents drift and ensures focused intervention.

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Good

Practice in the home is inventive. Services continue to develop and support young people when engagement is difficult. A ‘pets as therapy programme’ and weekly visits from a horticultural therapist add to a variety of interventions. Staff are presently exploring options to develop opportunities for young people to engage in the community.

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Good

Staff prioritise healthy living. All young people have easy access to primary care services, and some make good use of these services. They enjoy well-balanced and varied meals, which they can assist staff to shop for and prepare . Young people also engage in sporting exercise and gym membership.

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Good

Contact with family and friends is positively encouraged. One parent commented, ‘They have really helped to keep things together. I feel their passion and interest.’ The home is currently supporting the re-establishment of attachments with families. Staff appropriately advocate for approval from placing authorities for contact to take place. This has the effect of reducing incidents of ‘missing behaviour’ and offering full support.

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Good

Strong support for families is the main strength of the home. Good life story work and extended therapeutic support aides the development of this relationship and a firm understanding of identity. Positive communication between parents and staff supports effective behavioural boundaries and provides useful insight when young people struggle. They assist staff in monitoring social media communication. This allows for transparency, safety and a holistic package of care.

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Good

Staff value the importance of multi-agency working to promote safeguarding. Youth offending services assist by providing cannabis reduction programmes to reduce risky behaviours. Weekly monitoring meetings with families and professionals support thorough and effective risk assessments. Resulting in agreed strategies that staff follow in practice. Behavioural expectations are clear and consistent. Appropriate room searches occur regularly and remain well documented. Young people are encouraged to consider the consequences of their actions. One commented, ‘You know where the line is, staff know everything.’ Bespoke plans support good care and reduce incidents of restraint. Staff have clear guidance on behavioural triggers and coping strategies, such as specific television programmes. The tone and style of verbal interaction are of great importance. This enables staff to display empathy and understanding. This is supported by regular review occurs in conjunction with the

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Good

Young people grow in self-confidence with staff support. Planned key-work sessions outline the benefits of good self-care skills and managing the young person’s own behaviour. Staff value their importance as a protective factor and source of resilience. The behavioural management system allows for creativity and negotiation. The focus is on the development of trust and responsibility, increasing the cohesion of staff and young people.

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Good

There is a proactive, inventive safeguarding culture in the home. For example, staff have given young people a coded phrase which they can use to phone the home if they feel unsettled or nervous. This would allow staff to locate them without raising the suspicions of others. Other protective factors are dependent on individual needs, for instance limiting pocket money when cannabis use is a concern. This works well in reducing opportunities for young people to purchase illegal substances.

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Good

The use of restraint is extremely low. Staff are well trained in physical intervention and use excellent communication skills to de-escalate a vast majority of situations.

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Good

Staff support young people to reduce the times they go missing from the home. Prompt strategy meetings ensure that key information remains readily shared. Staff are knowledgeable of relevant procedures and statutory guidance, and a consistent approach is utilised to manage frequent absconding.

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Good

Despite extensive efforts, independent return to care interviews are inconsistent, thereby preventing full support for young people. The home did not share a recent extended episode of ‘missing’ behaviour which the registered manager accepted was a serious incident. Managers are presently addressing this failure in administration.

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Good

The home is a safe environment, supported by a full-time maintenance employee. Managers continue to invest in the home, and recently purchased a punch bag to support anger management work. The home is free from hazards, and all necessary risk assessments are completed.

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Good

Recruitment practice is thorough. All staff have up-to-date checks with the disclosure and barring service and all references are verified prior to any person starting work in the home. This ensures that unsuitable persons do not gain easy access to the home.

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Good

Consultation with young people occurs on a regular basis. The home employs an advocate who visits monthly. Young people understand and utilise the complaints system effectively. Managers monitor and respond to any concerns promptly. Young people feel heard and represented, as a result. The level of complaints is low.

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Requires improvement

The home is well resourced and stable. The registered manager is also the responsible individual, and has been in post since the opening of the home in 2015. The interim manager has been working in conjunction with him since that time. Both are qualified social workers.

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Requires improvement

Following the closure of the other (‘sister’) provision owned by the organisation, the registered manager is now committed exclusively to the home and is continuing his close working relationship with the interim manager. An administration officer supports both managers effectively, allowing a full focus on the needs of young people.

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Requires improvement

Managers have a clear idea for the development of the service. Manager plan to obtain formal accreditation for lessons delivered in the home. This will allow more structured academic provision. Managers regularly review risk assessments and care plans, and, when strategies are not working, swift action is taken to seek improvement. Staff recently established a firmer policy on criminal damage and smoking within the home, and this has reduced incidents dramatically. This helps to ensure that there is consistency from staff and assists in allocating staff resources to keep young people safe. Admissions are well controlled. Both the managers and the allocated therapist currently discuss admissions verbally. Although it is working well, a formal written record of the process would assist care planning.

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Requires improvement

Young people benefit from a permanent staff team, with no use of agency staff. Following the closure of the ‘sister’ home, four experienced staff members have successfully transferred to the provision, providing further expertise.

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Requires improvement

Staff receive strong management oversight on report writing. Other professionals have commented on the excellent exchange of information and the ‘excellent ethos of the home’. Monthly reports are clear and analytical. This ensures full information for professionals when making key decisions regarding young people.

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Requires improvement

Staff morale is good, buoyed by a recent promotion from within. Staff value the importance of training and supervision. The therapist, a private provider and the local authority provide training, and recently covered the issue of sexual exploitation of children. All care staff hold the required level 3 qualifications.

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Requires improvement

Staff point to a strong management commitment to developing the learning culture in the home and, in some cases, formal therapeutic training outside of the home. The home offers clinical supervision for staff on difficult cases. This helps to address any ongoing stresses or anxieties. One staff member stated, ‘We are all on the same song sheet and receive support from managers. They lead by example and really inspire us.’

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Requires improvement

Important documents are lacking in detail. The local area risk assessment needs revision. This currently lacks information regarding local crime levels and gang activity. The statement of purpose does not outline the experience and expertise of the staff team. This restricts full information for placing professionals to gain an accurate understanding of the home and the services it offers.

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Requires improvement

External monitoring of the home is regular. An independent person completes monthly visits with copies or the reports forwarded as required. The manager reports, ‘I enjoy the help and support offered by a critical friend. This service is of great use to me.’

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Requires improvement

There are insufficient records of key incidents such as a recent restraint and some staff supervision. While this remains the case a full evaluation of the effectiveness of the home is lacking.

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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 ‘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 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, 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

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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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