Children's Home run by S P Homes Limited in Lambeth

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:

 There is an effective registered manager in place who leads by example.  The home rarely uses either the police or restraint practices to manage behaviour.  There are firm behavioural boundaries in place.  The relationship between staff and young people is generally warm and positive.  Young people benefit from a clear, well-monitored programme of training in semi-independent skills.  The home is effective in helping most young people to reduce their absconding behaviour and so become safer.  Overall, the home is comfortable, spacious and homely.  There are shortfalls, particularly in relation to daily care planning, and external monitoring. These issues reduce the home’s effectiveness.  There are also shortfalls in fire records, young people’s access to an independent visitor, the homes decor, and the checks made when young people stay with friends overnight.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due Date

14: Ensure that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)) 01/10/2016

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Requirement Due Date

44: Ensure that the independent person provides a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI.(Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 01/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that when children wish to stay overnight with friends, staff should carry out the same kind of checks that responsible parents might make in similar circumstances to seek reassurance that the child will be well cared for and safe. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.9)  Ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  Ensure that staff encourage children to manage their own safety. This particularly relates to ensuring that children are represented in and fully involved in fire evacuation exercises. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  Ensure that all aspects of the children’s home are appropriately homely. This particularly relates to the replacement of ripped carpets. (‘Guide to the children’s

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Recommendations

homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home caters for up to six young people who have emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

02/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

04/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Staff have established warm and relaxed relationships with young people most of the time. Young people respond well to this approach, which helps them to feel accepted and encourages them to flourish. For example, a young person said, ‘they are more like a family to me and they care for me with their heart, not just for a wage’. Another young person commented, ‘they are really good staff who are friendly and open’. This positive, nurturing approach enables young people to begin to make progress in their lives. This is demonstrated in that all young people are making progress in at least some aspects of their lives. For example, some are now healthier and free from discomfort, others are better able to contain negative emotions, and some are much more able to keep themselves safe. Notably, from very low starting points some young people have done particularly well in both attendance and achievement in education. Both of these young people have not only managed to

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Good

attend education regularly, but also achieved good grades in exams. This means that they have developed some important life skills, and have also increased their life chances. Young people are supported to access primary healthcare services. Staff have persisted in ensuring that all young people are appropriately registered in spite of some resistance from individual them. This tenacity has paid off in that some young people are now getting appropriate vaccinations, and others have had essential surgery. A notable shortfall in this home is that there is not a systematic approach to planning with young people how their day will be structured. This is particularly evident for young people who are not in full-time education. Getting up times, activities, educational input and meal times are all flexible. Some young people can thrive in this sort of environment, but for other young people in the home, this

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Good

means sleeping late with little sense of purpose in their day. Staff take young people’s views seriously, and young people notice this . For example, they have had their say on room choices, decor and games. Young people comment favourably on staff’s positive response to their requests, and one young person said, ‘I was not sure I would get what I wanted but the manager really does her best to do good for you’. However, young people in the home do not have access to independent advocacy and this limits the support that they have to express their views, wishes, and feelings about their care and lives. A particular strength of this home is the development and delivery of a ‘moving to semi-independence programme’. It is a well-structured, weekly programme, combining practical skills like cooking and budgeting, with emotional skills like setting boundaries. Young people doing this value their weekly sessions and close

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Good

monitoring of their progress, and now feel much more confident about living away from the home.

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Good

Appropriate risk assessments are in place, and these are routinely updated every six months, and sooner if circumstances change. These give staff a helpful benchmark and overview of young people’s behaviour. However, most decisions about the level of risk to a young person are informed by staff’s good knowledge of each young person’s vulnerabilities and habits. Generally, this offers a sound platform for decision-making. However, occasionally staff judgement requires further scrutiny; for example, in relation to overnight stays. On admission to the home, some young people were going missing from care on a regular basis, and therefore putting themselves at significant risk of harm. This is not now the case, and these particular young people have not gone missing from the home since the last inspection. This is a considerable achievement, and means that these young people are now much safer than they previously were. However,

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Good

other young people do regularly engage in missing-from-home behaviour. This behaviour follows a standard pattern of staying overnight with friends. Staff keep in touch with such young people and do involve the police if the young person is out of contact. However, there is a lack of robust monitoring to ensure the young person’s safety. Managers acknowledged this shortfall and accepted more checks needed to be completed when young people stay with friends. Behaviour management is a strength of this home. Restraint has not been used for some years, and calling the police to help manage behaviour is very rare. Sanctions, too, are sparingly used, and the home prefers that the young person is helped to reflect on what has happened and then decide on their own consequence. This thoughtful approach helps young people to develop their own understanding of what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Young people

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Good

think that the way staff handle challenging behaviour is ‘fair’. However, staff are able to be firm if required. Local authority social workers say, ‘They have firm boundaries and she has to follow them, and she is’. These comments reflect an established and experienced staff group, who are both confident and calm in challenging situations. Young people are further protected by careful recruitment practice, and an appropriate response to allegations against staff. Generally, the home environment is kept safe by regular health and safety checks, and routine fire evacuation practice. However, there is insufficient detail about which young people took part in fire evacuations and who, if any, refused. This does not fully promote their safety. The home and outside space is generally free from hazards, other than carpeting which is worn through in a number of places. There is a suitable location assessment in place.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post for some years and is both very well qualified and very experienced. She holds a level 5 and a level 6 qualification in management, and maintains an interest in current best practice. For example, she attended the recent launch of Ofsted’s annual report of social care. This combination of experience, qualifications and commitment means that she is a highly effective role model for both staff and young people. Staff reflect this, saying, ‘I find supervision very useful because she listens and challenges and I learn’. Supervision files support this view in that supervision is frequent, detailed and focused on young people.

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Good

A robust managerial response has ensured all recommendations from the last inspection have been successfully actioned.

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Good

The manager knows her young people well, and is very committed to them and to their progress. This is broadly reflected in the monthly reports for social workers, but is mainly monitored through staff/young people relationships and knowledge. The manager says of her young people, ‘I want them all to excel’. Young people generally respond well to her warmth and authority, and some spend relaxed time with her, sometimes dancing or even just having a quiet cuddle. Others use her to talk privately about personal things. One young person said that, ‘the one thing that I would change about the home is that I would make the manager be there all the time’.

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Good

The manager is responsible for all supervisions and appraisals, including her small number of long-term bank staff. The home does not use agency staff. There are ongoing issues in recruiting staff, but a deputy post has now been successfully filled which will enable important further refinements to this service. Staff value the relevant training that they are offered, which includes issues such as substance abuse and child sexual exploitation. The manager is trained in preventing radicalisation, and has briefed her staff accordingly. There is also a helpful policy in place.

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Good

The manager has good working relationships with local police, health professionals and sits on the sexual exploitation panel. As such, her local professional knowledge is good, and this is usefully reflected in her location assessment. The manager is not afraid to challenge local authority decisions; for example, successfully advocating for alternative packages of support for young people. The Statement of Purpose is clear and reflects the service offered. The manager is confident and able to turn down referrals that are not within the home’s remit. This ensures that the home continues to work within its boundaries, and protects existing young people’s progress.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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 children looked after 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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