Children's home run by Barnardo’s in Redbridge

Registered provider address

Barnardo's IndigoBridge (Residential Short Breaks) Granville Road 13 Granville Road ILFORD Essex IG1 4RU

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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:

 Young people enjoy their short breaks and parents are happy that their children are well cared for and safe.  The service keeps the needs of young people at the heart of everything it does. Interventions are thoughtful, mindful and effective.  Staff are well trained, competent and child focused. They work with compassion and commitment to ensure that young people are safe and enjoy their short breaks.  The senior worker in the home has an excellent oversight of the quality of care. She understands the needs of young people well and provides excellent support for staff. This means that when the registered manager is absent, the quality of care remains high.  The registered manager is very experienced and has excellent administration skills. She monitors the quality of care effectively and provides an excellent role model for the team. This means that staff are led, directed and supported to maintain high standards of care.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people with complex health needs receive a high level of support from staff who are trained to meet their needs and keep them safe.  The staff manage behaviour well. They have good insight into the underlying issues that may cause young people to become distressed and present challenging behaviour. They intervene sensitively and effectively to de-escalate and calm situations.  The physical environment is clean, homely and well maintained. It is equipped to meet the needs of the young people who use the service. It has a range of resources and equipment to keep them stimulated and entertained, and to help them learn.  The service celebrates diversity and effectively meets a range of cultural needs.  The inspector found no breaches in the children’s home regulations. The service addressed the recommendations set out at the previous inspection and continues to improve.

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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

 For children with special educational needs and disabilities, staff must establish whether the child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan. If the child does, staff must take account of the health objectives it specifies. (For further information on EHC plans, see paragraph 5.4.) (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.6)  At least one person on duty at any given time in a children’s home must have a suitable first aid qualification. Given the complex health needs of young people staying in the home, the home should specify what level of qualification is sufficient to meet their needs and keep them safe. This should be included in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.13)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the

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Recommendations

arrangements in place to protect them. When there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. This refers to the need for all areas of risk to have a clear management plan in place to reduce risks. For example, when health issues are identified, the risk assessment must specify what the risks are, and identify clear actions to reduce them. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) .

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run and owned by a charitable organisation (Dr Barnardo’s). It is registered as a short break service for up to four children and young people with learning difficulties and physical disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

04/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Young people look forward to their short breaks. They are carefully matched so that they can spend time with peers whom they know, and whom they get on well with. Each short break is carefully planned to make sure that the group can be managed safely. Staffing levels are thoughtfully allocated to ensure that each individual young person has dedicated attention. This keeps them stimulated, safe and ensures that they are well cared for.

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Good

When young people are referred to the service, staff meet with them and their parents to make sure that they have the information they need to care for them safely. This information informs the service’s care plan, which is named ‘All about me’. This document is written from the young person’s perspective and contains very detailed information about how staff should look after them. This means that staff are aware of situations that young people may find upsetting. Staff know what helps to make them feel better and how best to comfort them. The care and attention paid to each young person enables them to experience consistency of care, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

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Good

When young people first use the service, they have a gradual, well-planned introduction. This is tailored to the individual needs of each young person. Before they stay overnight, they get to meet the staff who will be looking after them and the young people who will be there with them. This helps to reduce any anxieties they may have about staying away from home. One parent commented that, at first, her daughter didn’t want to use the service. She described how staff had made her daughter feel welcome and helped her to settle in quickly. Her daughter now loves coming for short breaks.

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Good

Many of the young people who use the service have significant barriers to communication. This means that they have limited capacity to express their wishes and feelings. The staff are able to use a variety of communication methods to help young people make choices. These include sign language or using pictures as prompts to explain things and help young people to indicate how they are feeling. When these methods cannot be used, staff are alert to the subtle expressions that each young person may display to indicate their feelings. In one example, a member of staff described how she would help a young person choose which TV programme to watch. She did this by slowly switching through the channels and watching the young person’s eye movements or facial expression. She explained that it was important to change the channels slowly to give the young person time to decide if she wanted to watch the programme or not. This means that all young

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Good

people, irrespective of their capacity or impairment, can contribute to the short break experience and influence the care they receive. This helps them to feel valued and to enjoy their stay.

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Good

The staff provide excellent care to young people. A social work team manager commented that staff are very caring and demonstrate good skills. She went on to say that staff training is excellent and that the service prioritises the needs of young people when planning short breaks. The inspector noticed that the home did not have any records of EHC plans for young people who use the service. This has minimal impact because young people only stay for short periods and the staff work know them well. It does, however, miss a valuable opportunity to gather information that could further improve the help and support offered to young people.

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Good

Staff work closely with parents to make sure that they understand the cultural needs of each young person. They adjust the way they care for each young person to take account of these needs. The staff team is diverse and reflects the diversity of the range of young people using the home. Staff celebrate diversity and mark a variety of cultural events. Parents feel confident that staff meet the culture needs of their children well.

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Good

Currently, young people only use the service for a maximum of 16 days per year. This limits the opportunity that the service has to make a significant impact on helping young people to make progress. Despite this, the staff identify clear, realistic targets to enable each young person to make progress. They work closely with parents to maintain routines that encourage young people to be more independent. Young people are encouraged, whenever possible, to learn skills for independence by improving self-care, helping with household chores and preparing food. Staff identify small steps and offer regular praise to encourage achievement. This gives young people the confidence to succeed and helps them to enjoy learning.

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Good

The service works closely with schools. Each young person has a school diary and staff use this to make sure that they share relevant information. They alert the school to any problems and always know if the young person has had a good or bad day at school. This ensures that young people get the support they need to make the most of their short break. It also means that young people arrive at school in the best possible frame of mind to learn.

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Good

Young people leave the service when they are 18 years old. Staff prepare them well for the transition to adult services. They support them to attend groups designed for young adults. This prevents young people from experiencing abrupt endings and gives them a positive experience of moving on towards adulthood.

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Good

Young people take part in a range of activities within the home. They enjoy arts and crafts, music and games. The home has an excellent outdoor play area that enables young people to exercise and have fun. Staff take young people out on trips and activities. They visit the local park and often go further afield for days out. Young people are involved in planning activities and staff support them to do the things that they enjoy.

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Good

Each young person has a detailed risk assessment. This identifies their particular vulnerabilities, and includes clear plans to keep them safe. The provider identifies risks relating to the physical environment, hazards when out on trips and any risks that young people may present to each other. The risk assessments are balanced with protective factors and the interventions are proportionate. This means that young people are able to experience an acceptable level of risk in order to develop independence skills and have fun.

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Good

The inspector examined one risk assessment that did not fully identify the interventions needed to prevent injury when moving a young person with complex health needs. In practice, the staff know the young person well and are trained in safe moving and handling techniques. This means that the young person is not at risk of harm.

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Good

All staff undertake regular training in order to provide safe care for young people with complex health needs. This training includes both theory and practical elements. It ensures that staff are taught how to safely administer medications and feed using gastric tubes. When looking after young people who have epilepsy, staff follow a clear protocol for intervention. This is devised by a health professional and ensures that staff can recognise when emergency intervention is needed. The parent of one young person with complex health needs said she had confidence that the staff were providing safe levels of care and support for her daughter. The registered manager and senior staff regularly monitor the recording and administration of medicines. Medication is given as prescribed and when needed. The provider is not clear in its statement of purpose as to what level of training is considered to be a suitable first aid qualification. This runs the risk that young

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Good

people with complex health needs may be looked after by staff who are not trained to respond to an emergency. In practice, most staff have extensive first aid training and all staff are trained in specialist interventions to manage complex health needs.

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Good

The provider pays close attention to the needs of each young person when planning short breaks. They make sure that young people are not a risk to each other and they provide high levels of staffing when this is needed to keep young people safe. Each young person has a behaviour management plan. This identifies any behaviours that may present a risk. Staff are aware of situations that may cause a young person to become distressed, and they manage incidents of challenging behaviour sensitively. Staff use distraction techniques and reward positive behaviour with encouragement and praise. They do not use sanctions and there have been no incidents where staff have needed to use physical interventions. The staff model positive behaviour by being kind, caring, considerate and compassionate.

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Good

The staff know the young people well and demonstrate a good understanding of how underlying conditions for each young person may influence their behaviour. This means that their interventions are both well intentioned and effective.

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Good

The commissioning authority team manager reported that there have been no safeguarding concerns or incidents in relation to this service. The home’s policies and procedures in relation to behaviour management and child protection are clear and correct.

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Good

Young people do not go missing but staff have clear plans in place to take action in the event that this occurs. All staff are trained in key child protection areas, and are alert to risks of sexual exploitation and vulnerabilities in relation to radicalisation. The internet connection in the home is designed to prevent young people accessing unsuitable material, and the use of the internet is closely monitored.

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Good

The physical environment is designed to meet the needs of the young people who stay there. It is well equipped and specialist equipment, such as hoists for lifting, is well maintained. Fire procedures in the home are robustly implemented and, in the event of a fire, there is a personal evacuation plan for each young person.

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Good

Each month, an independent visitor undertakes a review of the quality of care in the home. She reviews safeguarding practice, meets with young people and talks with staff and parents. She sends her reports to Ofsted and highlights any concerns or areas for improvement. These reports have been very positive and have not identified any serious concerns. Staff who work in the home have all undergone checks and vetting to ensure that they are of good character. They have the necessary experience and training to meet the needs of the young people and keep them safe. Judgement grade

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Good

This inspection was facilitated by a senior staff member because the registered manager was on holiday. She knew the service very well and had good oversight of care practice in the home. The registered manager has excellent administrative skills and an efficient system for managing information. This means that when the registered manager is absent, the home is in safe hands and is managed well.

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Good

The management team models good practice and promotes strong ethical, child- centred values. These are shared by the staff team and there is always a senior staff member on hand to monitor and promote good practice. The registered manager regularly undertakes unannounced, out-of-hours monitoring visits to the service. This ensures that she is in touch with practice and the experiences of young people.

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Good

Staff feel supported by their managers. They comment that they feel able to raise any issues or concerns. They feel that managers are always available for support and advice. All staff, including part-time staff, receive regular, formal supervision. This provides a safe space for them to reflect on practice, to explore strategies for helping young people, and to think about their own learning and development. Staff are encouraged to articulate how they are working with young people to meet the quality care standards for children’s homes (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’). This helps them to reflect on their interventions and enables them to share good practice. All staff have an annual appraisal, and a learning and development plan. These help them to build on success and to improve the quality of care for young people.

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Good

The registered manager regularly undertakes a comprehensive review of the quality of care provided by the home. She monitors recording and outcomes for young people, and reviews any incidents of concern. She uses the information to identify areas for improvement and service development. The quality of recording in the home is excellent. The quality of assessments and care plans produced by the home is also excellent.

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Good

The registered manager develops effective relationships with key partners such as parents, schools, health services and commissioning social workers. This means that she is able to successfully advocate for young people and act promptly, in partnership, to resolve any difficulties. She responds effectively to complaints and takes prompt remedial action to rectify mistakes.

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Good

The registered manager has made improvements to the service and addressed the recommendations made at the previous inspection. She has updated the home’s behaviour management plan, improved the quality of care planning and enhanced the experience for young people moving on to adult services.

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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 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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