Children's home run by London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Tower Hamlets

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children’s home’s provision is good because:

 There is good work undertaken with young people and their families. This is enabling young people to maintain positive relationships and keep in touch with their families.  Education is a high priority within this home. Young people engage well, attendance is good and results show that they are succeeding.  Young people say that they feel safe. There is an experienced staff team working here which knows the young people well and builds positive relationships.  Young people receive individualised care and are engaged in productive activities in the home, such as growing vegetables and taking part in the home’s, ‘Come dine with me’ competition.  Safeguarding is central to practice. Concerns are referred for investigation and appropriate agencies are contacted. Risk assessments provide clear information for staff members and are updated regularly, offering strategies to reduce risks.  Effective procedures ensure that there are timely responses to complaints.

p.3

The children’s home’s provision is good because:

Where young people have not felt listened to, advocates or independent agencies are asked to investigate.  The home’s responses to young people who go missing from the home is good. Staff follow processes to ensure that there is information sharing and prompt action to locate and protect young people.  Young people are engaged in regular key work sessions to explore all aspects of individual care. Sessions are regular and linked to specific needs for young people.  The staff team is working better together, with an external facilitator’s support.  Leaders and managers have not provided regular and consistent supervision. Personal development plans have not been completed in a timely way.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 30/09/2016

p.4

Recommendations

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

p.4

Recommendations

 All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and the children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

p.4

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

02/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

09/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

Young people benefit from clear care planning, which ensures that there is individualised care that meets their needs. They are involved in this process and supported to attend important meetings about themselves. The host borough has an excellent children’s rights officer who is a frequent visitor to the home and attends important meetings as an advocate for young people. This ensures young people’s involvement in their care planning and supports them via advocates to feel listened to.

p.6

Good

Young people are encouraged to be independent. Fun activities such as ‘Come dine with me’, have supported young people to shop, prepare food and socialise, with support from their key workers. A presentation evening following the votes allowed young people to win prizes for their efforts. As young people become more competent at taking care of themselves, they are supported to manage a budget, shop and cook for themselves. Young people are expected to complete tasks to earn their pocket money, such as cleaning their own room or doing their own laundry. These tasks, supported by staff, help young people to prepare for living independently.

p.6

Good

Staff at the home expect young people to be engaged in education and actively supports this. All the young people at the home attend college or work related training. Young people are making good progress within education. One young person has won a mathematical achievement award at college and has been invited to a presentation ceremony. Another young person has gained a level 2 qualification in childcare and has completed GCSEs exams this summer. One young person has engaged particularly well in learning English as a second language and is going on to the next level in the autumn. All the young people are planning to go together to arrange their enrolment for college in October. Staff plan to attend with them and to take them out for lunch, giving an incentive and a positive attitude towards education and employment.

p.6

Good

All young people are supported to be healthy by being registered with the local health clinic and being encouraged to attend routine and specialist health appointments when required. Staff encourage independence in this, but ensure that they keep a record of when appointments are due, providing reminders and attending with young people if required.

p.6

Good

Young people share positive relationships with the staff. Staff sit and eat with young people and engaging with them routinely throughout the day. One young person has great skills in beauty and make up and is often seen practising on staff. The recent, ‘Come dine with me’, competition shows staff innovation in engaging with young people at a level that they enjoy and benefit from. The next activity is a ‘Bake off’, competition.

p.6

Good

Observations of relationships showed staff, who know the young people well, spending quality time with them and listening to their views. Young people are involved in choices of food, activities and equipment in the home. For example, young people requested a pool table for the games room, which is now installed. A faster computer and more books and DVDs were also recent requests which have been fulfilled. Where young people have not felt listened to, senior managers involved an independent advocate to investigate and report on how this could be resolved.

p.7

Good

Detailed and well-informed risk assessments support staff to keep young people as safe as possible. Regular reviews ensure updates to these documents. The information helps staff to understand triggers for risky behaviours and gives strategies for managing and avoiding potential incidents.

p.7

Good

Despite being purpose built, the layout of this home does not lend itself to being a homely place. Staff and young people have made the upstairs living areas as homely as possible. There are ongoing plans for the home to be re-designed and rebuilt in the coming year.

p.7

Good

The registered manager and staff have at times managed young people with high- level complex needs. These young people have prompted high levels of anxiety at times for other professionals. The manager and staff team respond with clear processes to manage risk-taking behaviour, report or notify appropriate agencies and facilitate regular staff discussions about management strategies. In addition Other factors that include consistency in the staff approach, detailed handover meetings at shift changes and good record keeping enable safe management of risk-taking behaviours

p.7

Good

Staff understand the processes that the home employs when young people go missing or are deemed at risk of exploitation. Good information sharing and knowing the patterns and behaviours of young people support staff to understand when young people may attempt to leave the home, and staff make efforts to prevent this. Where young people are missing, consistent reporting, timely strategy meetings and action plans help to share information and encourage young people’s return.

p.7

Good

Staff and young people feel confident to report allegations or concerns within the home. There has been one incident considered by the designated officer since the last inspection. The processes followed by the registered manager and staff ensured the safety and protection of young people. The leaders and manager commissioned an independent person to interview staff and young people following the close of the investigation. This has helped to ensure that all young people felt supported and safe.

p.8

Good

Young people say that they feel safe and are happy at this home. One young person says, ‘My room is a safe place, I can decorate it how I want.’ Another says, ‘I like my room even though it’s a bit small. I get enough support and overall it’s alright here, I feel safe.’

p.8

Good

Staff rarely restrain young people and try to avoid this if possible. Although it is rarely used, staff receive regular update training in therapeutic crisis intervention. This ensures that staff have knowledge and understanding of how to manage difficult situations should they arise.

p.8

Good

Recruitment processes ensure that there are appropriate checks for new staff or volunteers wanting to work in the home. These processes protect young people from exposure to unsafe people working in their home.

p.8

Good

The home benefits from regular health and safety checks to ensure that young people live in a safe environment. The registered manager completes an annual review of the area immediately outside the home to ensure that any wider risks are assessed to ensure young people’s safety within the community.

p.8

Good

Adequate precautions prevent the risk of fires. Safety equipment is in place, and there is evidence of regular compliance checks and fire drills taking place.

p.8

Requires improvement

Leadership and management was inadequate at the last inspection. Despite very positive progress, it remains at ‘requires improvement’ for the following reasons.

p.8

Requires improvement

 First, although the staff team works better together, some members of the team still say that they feel marginalised and that they are not working together as a team.  Second, although most staff feel supported by managers, supervisions are not happening regularly or consistently.  Third, appraisals of staff’s performance and practice are not completed in a timely way. During this inspection it was clear that some issues remain, such as staff feeling marginalised and that working together as a team is still difficult. Other staff members felt that this had improved considerably. Issues were raised regarding continuing concerns about senior managers not listening to staff about job descriptions and pay and conditions. Some staff still feel that expectations are not clearly set out and that there are two staff teams working in different ways.

p.8

Requires improvement

Leaders’ and managers’ responses to these issues have been proactive. There is an independent right to review taking place, which is looking at job descriptions, and senior managers support this. Leaders and managers have also enlisted the support of an outside facilitator to work with staff at a team-building day. This has established that, despite some staff concerns, all staff are working with the same objectives for young people.

p.9

Requires improvement

A local authority owns and runs this home. The registered manager is experienced and holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management. An experienced service manager from the local authority that runs the home supports her. Over the past year, both have worked hard to improve the home and amalgamate workforces from two homes into one.

p.9

Requires improvement

All staff spoken to on inspection felt supported by the registered manager, who they say gives good feedback and has their respect.

p.9

Requires improvement

Leaders and managers ensure that staff receive the training required for staff to feel confident to do their jobs. For example, staff have all received training on the prevention of radicalisation, risk of child sexual exploitation and using therapeutic crisis interventions. Gang association awareness training is planned for the forthcoming year. All staff hold the NVQ level 3 or equivalent qualification.

p.9

Requires improvement

The registered manager and staff team now keep a referral book, which is a good initiative. This shows that the home is considering referrals more and ensuring that all relevant information is in place prior to accepting referrals. It shows good practice in refusing emergency admissions and requesting more planned responses.

p.9

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’.

p.10

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

p.10

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.10

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

p.11

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 .

p.11

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 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,

p.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12

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.12

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.12