Children's home run by Heartwood Residential Services Ltd in Barnet

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:

 Children benefit from a personalised service which provides the opportunity for them to grow as individuals. All children are progressing in relation to their starting points.  Professionals provide extremely positive feedback regarding the care experiences of young people.  There is a strong educational ethos. The home provides a computer room and an additional room for private study. The majority of young people are in education. This is significant, as some young people have been out of education for a long period of time.  Young people receive encouragement to lead a healthy lifestyle. There is on- site exercise equipment. They receive ongoing support in regards to their emotional and mental well-being.  The independent living resources are a strength of the service. Worksheets are available to increase young people’s knowledge on extensive topics.  Young people learn interpersonal skills, an example being negotiation. Staff

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The children's home provision is good because:

empower young people to engage purposely in meetings regarding their future.  Young people say they feel safe. There are no issues in relation to bullying or child sexual exploitation. Incidents of going missing are low and relate to late returns.  Staff have good relationships with safeguarding personnel, the police, youth offending and restorative justice personnel.  There is a strong element of restorative justice within the home’s behaviour management. As a result young people are able to consider the personal impact of their behaviour.  Young people benefit from a highly experienced manager and a competent, diverse, gender-balanced, well-supported staff team. The high staffing ratio enables young people to have one-to-one support.  The independent scrutiny from the Regulation 44 visitor provides constructive feedback, which assists with service development.  Shortfalls are minor. They relate to the quality of care review, staff

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The children's home provision is good because:

appraisals, the decor and activities. These issues do not have a detrimental impact on young people.

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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

45: Review of quality of care In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish a system for evaluating the feedback and opinions of children. (Regulation 45 (2) (b)) 01/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person should ensure that each child's talent and interests are nurtured. Staff should also support children to try something new, where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)  Provide a homely, domestic environment. This refers to scuffed walls in bedrooms. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Ensure that staff performance appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member and children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for five children irrespective of gender who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/10/2015 Full Requires improvement 26/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/08/2014 Full Good

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Good

Young people benefit from a personalised service which provides the opportunity for them to grow as individuals. Despite their complex needs, all are progressing in relation to their starting points. Staff challenge young people to do their best. A former resident of the home describes the care as ‘exemplary’. Focused key working provides the foundation for young people to address their personal issues. The home provides a stable base for young people to build on their emotional resilience. Staff help young people to be aspirational and in doing so they are enabled to work towards achieving their individual goals. Young people live in a home which presents as a terraced family property. Contemporary art, inspirational quotes on the walls and modern furniture and furnishings contribute to the homely environment. Young people have their own bedrooms, which they can personalise to reflect their individuality. All bedrooms

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Good

have a television. There are a range of communal areas, which includes a television lounge and a kitchen with a dining area. A computer room and an outdoor building are available for private study. The outdoor building also has gym equipment and a keyboard. The paved garden has wooden furniture, enabling young people to enjoy being outdoors. The home is generally well maintained. The only shortfall is the scuffed walls in some of the bedrooms. Staff highlight that some young people repeatedly deface their bedroom walls. It is recognised that this is an ongoing issue. Young people collectively influence menu and activity planning. They each have their own activity plans. A popular pastime is going to the cinema. Young people have also been trampolining, go-karting and to the seaside. Staff continually try to engage young people in a wide range of activities. They have also been offered holidays abroad. However, some activities on offer do not purposefully nurture

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Good

young people’s talents, interests or offer them a new experience. A young person also requested the provision of more activities. Young people are settled and care planning effectively addresses their needs. Staff skilfully establish amicable, yet professional, relationships with young people. They provide positive guidance, helping young people to develop trust and mutual respect. Staff also share their culture and personal interests with young people. An example being martial arts. Staff also help young people to connect with their heritage through cooking culturally reflective meals. A young person describes staff as ‘nice’. Professionals are unanimously positive in regards to the care experiences of young people. One professional described the service as being ‘excellent’. This view was also echoed by a parent. Staff create a learning environment, facilitating home tuition and strongly advocating for educational needs. The majority of young people are attending an

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Good

educational establishment. This is a significant development, as some young people have been out of education for long periods of time. A virtual school head teacher highlights that staff ‘have been actively involved in care and education planning’, alongside ‘reinforcing high expectations around education’. Staff escort young people to college interviews and investigate suitable courses, apprenticeships and voluntary work. Within the home are computers and a range of books suitable for variable literacy levels. Young people receive encouragement to lead a healthy lifestyle. There is on-site exercise equipment. Staff also facilitate joining a local gym. Young people learn the importance of eating a nutritious diet. They receive ongoing support in regards to their emotional and mental well-being. When necessary appropriate referrals are made to the relevant child and adolescent mental health service. Additionally,

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Good

young people feel comfortable discussing their feelings with staff. They also receive encouragement to address their smoking habits and substance misuse that further promotes the benefits of healthy living. Young people learn the skills needed for adulthood. The independent living resources are a strength of the service. Worksheets are available to increase their knowledge on health matters, relationships, sex and sexuality and money management. There are improvements in young people’s personal hygiene and cooking skills. They undertake their laundry and take responsibility for cleaning their rooms. Young people also learn interpersonal skills, an example being negotiation. They work in partnership with staff to make decisions in relation to their lives. Staff empower young people to engage purposely in meetings regarding their future, examples being personal educational planning meetings and statutory

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Good

Young people benefit from the home’s effective safeguarding arrangements. Young people say they feel safe and learn the importance of personal and internet safety. Staff teach young people not to respond to peer pressure and to take responsibility for their actions. There is a strong element of restorative justice within the home’s behaviour management. The registered manager highlights the need for ‘boundaries and structure’ to help young people feel safe and ‘move forward’. Young people address the personal impact of their behaviour. After every incident, a management consultation report is completed. This enables everyone affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing the harm and finding a positive way forward. A social worker says that they are ‘impressed’ with the behaviour management of their young person. Individual behaviour management plans assist staff by outlining the respective young person’s triggers and de-escalation

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Good

techniques. Young people actively inform this plan stating how they would like to be helped, the best method, the particular tone of voice and their preferred physical intervention. Young people subject to conditions imposed on them effectively engage with the young offending services. There are no issues in relation to bullying. Disciplinary measures are appropriate and the restraint and sanctions records meet regulatory requirements. This enables the effective debriefing and monitoring of trends and patterns. A social worker describes staff as being ‘very tenacious’ in working with young people’s challenging outbursts. Behaviour reward agreements are personal to each young person. Young people take pride in working towards receiving meaningful items of their choice, an example being a pair of trainers. Staff acknowledge that young people’s histories and presenting issues can cause personal tension. Punching bags are

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Good

provided to assist young people with alleviating their frustrations. There have been no child protection allegations since the last inspection. Staff undertake regular training in safeguarding. They have a good relationship with safeguarding personnel, the police, youth offending and restorative justice staff. Their links with the police include specialist officers working with children at risk of child sexual exploitation and going missing. This ensures that procedures are in line with the Metropolitan police protocols. The home does not have a high number of incidents of young people going missing. The issue is mostly late returns, which has seen an improvement over the last few months. Individual missing plans detail triggers and the support to prevent young people being absent without authority. There are no child sexual exploitation concerns. Staff use a risk and resilience map which helps to identify a young person’s level of

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Good

vulnerability. Staff actively request strategy meetings where there are placement stability concerns. Leaders and managers carefully consider potential placements. This helps to ensure that new admissions do not have a detrimental impact on the young people already living there. A social worker states that the home provides ‘safe care’ and a safe ‘environment’. The location risk assessment confirms that young people live in a low-crime area. Staff are aware of the potential risks affecting young people. Certificates and regular checks confirm the safety of the physical environment. The thorough recruitment of staff helps to ensure that unsuitable people do not work with young people. Closed-circuit television also monitors the entrance areas and hallways, offering additional protection.

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Good

Young people benefit from strong management arrangements and an experienced, competent and stable staff team. A social worker states, ‘I cannot think of any one thing that needs to be done better.’ Another social worker highlights that the registered manager ‘is a very special part of the reason that the home works so well’. A staff member describes the registered manager as a ‘breath of fresh air’. The registered manager has over twenty years experience in residential care. Fifteen of these years were in management positions. This individual has a relevant management qualification and their experience includes working within therapeutic settings. The registered manager is an effective leader, successfully assisting in raising the team morale and the standard of care. The quality assurance system contributes to the home’s continuous improvement. The independent scrutiny from the Regulation 44 visitor provides constructive

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Good

feedback which assists with service development. A senior manager highlights that the ‘organisation feels more stable’ and they are currently ‘concentrating on stabilisation and consistency’. A new responsible individual is in post. Although Ofsted has been informed of this appointment, the relevant form has not been completed to amend the registration certificate. The last inspection required the undertaking of quality of care reviews, at least every six months. Management comply with this, extensively evaluating the service. However, the views and opinions of young people were not clearly recorded. It is therefore difficult to measure how young people’s views have impacted on service development. The recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed. Young people benefit from the improved admission process. The introduction of preplacement risk assessments, ensures that new referrals are accepted only if staff are able to

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Good

meet their needs. This helps to ensure that inappropriate placements do not affect the stability of other young people. The workforce development plan has been updated and contains the necessary information regarding staff supervision. This ensures that staff are receiving the appropriate level of support and guidance to fulfil their role. The staff team is culturally diverse and gender balanced. This enables young people to have a range of positive role models. Staff understand each young person’s starting point, measure success and know that they are making a positive difference to young people’s lives. A virtual head teacher describes staff as ‘helpful and supportive’. A social worker describes them as being ‘very child-focused’. The deputy and senior support worker posts strengthen the management structure. This ensures accountability, consistency and efficient leadership on each shift. The high staffing ratio enables young people to have one-to-one support.

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Good

Staff are suitably qualified. Vocational training is in progress, where necessary. Ongoing training further equips staff for their roles, this includes electronic learning opportunities. New staff receive an extensive induction. Staff feel valued and they receive ongoing support through regular team meetings, supervision and annual appraisals. The latter enables staff to provide a self-evaluation of their performance. It does not include the views of young people or professionals that they have worked with. Feedback from young people and professionals would provide a wider perception of the staff member’s performance and any areas for further development. The home has a comprehensive updated statement of purpose. This document effectively details the home’s aims, objectives and ways of working. Young people have their own informative guide, which one of them helped to produce. Staff succeed in providing ‘a holistic and individually-tailored approach to each young

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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 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 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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