Children's home run by London Borough of Ealing in Ealing

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:

 The registered manager inspires the staff team to create a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment for the young people.  The manager has established excellent working relationships with other professionals, including mental health services, primary healthcare, social workers, reviewing officers and the virtual school. She uses these relationships positively, enhancing outcomes for the young people.  Staff are dedicated, knowledgeable and flexible. Young people trust them and form strong attachments with them.  The local authority recognises and values the work of the home. They evidence this by extending young people’s time in the home up until their 19th birthdays.  Staff are skilled at meeting the cultural, religious and linguistic needs of the young people.  Staff regularly seek young people’s views and use them to enhance the care provided. Young people feel valued, loved and well cared for. One young

p.3

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

person said of her key worker, ‘She is my sister, mother and friend.’

p.3

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Revise risk assessments, ensuring that they aid staff in identifying signs that children are at risk and give them a framework to support children in strategies to manage and reduce any risks. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislation. In particular, ensure that there is a risk assessment of all portable electrical equipment, specifying in writing the frequency of testing and visual or other checks required, taking due account of the environment and the children accommodated. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.4

Recommendations

 Complete a workforce development plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16 schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph, 10.8)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person supports the admissions policy as described in the statement of purpose. In particular, that they only accept placements where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the registered manager’s assessment of the impact the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that the review of the quality of care provided by staff is underpinned by the quality standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.2)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, provide senior care workers who deputise for the manager with appropriate training for their role. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person considers agency staff skills, qualifications and any induction necessary. In particular, ensure that they have training or induction in safeguarding and other essential areas before they commence work in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)

p.4

Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Staff receive support and young people receive therapeutic intervention from the looked after children psychologist.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/11/2015 Full Good 14/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/12/2014 Full Good

p.5

Good

Staff provide a warm nurturing environment for young people to thrive in. They are genuinely interested in the young people and build strong, lasting attachments with them. A social worker said of the staff team, ‘They are really skilled workers, really committed and very good at communicating.’ The management team has embedded a positive culture in the home and ensured that staff work in line with the theoretical model described in the statement of purpose and as applied across the children’s services. Staff are knowledgeable about the approach and apply it in their work with young people. This approach is assisting young people’s progress towards reintegration with their family or successful transitions out of the home. The local authority values the therapeutic interventions made in the home and supports the strong attachments made. With this practical support, young people have remained in the home up to their 19 th birthdays, enhancing their preparation

p.6

Good

for a successful transition into the community.

p.6

Good

Staff work closely with the young people to maintain a warm family environment in the home. Young people feel engaged in the home and are involved in key decisions about how their home is furnished, decorated and resourced. The manager involves them in major developments in the home, including incorporating their feedback into staff appraisals, enhancing their sense of worth and ownership of the home. One young person commented, ‘You get a say in everything here: food, activities, our rooms, mine is red! You can’t go wrong here.’ Staff create a warm and welcoming environment in the home for the young people. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘You notice immediately a warm and welcoming environment. The living room has books, magazines and games, which the young people use.’

p.6

Good

Staff work closely with other professionals planning admissions and movements onwards for young people. The management team accepts challenging children with complex problems into the home. The matching process at referral is effective, and improves the likelihood of a successful move into the home. On one occasion, the local authority did not accept the manager’s clear assessment of the poor match for the young person. This placement rapidly broke down, with serious consequences for the young person and those in the home. The line management of the home responded positively and speedily at the time, and subsequently, to support the young person and staff and other young people in the home. In planning movements out of the home, staff receive excellent support from the local authority. Approaches are innovative and often involve a range of external agencies and professionals to work with families and the young people. As mentioned, the

p.6

Good

social work team assists by extending the time young people have in the home, aiding in good preparation for their next steps. One social worker said of this, ‘Sometimes that extra time can make a wealth of difference for a young person. It is different and gives that young person the time to realise I am an adult and with that come responsibilities.’ Young people use the time productively, learning self- help skills, including budgeting and personal care. Staff enhance the success of moves with ongoing support provided to young people long after they move on from the home. This open and unconditional support reinforces the attachments that young people have formed. During the inspection, a young person who left the home five year ago dropped in for a meal. She said during her visit, ‘I have formed attachments to them even after I left. This is my home away from home. All of the staff here have each played a part in bringing me up. I like the person I am now

p.6

Good

and they have helped make me this person.’

p.7

Good

The manager has developed excellent working relationships with the virtual school. Staff from there, praised the joint working and the staff engagement in planning and implementing education programmes for the young people. The head of the virtual school highlighted the complex issues which many of the young people have, requiring close working with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) as well as social workers and the school. She praised the staff engagement in this complex planning process, in particular their flexibility and support for often innovative programmes of education. She noted that the manager is a strong advocate for young people, saying, ‘I work well with the manager and have a great deal of respect for her as we share the same ideals for education and its importance for children. We do not always see eye-to-eye, but always share the same aspirations for improving children.’ Young people show variable levels of

p.7

Good

attainment but all make progress with this coordinated approach. All parties work towards the move of young people to full-time education, training or work. This often involves highly structured and innovative programmes, leading gradually to full-time reintegration to a relevant programme. Staff celebrate young people’s success and maintain life-story books evidencing all successes. They provide good ongoing support to young people to maintain attendance and progress. One young person said, in response to a question during the inspection, ‘No they do not nag me to go to school, they motivate me to go.’

p.7

Good

Staff work well with health services, creating and implementing healthcare plans. The looked after children nurse conducts a highly detailed assessment of each young person when they arrive and monitors this throughout their time there. She receives good support from staff to ensure that this happens, as many young people are resistant to health input. The joint working involves a myriad of services from the local authority as part of its brighter futures initiative. This produces intensive therapeutic support for the young person and often their families as well. Young people are benefiting from this coordinated response from council services. The staff team receives direct support from the looked after children psychologist, who works with them in developing a therapeutic approach based on attachment theory and research on developmental trauma. The psychologist commented on the effectiveness of this training, ‘The team engages well with support offered from

p.7

Good

our service to deepen their understanding of the emotional needs of the young people and to help them to consider how they can continue to improve on the support they offer to them. The team has continually developed its skills in terms of understanding and meeting the emotional needs of the young people in their care.’ Young people have made improvements in both mental health and physical health with this coordinated support, including other agencies such as drug and alcohol services. Results have included improved self-image, healthy eating, increased activity and exercise, reduction of or stopping completely drug use, eradication of fears about use of medical services and integration into social situations.

p.8

Good

Staff encourage young people to engage with others in a positive way. Some young people have arrived with extreme difficulties in forming relationships or making decisions, in particular making good choices. Staff plan interactions through care plans, a range of behaviour intervention guides and implementation of risk assessments. Care plans have varied in quality, in particular in how staff record targets. However, managers have been focusing on improving the match between the good-quality work and the often poorly constructed plans. This is resulting in young people’s targets being better structured, recorded and effective in measuring their progress. Young people show progress in a range of essential life skills and competencies, including developing independence, self-esteem, confidence and good decision-making. The looked after children psychologist said of the staff team, ‘The team at the home continues to strive to be responsive to the emotional

p.8

Good

needs of the young people living there. This helps to reduce risks and to support the development of the young people’s functioning in all areas of their lives.’

p.8

Good

Staff provide good personal care to young people. They are highly skilled at meeting their cultural, religious and linguistic needs. They fully involve young people in this, always seeking their views and not making assumptions about preferences based on young people’s family or cultural background. This enhances the involvement of young people in making good decisions for themselves, feeling listened to and allowing them to follow their personal beliefs. Young people are clear that staff will intervene if they believe their choices are putting themselves at risk.

p.8

Good

Young people take part in a wide range of activities in the home and in the community. They enjoy shared activities and enjoy the company of the staff. Staff encourage them to form positive relationships and to bring friends or family back to their home. When there are restrictions on family contact, staff work closely with all parties to make sure contacts happen in a positive but controlled way. Children make progress in forming relationships and learning how to use leisure time productively. Staff even work with them at managing gaps in activity and learning how to relax. One young person said, ‘We do lots of activities and you can choose what you do. It helps us to become more independent and to learn how to use our time productively.’ Judgement grade

p.8

Good

Children say that they feel very safe in the home and trust the staff working with them. They can confide in staff and build strong attachments to them. When children have left the home, many maintain contact with adults they trust and can confide in. One young person said, ‘I feel very safe here. They help me to stay safe and give me good guidance about forming friendships with the right people.’

p.9

Good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s risk-taking behaviours and how to address them. They regularly review risk assessments, making detailed notes on work completed. However, staff do not indicate risk levels and there is not always an obvious risk reduction strategy. When this is included, the risk assessments provide good tracking of progress in, for example, a reduction in absences from the home.

p.9

Good

Staff apply their extensive training in safeguarding effectively within the home, enhancing the safe care of the young people. Staff are knowledgeable about child protection procedures and have a good practical application of their training in a range of threats, including gang affiliation, female genital mutilation, child sexual exploitation and the risk of radicalisation. All staff have completed this training and apply guidelines effectively in their work with the young people. One young person said, ‘They will do whatever they need to, to keep you safe.’ However, agency staff are not included in formal training courses and do not receive training from their agencies.

p.9

Good

Staff apply the missing from care guidelines in the statement of purpose to aid in keeping young people safe. When young people do go missing, staff actively search for them and encourage their safe return to the home. All young people receive an offer of an independent return home interview after any unauthorised absence to provide them with an additional safeguard. The young people are clear that they are not running away from the home but going to events outside. Managers monitor absences from the home and modify staff interventions following their evaluation of all information, aiding in reducing absences. Young people say that staff teach them how to remain safe in the community. One young person said, ‘I was involved in a serious incident locally. Staff have given me guidance about who to mix with and how to stay safe but they cannot always be there to help me make the right choices. They have supported me really well after that and

p.9

Good

The senior management team maintains effective monitoring of all health and safety matters in the home. They have recently revised the risk assessments for fire, asbestos and general health and safety. When the local authority has not maintained or confirmed testing of equipment, the registered manager has consistently pursued this with positive results. For example, the council has now confirmed testing of fire extinguishers the month following this inspection. The manager explained that there had been some confusion about the testing of portable appliances, saying she was informed it would be every five years. This does not take account of the particular local circumstances of a children’s home where young people will bring in new equipment and cause damage to existing appliances. During the inspection, contractors arrived and completed testing of all portable appliances, including all those belonging to young people. The contractors

p.9

Good

stated that they believed testing would be annual. The risk assessment does not include guidance on monitoring of portable appliances, which is required if testing is not as frequent as described by the contractors. The current good monitoring and regular testing, in line with the health and safety and fire risk assessments, ensures that staff and young people live in a safe environment.

p.10

Good

Young people make good progress in managing their often extreme behaviours. Staff support positive change through a combination of rewards, sanctions and behavioural interventions. They have a range of recording systems tracking planned interventions. The management team provides good monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of all interventions, including rewards. Positive behaviour plans evidence a well-thought-out series of structured interventions to reinforce desired outcomes. These are live documents, which staff constantly modify, and adjust the risk levels in them, as more information is available and evaluated. Through these structured interventions, staff have increased young people’s sense of responsibility for their own actions and staff have reduced police involvement and criminalising of young people. There have been no restraints since the last inspection. All staff have completed restraint training and trainers have

p.10

Good

evaluated them as effective in its use. However, staff rightly maintain a strong focus on the diversionary techniques and reinforcement of positives in young people, enhancing their personal learning and behavioural improvements. One young person said, ‘The staff here are helping me to control my temper and manage my anger. I am getting much better at this. They teach me techniques to calm down.’

p.10

Good

The registered manager provides good leadership within the home. Children, staff and social workers gave positive feedback about her communication, guidance and listening skills. One member of staff saying, ‘She is singlehandedly the best manager in the world and her two right-hand managers are excellent as well. They stay late planning how to move the service forward. They are always praising us and make us proud to work here.’ However, the senior care staff, who deputise for the manager, do not have suitable management qualifications and the responsible person has not made suitable arrangements to provide this training to ensure continuity of care in the home and effective succession planning.

p.10

Good

The registered manager has been managing this home for 11 years. She is experienced at leading residential services and has appropriate qualifications. She has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the service and has developed excellent and helpful links with other agencies in the local authority. She uses information from research, training and engagement with other professionals effectively in the home to aid her drive for continual improvement. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘She sets the culture for the home and demonstrates great empathy for the young people.’

p.11

Good

The responsible person has generally ensured that an independent person visits the home each month. A short gap occurred, highlighting an over-reliance on one person to complete these visits. Following all visits, the independent visitor produces detailed overviews of the functioning of the home. Reports are detailed and evaluative, providing helpful suggestions to the manager to aid the development of the home. The manager uses this guidance effectively to aid in the continuous progress in raising the quality of care for young people. The independent visitor responded to feedback on reports and ensured that they commented on how effectively staff safeguarded children and how they promoted children’s well-being. The responsible person has subsequently trained independent reviewing officers to enable them to provide this service to the home, ensuring continuity of visits. This action ensures that children receive this additional

p.11

Good

The manager has completed two highly detailed reports about the running of the home, including in them current and future plans for its development. The reports contain a large amount of background information, with some analysis and helpful planning from this. They include well-constructed action plans identifying key strengths and areas for development for the coming six months. However, the reports do not link directly to the quality standards, although areas commented on are in the standards. The effect of this is partial reporting on areas of the standard. In addition to this review of the care provided in the home, the manager maintains a development plan evidencing a good understanding of the home and strategies to improve the quality of care.

p.11

Good

The responsible person has submitted a revised statement of purpose to Ofsted. The revision includes a detailed description of the referral and admissions policy and new service developments. Staff qualifications are included, except those of the local authority psychologists. However, the statement does not list the experience of staff and there is no structure chart. The statement does give a comprehensive overview of how staff provide care and accommodation to children and appropriate guidance to families, placing authorities and relevant others about accessing further information. The management team commenced updating the statement during the inspection and involving staff in providing short background details to enhance the quality of information about their relevant experience.

p.11

Good

The registered manager normally successfully agrees planned admissions to the home in close collaboration with the home authority. The registered manager recognises the need for an emergency admissions process and accepts challenging children subject to a suitable risk assessment, including consideration of the impact on the existing group of children. However, the local authority on one occasion, did not accept the manager’s assessment of the impact that this admission would have on the group in the home or the staff’s capacity to work with the young person at that time. This placement caused disruption in the home, placed the young person at risk and broke down following a serious incident. The placing authority supported staff and children with additional staffing and psychological support from the CAMHS team to aid in addressing the impact of this placement. The manager is confident that in future the local authority will factor in the impact on the existing

p.12

Good

young people to enhance the likelihood of safe and successful moves.

p.12

Good

The staff team has received a high level of training during the last year. It has used this training positively, putting it into practice in the home. All staff share a common understanding of the aims, objectives and approach to work as described in the statement of purpose and enhanced through extensive training. They are applying this in their practice in the home, in particular following a shared approach across the council. The management team maintains a workforce development plan outlining the approach to staff development. The manager has identified that this lacks an overview of training completed and training planned for the coming year. She has included this in the development plan for the home for completion by January 2017.

p.12

Good

Managers have developed a highly structured and effective staff supervision programme. It links excellently with appraisal, training and service developments. They have recently linked reflective practice to other service developments, in particular the theoretical base and its practical application in their work, further enhancing the quality of staff interventions with young people. There was a brief period when supervision did not occur with the regularity described in the statement of purpose. Managers have successfully addressed this. Staff confirm that they could always get personal support at these times. In addition staff receive direct support from a psychologist from the looked after children team and through highly effective team meetings. Managers and staff construct detailed appraisals, which they regularly monitor in supervision. They enhance their effectiveness with the inclusion of feedback from the young people, which aids in maintaining a focus

p.12

Good

on the positive child-centred ethos created by the manager.

p.12

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.14

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.14

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.14

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.15

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.15

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.16

Information about this inspection

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

p.16

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.16

Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.16