Children's home run by Mig House Residential Care Home Ltd in Waltham Forest

home are

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Staff and managers provide robust advocacy on behalf of the children and young people in the home, resulting in excellent outcomes.  Partner agencies and families have praised the home for how it champions the needs of the children and makes a significant difference in their lives.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The home is warm, comfortable and welcoming. Children and young people experience positive relationships with the staff and managers, who act as competent parents.  Staff and managers know the children and young people very well and are finely attuned to their needs.  Staff and managers create an environment that fosters normalisation of children’s disability and by doing so they help to prepare them for life beyond residential care.  Children and young people feel safe and are enabled to thrive in key areas of their lives.  Children and young people benefit from excellent communication by the staff to social workers and other professionals, as well as with their family members.  Managers demonstrate aspirational leadership. They lead by example, with clear goals of delivering exceptional progress for each child in the home.  A stable and consistent staff team contributes to the overall effectiveness of

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Revise the whistleblowing policy to ensure that conflicts of interest are avoided if allegations are made by or against relatives of staff or the responsible individual. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

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Recommendations

 Include information on e-safety in the safeguarding policy, and keep the policy under regular review. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)

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Information about this children's home

 This children’s home is privately owned. It is registered with Ofsted to accommodate up to nine children. It offers long-term care as well as respite care for children and young people with a learning disability.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/06/2015 Full Outstanding 16/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/09/2014 Full Good

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people living in the home are

Children and young people receive excellent individualised care from the staff and managers, who develop very positive relationships with them. Staff and managers describe the children and young people with warm regard and interact with them with empathy and consistency. They know the children well and take pride in their accomplishments. They constantly encourage the young people to develop their abilities and fulfil their potential.

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people living in the home are

Children and young people are well supported to make progress in relation to their health, education, emotional and social well-being. Children and young people make exceptional progress. For example, one child who was significantly obese and was on extensive medication for both physical and mental health reasons at the time of admission, has since lost a substantial amount of weight and reduced almost all of his medication. Another child who was barely communicative and doubly incontinent is now able to sign and use the toilet on his own. One child has completed her Duke of Edinburgh award, she chairs her own reviews and has grown significantly in her confidence and self-esteem.

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people living in the home are

All eight children and young people currently living at the home attend school regularly. The virtual head from the local authority and classroom teachers comment that the staff are able to clearly articulate the needs of the children, and that they are supportive and demonstrate good knowledge of their strengths and areas for development. Staff at the home share behavioural support and management plans with the school to ensure that there is consistency of practice and targets between the two settings. Teachers describe children as being ‘transformed’ since living at the home. Because staff know the children’s abilities very well, they are able to liaise with the schools effectively to ensure that children are being set challenging targets. For some children, this has resulted in targets being raised, due to the progress that they make in the home. Teachers comment on how staff at the home hold them to account for the children’s progress.

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people living in the home are

Staff at the home are good at putting in place boundaries and structure for children. For some children, this is the first time that they have had any structure in their lives. Schools comment on the improvements in concentration and behaviour for some children living at the home. In one case, these improvements have resulted in the child making friends for the first time at school.

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people living in the home are

Social workers who place children at the home value the progress that they make. They comment on the excellent communication from workers and the willingness of the staff to involve the children’s families, even when this is difficult.

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people living in the home are

An independent reviewing officer for three children placed at the home said that, ‘Staff are wonderful at how they manage the children’. She also praised the family atmosphere and the fact that staff engage the children in mainstream activities which prepare them for life outside of the home.

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people living in the home are

Managers and staff deliver excellent transitional services to young people. One advocate for two young people who have moved on from the home commented that the success of the transitions was solely due to the efforts made by the staff at the home, who worked diligently to prepare the young people for the move. When two young people moved on to adult provision operated by the parent company, the home seconded staff to this provision to ensure the smooth transition and to provide the young people with familiar adults in their new setting.

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people living in the home are

Children and young people are offered a range of activities that help to enrich their lives and to help normalise their disability. This includes declining the option of taking the young people to activities which are solely for disabled children. This results in managers and staff undertaking more detailed risk assessments but also ensures that the young people experience situations that will better prepare them for adult life. The overall experience of living in the home enhances the life chances for the children. For children and young people with complex needs, the staff are able to evidence the significant difference they have made to the residents’ lives.

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people are helped and protected

Staff regularly update the health and risk assessment for each child, which includes any risks associated with self-harming, misusing drugs or alcohol, going missing and child sexual exploitation, as well as physical health. Clear and detailed behaviour support plans are in place for children and young people. Assessments are up-to-date and informative, with expectations and preventative actions, as well as appropriate levels of intervention to respond to any identified or increased risks. Evidence of reduction of risks for children and young people is clear. There has been only one missing incident and one restraint since the last full inspection. Both incidents were expertly handled, the children interviewed, and learning points were embedded into the risk assessment and behavioural support plans, resulting in no further incidents. The risk assessment and action plan for the young person at risk of going missing was put into operation when he absconded, and worked so well

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people are helped and protected

Children with more complex needs were observed interacting with staff with ease, comfort and positive regard. One young person said, ‘I feel very safe here’ and feels he is well-treated. The young person also said that he likes his key worker and that they do a lot of activities. Another young person said that this was the best care home that she has lived in.

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people are helped and protected

The location risk assessment is thorough and fit for purpose. The home’s safeguarding policy now addresses the issues of female genital mutilation and radicalisation. However, it does not include information on e-safety and the risks to young people. Regular fire risk assessments, fire drills and health and safety checks of the premises are conducted and any shortfalls acted upon. Staff receive relevant training in health and safety, as well as in child protection.

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people are helped and protected

Staff at the home have worked effectively with placing authorities and parents to secure Deprivation of Liberty Orders for two children who were continually placing themselves at serious risk of harm. This involved staff undertaking appropriate assessments and presenting evidence to the courts.

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people are helped and protected

Highly effective practice results in sustained improvements to the lives of the children and young people. Advanced planning, sharing knowledge with professionals and families, strong advocacy and proactive interventions to reduce risk mean that the children and young people feel safe and are able to achieve positive outcomes.

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people are helped and protected

One parent whose child is placed at the home from Monday to Friday said that the home ‘feels like a family’ and her child looks forward to returning to the home after the weekend. Another parent commented that his child has ‘come a long way’ and that the child is ‘happy in the home’. Other parents and social workers have commented on how the children’s behaviour has improved by ‘leaps and bounds’ since living at the home.

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people are helped and protected

The selection and vetting of staff who work in the home are thorough and include checking any gaps in employment and the verification of references. Newly appointed staff undertake a detailed induction, including training in relevant safeguarding policies and procedures.

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leaders and managers

Outstanding The registered manager has been in post for five years and is due to complete her level 5 diploma in January 2017. The manager has extensive experience of working with children and young people who are looked after. Her knowledge of supporting children and young people with disabilities is impressive and translates into meeting their needs and promoting positive outcomes. The manager is influential with the children, staff and partner agencies. The manager’s energy and dedication to providing children with the best possible care are palpable and are passed on to her team of deputy managers and support workers. The manager’s aspiration for the children and young people is evidenced in the progress that they have made since being placed at the home. The registered manager is keenly aware of what exceptional progress for each child looks like and demonstrates a commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for each child. She is persistent in her

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leaders and managers

advocacy and is not averse to challenging placing authorities on behalf of children and young people when necessary.

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leaders and managers

Staff and deputy managers describe the registered manager as supportive and feel that they receive the right level of training, supervision and guidance to fulfil their responsibilities. Learning points from serious case reviews are discussed in team meetings, as are relevant current events in child protection, to explore any areas of risk within their service. There is genuine warmth and positive regard for each child and young person, and a hands-on leadership approach to model how to serve each child’s needs and promote their best interest. Staff are well aware of the children’s and young people’s vulnerabilities from their disability, but they also promote resilience, pushing the limits and striving to improve outcomes.

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leaders and managers

The workforce is stable, experienced and steadfast, which in turn benefits the residents and users of the short break service. Staff are recognised for their good work, and feedback is encouraged by the manager. The service is achieving its aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. Supervision is reflective and explores the development needs of staff. Managers ensure that all staff, including night staff, receive a detailed induction and regular supervision.

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leaders and managers

All staff have access to a wide variety of training, both via the internet and face to face. Training is refreshed on a regular basis and takes account of any new issues. The whistleblowing policy sets out clear processes for raising concerns. However, family members of the responsible individual currently work at the home, and the policy does not explain how whistleblowing concerns should be handled, to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

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leaders and managers

The independent visitor’s regular reports reflect the progress made on the actions from the previous visits as well as the openness of communication between the visitor, staff and managers.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager proactively ensures that all regulatory requirements are met. She promotes taking collective responsibility to provide excellent care to children and young people in the home. The registered manager serves as a strong advocate for children and young people. The quality of the behavioural support plans and the home’s extensive advocacy for its children are exemplary.

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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 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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