Children's home run by London Borough of Barnet

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and responsible person are making consistent progress in successfully meeting requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. The manager has excellent relationships with local health services, education and police, which she uses effectively to enhance the care of children. Staff assist children in making good progress and in planning for their next moves. Many children have contact with the staff after moving successfully, maintaining important attachments that they have made.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager works closely and effectively with the virtual school to ensure that children can achieve their educational potential. The virtual school has revised the framework for personal education plans to improve their effectiveness for children and staff. They have aided staff’s understanding of these plans through direct training and discussion, and consideration of how to achieve the best outcomes for children in school. In addition, the manager has negotiated the attendance of link workers from the virtual school at all education planning meetings to act as advocates for the children. The manager has agreed additional resources from the virtual school to aid private study and provide suitable books and resources for the unaccompanied asylum seekers who are accommodated in the home. The close working relationship is aiding children in maintaining or developing appropriate educational programmes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The responsible person and registered manager have managed new admissions appropriately, ensuring that they provide a service in line with that described in the statement of purpose. This ensures that there is good matching of children referred, with consideration of the needs of children in residence as well as those of the referred child. This effective working partnership has provided stability in the home while continuing to provide an emergency placement service to the local authority. Since the last inspection, the local authority has appointed a new responsible person. However, they have not yet formally notified HMCI.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has improved the safety of staff and children by undertaking improvements to fire doors. Staff continue to maintain all firefighting and fire detection equipment and fittings. However, the manager has not yet updated the health and safety policy to include the frequency of these tests, as detailed in risk assessments.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has a thorough and detailed knowledge of all children, care plans and the operation of the home. She uses the effective and appropriately detailed independent visitor reports to help her to make improvements to the home. The manager produces detailed reports on the conduct of the home, which she supplies to HMCI. She has helpfully mapped these reports to the quality standards. The reports contain detailed information on the functioning of the home and progress with targets over this period, as well as a plan for the following six months. The manager ensures staff’s engagement with this plan through team meetings, training, supervision and her good use of delegation, ensuring a smooth-running home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff endeavour to meet the care needs of a highly diverse group of children. The manager has arranged translators and learning aids to assist children with English as a second language in communicating effectively with staff. Staff work closely with the local child and adolescent mental health team and looked after children nurse to ensure that they meet children’s healthcare needs. In addition, all permanent care staff have commenced suitable first aid training, ensuring that all shifts have a suitably qualified first aider on duty. The manager has designed an improved care planning process. However, she has not yet trained staff in its use or put the revised system in place.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff continue to maintain good order in the home and encourage children to behave appropriately, aided by their use of rewards and sanctions. The manager has worked with staff to review sanctions, resulting in more effective interventions with children. The manager discusses the effectiveness of sanctions with the full staff team and analyses it in her review of the quality of care in the home. This coordinated response has resulted in staff using more targeted and effective sanctions, and a reduction in serious incidents in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has developed a good working relationship with the police missing persons unit. They work closely with other local services to improve the safety of the children and reduce instances of children missing from care. This approach has been effective with all but one of the children. Staff continue to adjust their approach with this individual to reduce the risks around his missing behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The previous responsible person agreed the recruitment of a deputy for the home to provide additional management support and commence effective succession planning. However, the local authority has not yet advertised this post and senior care staff have not been provided with training in supervision, reducing the effectiveness of the senior management team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has continued to improve the service and has recently appointed a new chef and several bank workers. The manager enhanced the recruitment process by the inclusion of a children’s panel. The children’s panel is an essential part of the recruitment process. Candidates appointed have to be approved by the children’s panel as well as meeting all other recruitment components, improving the safety of appointments and children’s engagement in the running of the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home can provide care and accommodation for up to six young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/09/2016 Full Good 07/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

29/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure effective care planning with the placing authority by maintaining a more detailed internal care plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2)  Ensure that the registered manager employed in the home has sufficient capacity to ensure that she can meet the quality standards for each child in the home. In particular, complete the recruitment of a deputy manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.7)  Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, ensure that staff providing supervision can access appropriate

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Recommendations

training.  Notify Ofsted of the identity of the responsible individual. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 12.5)  Ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that the health and safety policy contains the information on the frequency of testing of portable electric appliances, smoke detectors and emergency lighting that is contained in individual risk assessments.

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 0300 123 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, work- based 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

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

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