Children's home in Hammersmith and Fulham

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The acting manager has addressed the three requirements and two recommendations made at the previous inspection. As a result, the following improvements have been made:

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

 Staff ensure that the consequences of negative behaviour are relevant and proportionate. This enables the children to understand the consequence and why it is appropriate.  The acting manager audits the children’s case records and highlights any gaps or missing information. The key-workers pursue the relevant professional until they receive the information. This contributes to providing a full picture of each child’s care.  The staff record and act upon the children’s views and requests. A recent request was for a punch bag. The staff purchased the punch bag and it is available for the children to use. Children can see that their views are listened to and acted on.  The manager records any complaints and the subsequent responses and actions. This provides a clear audit trail to show how concerns are resolved.  Staff supervision is taking place in accordance with the home’s policy. This provides staff with the support that they should be able to expect.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is just emerging from an unsettled period that has included the registered manager commencing maternity leave, some staff leaving and new staff settling into post. In addition, children have been admitted in quick succession and some children have left the home. During this period, a number of significant events resulted in a high number of formal notifications to Ofsted. The information supplied contained the relevant details and any necessary updates. The acting manager has monitored and managed the changes at the home effectively to minimise any negative impact on the children and the staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children rarely go missing from the home. One child, who has since left the home, refused to return and stayed with a relative until her new placement was ready. Children have returned home late on occasions. This has necessitated reporting them to the police as missing because of the children’s vulnerability. Some of the records have minor errors in the dates recorded. Although there is no impact on the children, the records should be an accurate reflection of the going/return times.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Following an increase in the use of physical intervention, the frequency of these interventions is now on a steep decline. The staff use de-escalation techniques successfully, based on their knowledge of the children, to reduce the number of significant incidents. An example of this is the use of a traffic light/red card system with one of the children. This enables the child to indicate when her mood is changing and for the staff then to adopt the agreed approaches.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been one complaint. A neighbour complained about the children’s behaviour while the children were out in the community. The acting manager addressed the complaint effectively and she reports that the home’s relationship with members of the community has vastly improved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two of the three children’s attendance in education dipped for a short while but they are now both back to achieving high levels of attendance. This positive change coincides with another child moving out of the home. Children said that the home feels more settled now. The most recently admitted child is actively completing homework supplied by her school while awaiting a more local school placement. The staff support her to complete the work and are actively maintaining a ‘school day’ routine that will enable her to transition smoothly to a new school.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children have key-work sessions, which can be impromptu or planned, and these cover general issues and targeted subjects such as late returns, incidents and substance abuse. The older children describe the youngest child as trying to be like them. They are both keen to discourage this and they talk to her about the importance of having and enjoying childhood experiences, such as visiting Legoland. They have offered to attend these outings with her if this means that she will agree to attend. The older children demonstrate a good level of maturity and an eagerness to look after the younger child as they would care for a younger sibling.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The acting manager is nurturing and calm in her approach to caring for the children. She has a good understanding of the team and the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Professionals are positive about the way that the acting manager and her team work in partnership with them and they say that the children are more settled.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children are positive about the home and the changes that that they can see in themselves since they moved in. One child was busily getting ready for college and said: ‘I’ve grown up since I came here. The staff are lovely. They are all great. I love this house. It is a fantastic home.’ Another child said: ‘I felt that this was the right place for me straight away and I hope to stay here as long as possible. I have moved a lot and this is the first placement where I have let my guard down.’

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation owns and manages this children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for four young people, aged between 12 and 18 years, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/10/2016 Full Good 20/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/07/2015 Full Good 14/01/2015 Interim Not judged

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Recommendation

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that records are kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home. (Regulation 36 (schedule 3 (14)) (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.31) This is with specific reference to the accuracy of dates and times.

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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 that 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. Whenever 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 whom 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 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,

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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