Children's home in Westminster

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

Since the last inspection, good care of young people has been sustained in this children’s home. However, there has been some disruption to young people’s progress as a result of the impact of a number of short-term admissions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All of the young people are in education and are attending health appointments. The staff group has remained stable since the last inspection, and young people are building trusting and positive relationships with experienced staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is good liaison between managers, staff and education and health providers. Some young people require additional support to address attendance issues, and some have specialist provision to meet their needs. Staff support good attendance and progress, using incentives and celebrating achievements. Young people are receiving support from universal health services and are also referred for and supported to engage with additional services. The manager has robustly advocated, in planning meetings, for young people to be assessed by the child and adolescent mental health services, where appropriate. This support has ensured that young people are continuing to engage in services to meet their needs, whereas in the past they have refused or have been unable to respond.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff ensure that young people contribute to decisions about their care and their plans. There are regular individual sessions with key workers. Young people contribute to weekly meetings and agree the agenda. They contribute to decisions about menus, activities and the decor of the home. The staff provide feedback to young people about their requests. Young people have the opportunity to speak to the independent visitor, children’s rights service and an advocacy service. One young person is a leader in the children’s rights service and another also attends the meetings. Young people are enabled to raise complaints. There have been two complaints by one young person and both have been resolved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person said: ‘I feel confident to speak to staff and the managers about anything. I know that they will give me time and listen to me.’ Staff work closely with social workers, and they share weekly reports about young people’s progress. Staff are proactive about supporting contact with family and friends. For some young people they have contributed to the assessment of arrangements, which has resulted in increased contact or differently managed contact.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The behaviour of some young people who were new to the home has had an impact on the safeguarding of other young people. One young person was vulnerable to exploitation and frequently left the home without permission. This impacted on another vulnerable young person, who increased the number of times they had unauthorised absences from the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person did not want to comply with home rules, caused some damage to the home and was involved in a small number of physical interventions. Other young people were very unhappy about this behaviour. One young person, who has lived in the home for some time, reported that the experience of four young people coming to live in the home for short periods over a four-month period was ‘a lot of change’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff and managers have received a range of safeguarding training and follow the appropriate policies and procedures when responding to concerns. There have been a relatively small number of physical interventions. Staff follow individual behaviour and risk management plans and use de-escalation and distraction techniques to support young people to manage their behaviours.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff proactively search for and try all known contacts if a young person is absent without authorisation or assessed to be missing from the home. The police reported that staff are very helpful and professional in these circumstances. There has been an increased incidence of unauthorised absences linked to events happening in one young person’s life and to the risks associated with one young person who came to live in the home. However, absences are currently reducing.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been a small number of allegations by young people against staff. These allegations were referred to the local authority designated officer. Social workers are kept informed. All have been resolved and all were unsubstantiated. However, some practice recommendations were made. The manager has ensured that any recommendations have been addressed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There was a complaint by a professional visiting the home, and this was robustly investigated. Recommendations were made to address staff performance issues, and these have been implemented. The records demonstrate open and transparent practice and good leadership skills by the home’s manager. The member of staff concerned has been receptive to an improvement programme.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Admissions to the home have been planned, and some have been short-term placements. Information about the young people has been shared with the managers, and a pre-admission risk assessment was undertaken in each case to consider the impact that young people moving in would have on the group. Transitions of young people leaving the home have also been planned, apart from on two occasions. In both cases, the young people moved on in order to meet assessed additional needs and to keep them safe.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has reflected on admissions and discharges since the last inspection and has met with senior managers to learn lessons from these experiences. Managers are reviewing the pre-admission risk assessment tool and the referral processes to improve decision making. The manager is also liaising closely with the main placing local authority, in order to improve information shared in referrals, to inform good-quality pre-admission risk assessments. This inspection has found that there has been an impact on young people’s progress as a result of this period of change and young people being subject to a range of negative behaviours and influences. A requirement is made to ensure that the managers address the concerns about the impact of admissions on the young people’s progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been slow progress in the development of effective monitoring and quality assurance, as staff and managers have focused on meeting young people’s needs and keeping them safe. The manager has been more robust in addressing education arrangements and education plans. However, not all young people’s records had up-to-date information and care plans. There has been a quality assurance audit by a senior manager, and an action plan is in place to ensure that there are consistent, good-quality records and management information driving positive outcomes for young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At this time, young people are experiencing a stable period and are continuing to build positive relationships with staff and with peers.

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children’s home is registered for up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 01/06/2016 Full Good 13/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/07/2015 Full Good 05/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person is required to:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. This is with particular reference to improving pre-admission risk assessment and processes. 31/05/2017

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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. 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 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

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

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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