Children's home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Ealing

Inspection report children's home: SC059998 1 SC059998 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 2 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make good progress in a number of areas. For example, their behaviour, self-esteem and confidence have improved.  There has been some unsafe behaviour by young people in previous months, but those now in placement are progressing well with their safety issues. They Inspection report children's home: SC059998 2 are not engaging in as much criminal activity, and are missing significantly less than they were before.  Staff are very clear on how to protect young people and how to use the home’s own, and local, safeguarding procedures effectively.  Young people are developing some extremely good relationships with staff.  Young people with very complex emotional problems are getting the help they need.  Young people are well supported when coming to terms with their developing gender identity. Staff support them well to build their self-esteem and confidence.  Young people get to know that they are cared about when they leave. There

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Key findings from this inspection

are letters, memory books and photographs of the good times, so that young people can remember the positives.  Independence planning is very good, and young people who have until recently been hard to engage with are learning well about resilience and independence.  The home is developing all the time and continues to make progress.  The manager makes it his business to know the young people well, and to model good practice to his developing staff team.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are some shortfalls which are likely to impact on young people in the future if not put right. The young people’s upstairs bathroom is dirty and presents as a health hazard. In addition, there are areas of the home that look tired. This does not allow young people to feel proud of their home and does not teach them about good hygiene standards for their future independence.  Young people do not routinely receive return home interviews when returning to the home after being missing.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 15/12/2015 Full Requires improvement 04/11/2015 Full Inadequate Inspection report children's home: SC059998 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1) and (2) (d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, clean the young people’s shared bathroom, which is a health hazard. 19/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return interview. The home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Ensure that for the home to be a nurturing and supportive environment, it is a homely and domestic environment. In particular the decoration of the house outside the lounge window and where the décor looks tired, should receive some attention. Also ensure that young people can have their room decorated to their liking. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children's home: SC059998 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were a number of significant events in the home in February and March of this year, and particularly a spike in violent behaviour, criminal activity and young people going missing. However, this has since settled down. This home sets out to look after vulnerable young people who are often in crisis when they arrive. The nature of the young people means that they have peaks and troughs with their behaviour. The manager ensures that staff do everything they can to help and support young people. It is not through lack of help by staff that two young people have had to move on. The admissions procedure ensures that young people are safe, and can make progress from the time they move in. Management have made strong decisions about young people’s safety. They have acknowledged when it is time for a change in placement to protect young people and to ensure their further progress. The home’s statement of purpose

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

sets out clearly how young people will be cared for, giving parents and stakeholders appropriate information about what to expect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who currently live at the home have done so for almost a year and have made good progress overall. While there was some effect on young people during February and March when the home was more unsettled, this does not appear to have disrupted young people’s progress. A young person’s social workers said that they would place again and have been happy with the placement. Another social worker said: ‘I have never known a placement manage him as well as they have. There have been a lot of incidents but they have brought him back around.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s progress in attending and attaining in education is variable. Not all young people are in education, and one young person in particular has presented with particular challenges in maintaining an educational placement. However, the young person is supported and encouraged well with their chosen vocation and is currently awaiting a job interview. Staff are supportive and encouraging, and give young people strong direction. They understand well what young people are going through, and how their difficulties impact on their self-confidence, motivation and overall well-being. One social worker reported that they feel that everything that can be done is being done. One young person’s educational placement is working particularly well for them. The inspector observed praise and encouragement from staff to the young person, who was clearly proud of their achievements, which help to build their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s preparation for adulthood is going very well. One young person has engaged very positively in working through step-by-step booklets to develop their skills and knowledge about how to look after themselves when they move out. Staff are aware that as young people approach 18, this can be a difficult and uncertain time for them, and staff support young people well to develop resilience and a positive attitude for the future. Young people’s ideas and interests are nurtured by staff. For example, one young person has recently developed branding for a clothing range, based on a strapline, and this initiative has become important to him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When young people move out, there are always efforts made to say a proper goodbye, whatever the situation. As a result, young people are likely to feel cared about and Inspection report children's home: SC059998 5 valued, whatever the reason for their move. When a young person recently had to move to a secure setting, the manager ensured that a letter was sent to them. This letter included personal messages from staff, encouraging words for the future and an invitation to stay in touch in the future. When a young person moved to another home, staff went with him and worked at the new home to ease his transition. This young person still rings the home for support and to keep in touch with staff, who have become important to him. The good times are captured well through photographs and memorabilia. Life story books have recently been produced, and young people are supported well to record their achievements and positive memories. One young person

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

was observed to be enjoying spending time looking at their book with staff, and this clearly meant a lot to him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to develop and maintain positive relationships with people that are important to them. Social workers are particularly happy with this work and comment very positively, saying: ‘They go the extra mile’. This means that young people are likely to have people to rely on for support when they leave care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One-to-one work is instrumental to young people’s progress because they can share their problems with staff who care about them. Young people with very complex emotions feel able to accept help from staff and from other professionals such as psychologists. Young people’s identities and self-esteem develop well. They know that they can be themselves and develop a sense of identity during their time at the home. Young people are particularly well supported with their developing gender identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home sustained some damage in previous months and some work has taken place to ensure that the fabric of the building is improved. However, some areas of the home are tired. There is chipped and dirty paintwork on door frames and in some room corners, and there is a stained carpet on the landing. The exterior of the home at the back of the property looks scruffy. One young person feels frustrated because they have been asking to have their room decorated for several months now and this has not taken place. In the young people’s shared bathroom, heavy dirt has accumulated in the shower tray and on the shower screen. This could impact negatively on young people, as they are working towards getting ready to look after themselves when they leave care and this does not teach them about good hygiene. In addition, these areas have the potential to breed bacteria and cause a risk to health if not put right.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people are safe and feel safe. While there have been a high number of incidents in the home, young people who remain in placement continue to develop their sense of safety. For these young people, this is extremely significant. They are engaging in less criminal activity, have fewer behavioural incidents and are going missing less. There have been episodes of missing since the last inspection, which particularly spiked in February and March of this year. However, good decisions were made about the need for young people to move on in order to keep them safe. Staff acknowledge that for some young people there will be patterns and trends in risky behaviours. They know that Inspection report children's home: SC059998 6 this is because of young people’s past trauma and current difficulties with issues such as rejection from their family and fears about the future. There is evidence that staff intervention is working because young people are settling down and risky behaviour has

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

significantly declined. One young person reflected on their behaviour, saying: ‘I feel calmer with my behaviour and I am managing my emotions better.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When young people go missing, staff care about them enough to do everything they can to look for them. They work well with other professionals so that young people return safely as soon as possible. The police commented positively about staff’s actions saying: ‘Staff are very good at care planning after periods of missing.’ It is evident that there is some very good joint working with the police, which is instrumental to young people’s progress. The police have been welcomed into the home to provide some training for staff on grooming and preventative work. In addition, the manager attends the local missing persons monitoring group. This enables him to work with the police more effectively and to be aware of current and up-to-date community risks. The locality risk assessment for the home reflects this up-to-date information. It clearly sets out risks in the community and how these can be minimised for young people. Young people’s

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

individual risk assessments are also clear and well understood by staff, who take the right action to protect young people during periods of risk.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When young people return from periods of missing, staff always have a one-to-one session with them and try to find out where they have been and if they are safe. Where some local authorities do not arrange independent return interviews, as they should, these lapses are not always chased up by the home’s manager. Opportunities could be missed to learn lessons and to further protect young people.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the home’s policies regarding what they must do if they have any safeguarding concerns. They also know who they should contact in the local area to ensure that they follow good safeguarding practice. The correct professionals get to know the most up-to-date information swiftly. Professionals such as social workers report that communication with them is good. This means that important decisions about young people’s safety can be made by appropriate professionals.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people engage in some very positive one-to-one work with staff. They listen to advice, accept help and are supported very well to make safer choices, which positively impacts on their safety. Staff give young people some strategies to manage their behaviour in these sessions. Despite the high levels of challenging behaviour in the home, there has only been one restraint since the last inspection. This was recorded well, and was necessary at the time to protect a young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and is currently working towards the Diploma in Leadership and Management, showing commitment to his own personal development. Professionals all speak highly of the home and its management, and it is a credit to the Inspection report children's home: SC059998 7 manager that he has turned this recently poorly performing home around. Young people and staff also speak highly of the manager, and their comments include: ‘He is alright, he is there for me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is developing the home all the time, and it is moving in the right direction. He knows that there is still some work to be done to secure improvements. Development planning is currently basic, but it is positive that the emphasis is moving from putting things right to further developing the home. There have been some changes which have positively impacted on young people, such as a new independence programme and good planning to ensure that all young people have a positive ending to their placement, whatever the circumstances of their leaving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good relationships have been forged between staff and young people. Young people feel cared about and are aware that there is always someone there for them to talk to about their problems and worries. More recently, some particularly good relationships have developed, which have been instrumental and beneficial in young people’s progress. One young person talked about one staff member and said: ‘She is great for the company. She knows how to plan and understands and will do well.’ Young people are engaging with staff very well and are accepting their help and support because of these positive relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has changed since the last inspection and is continuing to gel. The manager is continuing to monitor staff performance, as some still need a lot of support and direction. Induction, training and supervision all assist staff in their learning and development, and in meeting young people’s complex needs. Where there are more challenging issues for young people, the manager makes sure that he oversees the work to model good practice, always keeping young people at the centre of what he does. He has one-to-one sessions with young people himself. He supports them, and ensures that he has his own understanding of their issues, so that he can lead the developing staff team in the home’s work to support young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation is keeping a close eye on progress to ensure that there continues to be good momentum. It organises an independent visitor to visit the home monthly. These visits are robust and influence change. For example, several recommendations made in March have all been met, demonstrating that there is energy for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recommendation from the previous inspection about understanding young people’s educational history has been met. There is appropriate paperwork in young people’s files about their past and current education. The manager plans to build on this progress to further develop work in this area. For example, he plans to challenge local authorities and education providers to maximise young people’s progress, particularly through educational planning and monitoring schools’ performance in meeting young people’s targets.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous recommendation about the quality of paperwork has been met. There has been some progress on the previous recommendation about cleanliness in the home, but this is not fully met because the young people’s shared bathroom was found to be dirty Inspection report children's home: SC059998 8 during the inspection. This has now been escalated to a requirement.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children's home: SC059998 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Flat 17, Leeland Mansions, Leeland Road, London W13 9HE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspector(s)

Caroline Brailsford, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children's home: SC059998 10 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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