Children's Home run by London Borough of Barnet in Barnet

Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 1 SC033805 Registered provider: London Borough of Barnet

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A local authority provides this service.

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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 outstanding

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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: 8 December 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff and managers support the young people to make good progress in their lives, taking into account their challenging starting points.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people build secure and stable relationships with adults in the home who Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 2 know them very well and who are finely attuned to meeting their needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people benefit from staff who maintain clear and timely communication on their behalf. Staff keep in regular contact with social workers and other professionals as well as with the family members of young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The risks that young people pose to themselves or others are well assessed. This, coupled with staff understanding and consistently following appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures, ensures the safety of young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager promotes research-based practice and demonstrates inspirational leadership.

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Key findings from this inspection

 A stable and familiar staff team contributes to the overall consistency of the operation of the home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/06/2016 Full Outstanding 22/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 3

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and when they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 Local authorities have a duty under section 22 (3A) of the Children Act 1989 to promote the educational achievement of their children looked after, which includes, as set out in guidance, seeking a school or other education setting that is best suited to the child’s needs. When commissioning a placement in a children’s home the placing authority must establish how the home will support the child’s educational needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraphs 5.5, 5.7)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being to enhance, and supplement, that provided by their school through personal, social and health education. In particular, staff should help young people understand and change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being, such as the use of legal highs and drugs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18) Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people in the home receive good care from the staff and managers who develop positive relationships with them. Young people’s strengths and needs are well understood by the staff and managers who are committed to supporting them to achieve positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend and contribute to residents’ meeting in which they voice their thoughts on matters that directly concern them. Young people feel heard and valued in the home. One young person said that the staff are good, and, ‘If you don’t like something staff will make sure things will change.’ Young people identify adults in the home they can talk to and feel supported by. One young person said he feels ‘safe’ in the home and there was nothing he wished was different.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have individualised care plans that assess their resilience and needs as well as describing desired outcomes. The home is in the process of further developing their resilience care plans and recordings. Managers intend them to be clearer about the level of impact they have on supporting the young people achieve positive outcomes. Key work sessions cover issues important to the young people, which are also reflected in the care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One social worker said that a young person’s relationship with his parent has improved since being placed in the home. They also note that his medication has been reduced resulting in an improvement in his overall well-being. The social worker continued that the young person is in ‘safe hands’. Another social worker shared that the staff are caring and friendly and are ‘excellent in communicating’ with the professionals on behalf of the young people who receive good care at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A majority of the young people attend school or college. The home supports young people in education and has close links with educational professionals. An educational professional states that one young person has made a ‘staggering improvement’ in his social and emotional status. They also note that the home works in ‘good’ partnership with the school. Most of the young people’s school attendance is between 80% and 95%. A deputy headteacher states that one young person has ‘re-engaged with her education despite many personal difficulties’ and is likely to achieve her target grades. An educational professional has indicated that the home has supported the school ‘in every possible way to motivate and engage’ young people in their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff ensure that the learning needs of young people are appropriately supported. Young people who learn at a slower pace receive assessments by an educational psychologist. The findings of these are used well to inform future education plans. Diligent efforts have been made by the home, working alongside the educational authority, to support the young people who are not accessing education. A few young people do not currently access the educational opportunities presented to them. Managers accept that there is room for further attempts to be made, with other Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 5 alternative provisions being considered, to engage the young people in education. They also acknowledge a need for the placing authority to provide clarity on how the home will support the young person’s educational needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Complaints are adequately handled in line with the appropriate procedures. Incidents are properly investigated with a clear outcome and reflect a child-centred approach to resolving complaints.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer young people good support and encouragement to develop their independent living skills. Young people are taught important life skills including cooking and budgeting. The positive relationship between staff and young people continues after the young people leave the home. Young people come back to visit the staff and managers as well as to share their care-leaving experience with the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One parent states that the care provided by the home is ‘fantastic’ and that her child has ‘calmed down a lot’ since living there.

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

Managers and staff work hard to ensure that young people are kept safe and reduce their risk-tasking behaviours. Staff develop and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies, such as the police. This has a positive impact on the young people through appropriate information-sharing and joint working. When young people go missing from the home, staff consistently follow agreed procedures. Return home interviews take place, and any emerging factors that may increase the young person’s vulnerability are assessed and discussed by the whole staff team. A police officer from the missing persons unit states that staff are more ‘proactive’ than those from other children’s homes in tackling missing episodes. A youth offending team’s operational manager stated that the home provides good support to the young people and works in partnership with the agency. The young person has been compliant with the terms of

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

the court order and missing incidents have reduced.

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

Staff and managers ensure that young people’s risk and health assessments are updated. This includes risks associated with self-harming, misusing drugs or alcohol, going missing and child sexual exploitation as well as physical health. Assessments are clear and informative, with appropriate levels of intervention to respond to the risk factors. Evidence of reduction for risks for some of the young people is apparent in the area of gong missing and self-harming. The home has also been proactive in protecting young people from harm by ensuring that abduction orders are served on known adult males posing risk to the young person. An independent reviewing officer stated that the staff strive to keep young people safe and are ‘vigilant’ regarding the young person’s contacts and movements.

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

On occasion and despite the best efforts of staff, some young people do not respond as positively to the support on offer. A manager from the youth offending service shared Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 6 that her young person is currently in breach of their court order, using cannabis and remains resistant to education.

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

Staff make appropriate efforts to raise young people’s awareness of cannabis use and its potentially negative impact on their health and emotional well-being. Staff have also carried out appropriate room searches and sought intervention from the local police. Managers accept that there is scope for closer multi-agency working to support young people to reduce their cannabis use further. As a result, managers from the home have liaised with the agencies they work in partnership with, such as the youth offending service, and now have improved strategies agreed and in place.

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

Managers and staff ensure that the potential and known risks and vulnerabilities of young people are properly considered before they move in. However, contingency planning around emergency placements needs further review. For example, when the level of risk exhibited by young people to others in the home increases, there are delays in finding suitable alternative provision. This is despite repeated requests from managers for a placement review after acknowledging that the home was not able to meet the increasingly problematic needs of the young person in question.

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

Staff are suitably trained in the use of physical intervention and only use restraint when absolutely necessary. Restraint recording is good and includes a debriefing with the young people concerned. Managers review these records to ensure that practice remains appropriate.

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

Young people’s diversity is appreciated and respected. Staff are aware of the importance of recognising young people’s difference through accommodating and celebrating their cultural background.

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

The home promotes positive behaviour through rewards. The home strives to effect change through building relationships which would sustain the improvement made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager’s energy and commitment to providing young people with high- quality care is palpable. The manager’s aspiration for young people is evidenced in the significant progress that they have made in the key areas of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager’s self-evaluation of the home’s strengths and areas for further improvement is thoughtful and informs the overall development plan for the service. The registered manager makes accurate assessments of the young people’s needs and ensures that the care plans reflect the support required. She ensures that the home is achieving its aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose, which outlines the ethos of the home. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. Supervision sessions include opportunities to reflect on the question ‘what you have personally contributed’ to the young person’s progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 7 The registered manager is keenly aware of the service’s and staff’s developmental needs. She is adept at promoting opportunities for growth, which are outlined in the organisational developmental plan. Staff have access to a range of training, which is

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

refreshed on a regular basis, taking into account new issues. Staff members are encouraged to incorporate aspects of the resilience training they have received to better support young people. This includes helping young people to develop their self-efficacy, which has led to improved outcomes in their educational achievement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is purposeful and innovative in her approach to supporting young people. For instance, she obtained funds from the virtual school for motivational work with young people through an external agency. A number of the young people have participated in this programme, and as a result are focused on taking responsibility for their actions and preparing for life beyond care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

An independent visitor makes monthly visits to the home. However, the subsequent reports do not contain an assessment of the home’s safeguarding arrangements and how the young people’s well-being is being promoted. The registered manager recognises the importance of the independent visitor’s assessments, which are used to inform the overall quality review of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A well-established complement of support staff, assistant managers and deputy manager provides consistency and stability of care for young people. Care records reflect the work that is undertaken with the young people, although there is room for improvement in being clearer about the impact and outcomes for them. The registered manager has already identified this learning point, which she has actioned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are finely attuned to each young person’s vulnerabilities. Team meetings are child- focused, and learning points from incidents are discussed to better support and protect the young people. Staff members feel proud to be a part of the team that is dedicated to effecting change for the better in the young people’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A staff member who has worked in residential care for over 16 years stated that one of the best things about working in the home was the registered manager and her leadership style. The staff member said, ‘It’s like a family here.’

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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 difference 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 8 children and young people who 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: SC033805 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The London Borough of Barnet, Family Services, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London N11 1NP

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Inspector

Linda Kim-Newby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033805 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

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