Children's home run by London Borough of Ealing in Ealing

Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 1 SC032253 Registered provider: London Borough of Ealing

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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 local authority home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Staff receive support and young people receive therapeutic intervention from the looked after children psychologist.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 September 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people with significant needs are admitted to the home without proper assessment of their risks and the impact these have on the young people who are already placed.  Some young people do not make good progress with their behaviour and emotional well-being.  A number of incidents have occurred involving young people assaulting staff and/or going missing from the home, as well as other events that required police intervention.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people receive good support in regard to managing their health needs.  Young people are taught independent living skills to prepare them for semi- independent accommodation.  Young people receive good outreach support that helps them to maintain positive relationships with trusted adults.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/11/2016 Full Good 11/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 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

12. The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

14. The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure—

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Requirement Due date

(a) that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children.

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Requirement Due date

11. The positive relationship standard In order to meet the positive relationship standard, the registered person must ensure that staff— 19/01/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 4 (iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone (xi) de-escalate potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11(2)(iv)(xi)) 13. The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person should—

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Requirement Due date

(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experience of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Recommendations

 Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  Ensure that the behaviour management strategy is kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s safeguarding policy includes arrangements set out to protect children from gangs and female genital mutilation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)  Ensure that notifications of serious events are sent to the regulator. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure the necessary support is given to children to enable them to access their education. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Ensure that the children’s guide includes information on how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 5

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improvement to be good

Some young people admitted without proper impact assessments have not made good progress and have experienced placement disruptions. Ineffective behaviour management strategies have resulted in some young people experiencing poor progress during their stays. Of the young people admitted since the last full inspection, one young person’s missing episodes increased during his 10-week stay and he engaged in antisocial behaviour with another accommodated young person which required police intervention. Another young person was discharged after three months due to persistent physical aggression towards staff. A young person who was in placement for 11 days was hospitalised due to self-harming behaviour. Another young person was discharged after two months; during his stay, he would go missing and misused alcohol and cannabis. A young person was moved out of the area after two weeks due to risks from gang affiliation.

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improvement to be good

The two young people currently placed at the home were admitted within the last two months. One of the young people, who is at high risk of child sexual exploitation, has had eight missing episodes since admission and then went missing for a further 12 consecutive days. The other young person’s missing episodes have increased, as has their criminal behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Individualised care plans include the young people’s needs and the support provided, but lack specific, timely targets and clear desired outcomes. Consequently, the impact of the care plans on the young people is limited.

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improvement to be good

Young people are not developing skills and strategies for managing their own conflicts and difficult feelings. While the young people are supported to develop positive relationships with the staff and managers, the impact of those relationships has been limited for some of the young people. A robust analysis of key-working sessions is lacking. This makes it difficult to assess the actual impact of the sessions on the young people.

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improvement to be good

Young people know how to complain. Complaints are handled appropriately by staff and managers. The children’s guide is easy to understand, and is child focused. However, the children’s guide does not mention the Office of the Children’s Commissioner as a resource for the young people.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s progress in education is mixed. One young person, who had been out of school for almost a year, has just received a school placement. However, his education, health and care plan (EHC plan) is yet to be completed. Another young person has just started college. With staff support, some young people have engaged well in education. For example, one young person completed her maths and English GCSEs under challenging circumstances. Another young person completed a level 2 qualification at a vocational college. For young people waiting for a school placement or an alternative provision, daily learning planners, consisting of educational and life skills activities, are in Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 6 place at the home. However, the recordings of activities undertaken and progress made by the young people contain significant gaps. This does not evidence the level of support

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improvement to be good

The virtual school head has a good knowledge of the young people in the home and stated that the home has had young people with erratic attendance history and complex needs, and that frequent moves impede educational progress. However, the staff and managers ‘work to a culture of education’ and work in partnership to promote the young people’s learning and invest in relationships.

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improvement to be good

Young people are supported by staff to experience positive contact with their family members. Young people’s cultural backgrounds are respected and they learn about other cultures. This helps young people feel valued.

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improvement to be good

Young peoples’ meetings are convened regularly, and serve as opportunities for the young people to discuss the things that matter to them. For example, their views on preferred activities are taken into consideration when outings are being planned. Consequently, young people feel heard.

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improvement to be good

Young people receive good support with regard to their health needs. This includes support with sexual health and antenatal care, among others. Staff ensure that young people access the services they need in order to manage their conditions. A young person received good pre-birth support from the staff and managers, and subsequently transitioned to a mother-and-baby foster placement that was suitable for her needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff teach young people independent living skills to assist them in performing basic tasks such as cleaning, shopping and making meals. Since the last inspection, young people have successfully moved to semi-independent living accommodation with the help of staff and managers in planned moves.

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improvement to be good

A strength of the home is the quality of the outreach support that staff and managers provide for young people who leave the home. Consequently, the young people remain connected to trusted adults who encourage them to pursue further education and gainful employment as well as maintain a positive outlook on life.

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improvement to be good

A young person stated that he received good support to transition to semi-independent living accommodation, and that he comes back to the home to visit staff and managers.

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improvement to be good

Young people do not receive good enough help and protection. However, there is no widespread failure in safeguarding young people.

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improvement to be good

Risk factors are identified, but not robustly assessed, which results in ineffective safeguarding of the young people, particularly when they transition from a restrictive Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 7 environment. A lack of rigorous analysis of the young people’s static and dynamic risk factors results in plans that do not meet their complex needs. Emerging risks are mentioned in young people’s updated assessments. However, an assessment of how they might affect other young people’s vulnerabilities and impact on potential admissions is lacking.

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improvement to be good

Behavioural management plans set out strategies for managing difficult behaviour. However, it is not clear what substantive impact these actions have had on helping young people make progress in the identified areas of risk. Some of the standard strategies have been ineffective in managing more challenging behaviour. For example, a young person had five incidents of assaults against staff within a two-week period. The young person’s placement was eventually terminated due to his persistent physical aggression, despite the efforts that were made in line with his behavioural plan. Moreover, there is limited evidence of young people having input into the completion of their own behavioural management plans.

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improvement to be good

Although staff follow the home’s procedures when young people go missing from the home, there has been a lack of effective action being taken to mitigate the persistent pattern of high-risk behaviour. Strategy meetings are convened and staff make efforts to locate the young person. Independent return home interviews are offered, but are not always taken up by the young person. When return home interviews do take place, the information obtained is limited and does not include an analysis of the learning from the pattern of missing episodes.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not used physical restraint on young people. The use of sanctions is appropriate. The systems in place for recording incidents and sanctions are appropriate. Staff seek the young people’s views on sanctions. However, the effectiveness of sanctions is limited, in particular with regard to those young people with more challenging behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The home normally notifies Ofsted of serious incidents that have taken place without delay. However, the home did not notify Ofsted of a specific serious incident, and was unable to justify the delay. Also, there was no clear evidence of further actions being taken to mitigate the risks that came to light as the result of the incident. This results in ineffective risk management.

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improvement to be good

The home’s location risk assessment is comprehensive. The home’s safeguarding policy is also comprehensive and includes protecting young people from harm, neglect, abuse, sexual exploitation, self-harm, radicalisation and substance misuse, and promoting e- safety. However, the policy lacks information and does not describe the arrangements set out to protect young people from gangs and female genital mutilation.

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improvement to be good

Staff working in the home are clear about child protection procedures and they actively share information about the young people with relevant agencies. The lead professional with the child sexual exploitation and missing persons’ team stated that the staff ‘regularly attend strategy meetings’ and ‘always come with a lot of helpful information about the young person’. Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 8 A young person stated that he felt safe living at the home. Another young person, who recently left the home, was able to identify trusted adults who he could talk to about any concerns.

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improvement to be good

A parent stated that her child is safe in the home, and that the staff inform her when he goes missing.

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improvement to be good

The looked after children’s clinical psychologist stated that: ‘[The staff] are committed to providing good care for the young people they look after and appreciate the time and space to think reflectively about the emotional needs of the young people in their care, and are receptive to new ideas, advice and support.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The managers’ assessment of placement referrals is not robust. A number of admissions to the home lacked impact assessments. Managers have created a matching tool, but it needs further work to serve as an effective means of assessing the appropriateness of referrals and the potential impact of the young people on existing residents and staff. Furthermore, managers have not put in place effective pre-placement planning to ensure good transition and placement outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The managers’ review of the service is underpinned by the quality standards. However, it is not a rigorous assessment of the impact that the quality of care is having on the progress of the young people in relation to their behaviour and it is not using this learning to robustly develop the service. For example, there is room for improvement and greater thoroughness in review of the obstacles to progress for some of the young people who have not responded to the interventions offered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is managed by a stable management team that has extensive experience in residential care. Managers ensure that the home is properly staffed, and that safe recruitment is in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers and staff work in partnership with families and professionals to promote positive outcomes for young people. For example, a young person, who lived in the home for four years was able to overcome his medical condition requiring peg feeding with the support of the staff and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision that promotes reflective practice. They receive feedback on their direct work with the young people; this helps staff grow in confidence. In their appraisals, staff are challenged to evidence the targets they have achieved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff feel valued and well supported. One staff member stated that this is ‘the best home’ she has worked at in all of her years in residential care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review and sets out the Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 9 ethos and objectives of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A social worker stated that there is good communication from the staff and managers on behalf of the young person. No concerns have been raised by the local authority designated officer in relation to staff or managers working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The independent visitor’s reports are comprehensive and contain a consistent assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding the young people and promoting their welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A workforce development plan is in place, in line with the regulations. A training plan that covers the required and supplementary areas for staff and managers is in place, but the record of completion has not been updated. Staff find the training they have received so far to be helpful. Staff would like training on child development, life story work and managing challenging behaviour.

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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: SC032253 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Perceval House, 14–16 Uxbridge Road, London W5 2HL

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Inspector

Linda Kim-Newby: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC032253 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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