Children's Home run by Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited in Hounslow

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC409851 1 SC409851 Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited

p.1

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home remains registered to care for up to four young people. A private provider owns and operates it.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 22 August 2017. A notice to suspend the registration of the home was served on 25 August 2017. The notice is due to expire on 25 November 2017.

p.1

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/08/2017 Full Inadequate 26/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 07/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC409851 2

p.1

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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.

p.2

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 01/12/2017

p.2

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(c)) 01/12/2017

p.2

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and where appropriate revise it. (Regulation 16(2)(c)) 01/11/2017

p.2

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

p.2

Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

p.2

Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44(1)(2)(a)) 01/11/2017

p.2

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 01/12/2017 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC409851 3 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.2

Requirement Due date

that staff— 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;

p.3

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(b))

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, in relation to the lack of specialist risk assessments, care plans and monthly reports. The positive relationships standard

p.3

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11(2)(i))

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, to provide a programme of constructive activities when young people are on holiday or not in education and employment. 01/12/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.3

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 01/12/2017 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC409851 4 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(2)(a)(d)(e))

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, address the high staff turnover and consequent lack of consistency for young people. Fitness of registered provider

p.4

Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home. (Regulation 26(7)(b)) 01/11/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (case records) for each child which:

p.4

Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(b)) 01/12/2017

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person only accepts 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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Make sure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, and staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’,

p.4

Recommendations

page 46, paragraph 9.38)  Challenge the child’s education provider if the child does not receive sufficient support to progress as outlined in their relevant plans. Act as effective advocates for or on behalf of a child who may be experiencing difficulties with education as a good parent would do. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 27–28, paragraphs 5.11– 5.12)  The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC409851 5  Devise a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20) The plan should: — detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any

p.4

Recommendations

staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose; — detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); — detail the process for managing and improving poor performance.

p.5

Recommendations

The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. This is also with reference to ensuring that staff receive training in radicalisation and refresher training in safeguarding. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing to prevent disruption to children’s attachments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)  Keep records detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36 (schedule 3(14))). This information should be shared with the placing authority and, where appropriate, with the child’s parents.

p.5

Recommendations

Evaluation of missing-from-home 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. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 45–46, paragraph 9.31)  Ensure the provision of support to sustain or regain confidence in education and engagement in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.5)  Encourage young people to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

p.5

Recommendations

A notice to suspend the registration of the home was served on 25 August 2017. There have been no young people resident in the home since that time. Aside from the management team, only one staff member remains employed on an informal basis. This has significantly limited the inspector’s ability to fully assess the risk posed to young people and the home’s compliance with the requirements and recommendations of the last full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC409851 6 Sixteen requirements and 11 recommendations resulted from the last full inspection. The home has achieved compliance with five of the requirements and partial compliance with one. The home has achieved compliance with two recommendations. The remaining requirements and recommendations are repeated following this visit.

p.5

Recommendations

Management of the home has changed. Managers report that the suspension of the home’s registration has allowed the home to ‘clear the air’ and do some ‘housekeeping’. The responsible individual plans to return to her position as the registered manager of the home. She plans to submit a formal application for re- registration to Ofsted imminently.

p.6

Recommendations

The current interim manager supports this and plans to remain at the home acting as deputy manager. Managers are aware of the poor recent inspection history and the need for improvements to be sustainable and consistently monitored. The deputy manager is presently working towards her management qualification and this is due for completion in May 2018. The finance and business director remains in position and similarly plans to complete his management qualification by May 2018.

p.6

Recommendations

Managers are fully committed to a programme of improvement for the home. They have agreed a written plan for individual roles, responsibilities and weekly meetings. Managers are now allocated key roles; for example, the deputy manager has responsibility for the oversight of case notes and risk assessments. Managers state that weekly meetings will be used to review the progress of young people and the possible need to notify Ofsted of any significant events.

p.6

Recommendations

Managers plan to initiate a programme of recruitment to allow for a further assessment of the home’s ability to care for young people. Managers realise the importance of retaining and developing the staff team to provide stability and consistency for young people. A new revised recruitment and staff induction procedure is in place. The induction procedure clearly outlines the expectations of the staff team and the importance of regular training and discussions with managers on performance. The induction procedure seeks to fully assess the suitability of staff and provide essential training, including in first aid and safeguarding.

p.6

Recommendations

The physical environment is improved. The home has been repainted and new furniture provided. Managers have identified a local charity to assist with developing the garden space for improved use. A new sitting room and dining area are in place, which provide a more homely and comfortable feel to the home. The home has compiled a new activities folder. Managers have contacted local youth charities and venues for a full list of local excursions or leisure resources such as a local trampoline park.

p.6

Recommendations

The statement of purpose has been updated. However, it lacks information regarding young people’s risky behaviours such as fire setting, which would preclude admission to the home. This is of significance given the commitment of the home to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC409851 7 accept emergency admissions.

p.6

Recommendations

A revised admissions procedure is in place. The procedure outlines a fuller process for gathering key information, including ringing any previous placements and requesting key risk assessments and reports. In addition, managers state that they will not accept referrals without a planned programme of educational input in place.

p.7

Recommendations

Oversight by an independent visitor is lacking. Ofsted has not received any reports since June 2017. This limits scrutiny of the improvement plan for the home. The responsible individual states that a new visitor has been recruited and plans to visit the home in October 2017. A management monitoring report is now complete and offers some analysis of the shortfalls outlined in the full inspection and the service development plan.

p.7

Recommendations

Key policies and documentation such as the behavioural management policy and the children’s guide are now up to date. These offer clear guidance for staff and place an increased focus on the use of ‘restorative’ sanctioning. This involves staff meeting with young people and proposing means of ‘repairing the harm’ that results from poor behaviours.

p.7

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.7

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.7

Inspector

Barnaby Dowell, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC409851 8 to 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8