Children's home run by London Borough of Barnet

Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 1 SC034134 Registered provider: London Borough of Barnet

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make good progress in their education and emotional well-being from their challenging starting points. Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 2  Young people build positive relationships with staff and managers who are finely attuned to meeting their needs.  Staff and managers understand the young people’s vulnerabilities as well as their strengths and use this knowledge to provide appropriate individualised care plans.  Young people are assisted by staff to prepare for their future and, as a result, make successful transitions.  Young people benefit from good partnership working between the home and professionals and family members.  The registered manager promotes a culture of learning and professional development for the staff.  A stable and dedicated team of staff and managers create a comfortable and welcoming home for young people.

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Not all young people who are admitted on an emergency basis have their significant needs robustly assessed.  The quality of recordings of sanctions varies, and they do not reflect a consistent evaluation of their effectiveness.  There is a lack of evaluation regarding young people’s cannabis misuse.  The home’s safeguarding policy does not include the arrangements in place to protect the young people from the risk of female genital mutilation.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/09/2016 Full Good 07/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 3

p.2

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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s safeguarding policy includes detailed information on the arrangements for the safeguarding of young people from female genital mutilation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraphs 9.19 and 9.22)  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 use of sanctions is regularly scrutinised and, in particular, analyse their effectiveness in reducing undesirable behaviours. (‘Guide to the children’s

p.3

Recommendations

homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  Ensure that a review of quality of care, under Regulation45, focuses on the impact the care is having on the outcomes and improvements for the children. The review should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people experience a comfortable and welcoming home where they receive good, individualised care. Young people make good progress from their difficult starting points. A young person said, ‘This is a family home. They give you their time and they genuinely care’. Another young person said, ‘I like coming back to the home at the end of the day’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people build positive relationships with the adults in the home. Young people develop secure attachments to staff and managers, who listen to them and promote their well-being. Young people’s feedback is included in their care planning. For example, young people have a say in the range of activities that they are offered. This helps young people to feel heard and valued.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are in good health, and staff ensure that any health concerns are addressed in a timely manner. Young people also receive appropriate levels of support in Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 4 relation to their emotional well-being. For example, young people receive specialist services from the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), when necessary. A young person said that he finds CAMHS helpful. His CAMHS therapist stated that her young person has ‘settled very quickly in response to the staff’s approach to his needs’ and that the young person is ‘very pleased to live there’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the young people are engaged in full-time education. One young person’s attendance is 100%, which is a 20% increase from last year. A virtual school professional stated that the young person has made ‘fantastic progress and is more focused in regards to her studies’. The professional also stated that staff ‘consistently advocate for the importance of education’. The home provides taxis to transport young people if necessary and arranges home tuition for extra support to enhance the young people’s learning. Young people are helped to understand their educational plans and, where appropriate, more suitable course levels are identified for the young people to better meet their learning needs.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, six unaccompanied young people seeking asylum have been admitted to the home. Most of the young people have either reunified with family members or moved to semi-independent accommodation. For those young people who lacked literacy, self-care and other necessary life skills, staff and managers have provided an appropriate level of support. As a result, young people were able to successfully transition from the home to their new placements.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions to foster placements are well managed, resulting in good outcomes for the young people. For example, a young person, who has always wanted to live with a Muslim family with a mother and father and other children close to his school, moved to a foster home with all of the desired attributes. Staff and managers worked in partnership with the placing authority and the prospective carers to help identify and prepare the young person for the move. After a month of planning and pre-placement visits, the young person moved to his new home and is doing well.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager routinely carries out impact assessments on new placement referrals. However, not all young people admitted on an emergency basis have their risks robustly assessed. Two young people did not experience good placement outcomes. One of the young people, who had highly complex needs, experienced some measure of stability during her stay that lasted almost a year. Despite the diligent efforts made by the staff and managers, who worked in partnership with professionals, the young person struggled overall. In particular, there were incidents of going missing from the home which increased her vulnerability to child sexual exploitation. The young person eventually moved to a more appropriate placement out of the area. The staff and managers advocated for this, although the new placement took a long time to be identified.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people know how to complain. A complaint filed since the last inspection was recorded clearly and managed in a timely, child-centred manner. The children’s guide includes information on young people’s rights and the details of how they can contact professionals, such as the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 5 Young people are supported to experience positive contact with their families. One young person described contact with his family as ‘good’ and reported that he enjoys spending time with them. Staff and managers maintain good working relationships with those people who matter to the young people.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers respect young people’s ethnic heritage and deliver culturally sensitive practice. For example, to better understand the cultural backgrounds of the young people seeking asylum from Afghanistan, the registered manager arranged for relevant training for the staff team.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A social worker described the staff and managers as ‘wonderful and caring’ and said that her young person is making ‘good progress’ in the home.

p.5

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

Young people said that they feel safe in the home. They can identify a trusted adult whom they can talk to about any concerns. Young people stated that they feel listened to and that their concerns are taken seriously.

p.5

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

Risk factors associated with child sexual exploitation, self-harming, offending, misusing drugs or alcohol, going missing and radicalisation are routinely assessed by the staff and managers. Each young person has a detailed risk assessment in place with specific actions to mitigate the identified risks. When a young person is found to be using cannabis, room checks and key-working sessions are carried out. This allows staff to manage the risks and educate the young person about the consequences of substance misuse. Substance misuse specialists provide prevention workshops in the home for the young people and offer follow-up sessions.

p.5

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

The local authority designated officer said that she has no safeguarding concerns in relation to the home and that the staff and managers are child-focused. Investigations into serious incidents or allegations of harm are shared with the appropriate agencies and are handled robustly in line with the statutory guidance.

p.5

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

When young people go missing from the home, staff follow agreed procedures. Return home interviews routinely take place, and risk factors are assessed and discussed by the staff team. The team implements measures to help reduce missing from home episodes for young people who have a pattern of going missing. For example, after evaluating one young person’s trends regarding going missing, rewards and intensive key-working sessions were effectively utilised to reduce his incidents to none. More importantly, the young person said, ‘I no longer feel the need to go missing.’

p.5

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

The borough’s lead professional for child sexual exploitation and missing persons stated that the staff attend strategy meetings and contribute to the young people’s safety planning. Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 6 Young people receive good help to self-regulate their difficult emotions. For example, a young person, who had angry outbursts and became easily agitated early in her placement, is now able to talk about what upsets her. Staff and managers help young people identify their triggers for displaying challenging behaviour and put in place boundaries to help contain the young people. Young people are also encouraged to use a diary in which to write their feelings, which has a good impact on them.

p.5

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

Young people who are new to the country are protected from exploitation by those promising leave to remain status in exchange for money. Staff and managers empower young people with the knowledge of what life is like in England. They regularly assess the risks to young people and take action when necessary to ensure that young people remain safe.

p.6

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

There were two restraint incidents since the last inspection. Staff use restraint only as a last resort to keep young people and others safe. There is also evidence of appropriate use of sanctions. However, the quality of the recording of sanctions is inconsistent; some are quite detailed while others are not. Also, not all of the recordings include the young people’s views and the manager’s evaluation of the effectiveness of the sanctions. Although these evaluations and discussions may have taken place and been discussed in team meetings, the lack of detail in the records makes it hard to confirm this.

p.6

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

The safeguarding policy is comprehensive. However, it does not include the arrangements in place to protect children from the risk of female genital mutilation. The location risk assessment is fit for purpose, and the home has good links with relevant professionals.

p.6

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

The registered manager ensures that the home is properly staffed to ensure adequate supervision of the young people. A safe recruitment process is in place that ensures that all adults employed at the home have been suitably checked.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a registered manager who has ample experience in delivering residential care to vulnerable young people. The registered manager ensures that the home operates in line with the ethos of the statement of purpose.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that the staff team works alongside professionals and families to meet young people’s needs. Professionals praise the home’s partnership working to promote young people’s interests. A virtual school caseworker stated that staff have been ‘influential in supporting young people who have displayed challenging attitudes towards school to attend and engage in education’, and went on to say, ‘The registered manager, in particular, is always available to liaise with and consistently update the school if there are any issues.’ A social worker described the registered manager as one of the best managers whom she has worked with. The registered manager demonstrates her leadership through modelling good practice and advocating for the young people as any good parent would do. Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 7 The registered manager cultivates a culture of learning and professional development.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Two staff members, who started working at the home as volunteers, are now about to graduate from universities with social work degrees. One of the staff members said that he has gained invaluable hands-on experience working with vulnerable young people and that he was well supported throughout his studies. Staff are supported to build positive relationships with the young people and focus on delivering good outcomes. Another staff member, who has been working at the home for several years, said that the staff team members ‘support one another and challenge one another’ and that it is about ‘making a difference in the young people’s lives’.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Gaps in staff practice are effectively challenged by the registered manager, such as through formal staff supervision sessions. The registered manager makes good use of audits and independent visitor’s reports to monitor and evaluate the service. The registered manager also ensures that necessary actions are carried out. Consequently, staff are held to account for their responsibilities, and young people have their needs met.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s assessment of the home’s strengths and areas of improvement is thoughtful and considered. Her review of the service is underpinned by the quality standards. However, there is room for improvement in the written report under Regulation 45. It is acknowledged that some progress has been made in reducing young people’s cannabis use. However, Regulation 45 reports fail to provide a detailed analysis of the risks, or a robust action plan, to effectively manage the substance misuse of those young people who are more vulnerable.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s workforce development plan is comprehensive, and the training plan covers the required and supplementary areas for staff members’ learning. Staff said that they find the training that they receive helpful in their practice.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that young people and staff feel valued and that the staff deliver a caring service. The dedication of the staff and managers to the young people is palpable. As a young person said, ‘This is not just a job to them.’

p.7

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. Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 8 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

p.7

Information about this inspection

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: SC034134 9

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Linda Kim-Newby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034134 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.

p.9

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10