Children's home run by The Qalb Short Break Services Ltd in Tower Hamlets

Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 1 SC420303 Registered provider: The Qalb Short Break Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A limited company owns and manages this service. The local authority funds the service for the exclusive use of families and children living in this inner city borough. The home provides short breaks for up to five children who have learning disabilities. It specialises in providing a service to children who have autistic spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 November to 1 December 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

An inspector conducted a monitoring visit on 28 July 2017 following a complaint made by an anonymous caller. The visit found no evidence to support the complaint and no breaches of regulation. Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 A committed staff and management team provides a very child-focused, consistent service, judged outstanding for the past six years.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children experience short breaks of exceptionally high quality.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home has an excellent record for promoting children’s safety.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children look forward to their short breaks, enjoying very warm relationships with staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Improved behaviour and independence skills have a positive effect on children’s self-esteem and their lives in school and at home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Effective communication with school staff, social workers and families means that staff are well informed and are able to focus on improving children’s well- being.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Managers provide very good support and an excellent training programme for staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Families treasure this service, which has been invaluable in supporting their children and providing them with positive experiences.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Meticulous assessments and child-centred planning help children to settle quickly into the home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The main suggestion for improvement from social workers and families is that they want more of this service.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Parents appreciate the home ‘because they see the difference’ in their children.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/08/2016 Full Outstanding 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/08/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure the information set out in the statement of purpose is an essential part of the process of agreement between the registered person and placing authority that a placement in that home is the right one for that child (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6). Specifically, make sure that information is absolutely clear about under what circumstances and terms the home will accept emergency placements and for how long and contains no information which may identify a child or family.

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Recommendations

 Ensure the Guide is for all those involved with the care of children (and in some cases those aged 18 or over) (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 4 paragraph 1.4). Specifically, consider raising awareness of the Guide and regulations among the staff team and reviewing those documents which do not refer to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children continue to enjoy new and exciting experiences when staying in this very welcoming, nurturing environment. Many children have used this high-quality service for a number of years, developing strong and supportive links with the staff, who know them very well. A social worker said that the best thing about this service is ‘how skilled the staff are at caring for children and the experiences children have – socialising and going out all the time – they wouldn’t have these opportunities if not for this home. It is an excellent service’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children look forward to their short breaks. A parent said their son ‘is always happy and wants to attend’ and hopes that he can continue to attend for a long time. Another parent said their child doesn’t want to return home ‘because he likes it so much’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There is a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere in the building. Children are very calm as they settle in after school and appear ‘at home’. A parent said that their child is ‘definitely a lot calmer and now follows instructions well’ as a result of attending the home. Children have the opportunity to form friendships and to better tolerate others around them. A social worker described how a child can stay at the same time as their friend as staff are ‘very good at pairing-up those who have a relationship’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Challenging behaviour is not an issue as staff understand the triggers to children’s behaviour. A staff member said, ‘The calibre of staff is high. Children have challenging behaviour elsewhere but we don’t experience it here.’ Staff quietly and calmly help Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 4 children to feel secure in their routines and help them to understand what will happen during their stay, in order to reduce their anxiety. A social worker said that a child they have placed ‘responds well to routine that he doesn’t get elsewhere’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Some children have stayed at the home in emergencies for a period of time outside of their usual short-break arrangements, for example at times of bereavement. Staff have ‘gone the extra mile’ to ensure that children experience continuity and care from adults who know their needs very well. Staff have adapted to the extra work willingly, with some even delaying taking holidays. A manager said, ‘Staff love the children and will drop everything if asked.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff treat children and their families with dignity and respect. Staff value children’s cultural and religious backgrounds, for example through art and craft activities, by celebrating festivals such as Christmas and Eid and visiting different places of worship. Children have been taken to areas of London where they can meet and talk to people in the first language of their ethnic background and enjoy seeing foods in the local shops. Staff capture such activities in photographs, compiling albums for children to look at and reflect on their achievements and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are encouraged to eat a healthy, varied diet. On arrival, they choose and make their own healthy snacks and drinks, which also increases their independence. Some children, who usually eat quite limited diets, are now trying different foods and enjoying them. A social worker said a child ‘now eats a really wide range of food’ while at the home. Children also benefit from sitting at the table and sharing a meal with others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are supported well to develop independence skills. With staff support, children make significant progress in managing their personal and toileting care, for example some now use the bathroom independently. Some children are now able to travel on public transport, learning how to load an Oyster card and even how to read a newspaper as other people do when travelling on a bus. The staff are very positive in their approach to helping children achieve. One staff member said, ‘If you’re patient you can achieve anything. We want what is best for the children.’

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

Managers and staff provide a very safe and highly supportive environment. Staff give high priority to keeping children safe, for example by having high staff-to-child ratios and very effective supervision. No children have gone missing since the last inspection. No serious incidents have occurred. All parents spoken to feel that their children are safe in the home and when out on trips.

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

Comprehensive risk assessments are compiled, with contributions from all those involved in children’s lives. These include potential triggers to challenging behaviour and strategies that staff can use in managing behaviour. This ensures that all staff work around children’s needs and promote their safety.

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

Arrangements for checking-in children’s medication, administering it and then returning Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 5 any to families are meticulous. For example, two staff witness each other’s actions to prevent any medication errors and to ensure that children get the medication that they need.

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

Highly effective communication between staff, social workers, school and families helps with assessing risk and planning children’s care. For example, staff worked closely with school staff to develop a social story to help a child to understand some changes in his life. A social worker said, ‘Staff update me, attend meetings and make good contributions, as they know the children so well.’

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

Staff share their expertise by working with parents. They run a monthly support group, which helps parents to meet others in similar circumstances. While this group has a social/support aspect to prevent isolation, some sessions also provide training, for example on healthy eating and behaviour management, to help parents to develop skills. Parents are also encouraged to consider working for the service, as they have the valuable experience of raising a child with a learning disability. Managers also seek to develop parents’ self-confidence and they support those who are interested to achieve level 3 qualifications.

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

Managers and staff are proactive in helping others in society to better understand children’s needs. For example, they seek to raise awareness in the local community of the needs of children who have autistic spectrum disorder by participating in National Autism Day.

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

Staff are very aware of children’s vulnerabilities and of how to keep them safe. Handover meetings, when shifts change, ensure that staff pass on any communications from families. Staff record and act on any concerns, with effective use of body maps. Staff receive safeguarding training, which informs them about current risks to children, such as female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation.

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

Managers conduct thorough checks on new staff before allowing them to work with vulnerable children. Staff work ‘trial shifts’ so that managers can observe their practice with children and how they work with the team. Staff receive ongoing supervision and appraisal and attend team meetings to support their work with children.

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

There is an accessible complaints policy. The home has not received any complaints during this inspection period. One complaint made directly to Ofsted was not upheld and no breaches of regulation were found.

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

The home is in a well-maintained building. Staff conduct checks of the premises so that the home is maintained in a safe condition. This includes assessing the risk of fire and any potential risks on the premises.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A very experienced, qualified, registered manager and the responsible individual have led this service since it was established. Staff say that leaders and managers are ‘very Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 6 supportive and helpful’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a focus on continuing development. Staff value their training and support. It is commendable that all 27 staff have first-aid training and have achieved a level 3 qualification. Additional ongoing training helps staff to fulfil their roles, for example in food hygiene and health and safety. More specialist training, such as eight days of training in autistic spectrum disorder with the children’s special school, helps in their work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and responsible individual continually review the service to drive improvement. An independent person visits monthly and writes reports of their visit. Leaders and managers find feedback in these reports useful. Some aspects of the report format are repetitive and are not particularly useful. This format, and some of the home’s records, would benefit from greater links to the Quality Standards to assist staff’s understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers changed the statement of purpose in order to enable the service to accommodate children in an emergency. The amendment needs to make clear the circumstances under which the home will accept children in an emergency and should not include any information which may identify a family. A team manager wrote: ‘The staff have been accommodating, flexible and excellent during this time and the team would like to extend their gratitude for all their support.’

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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: SC420303 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Qalb Short Break Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 35 Beaufort Court, Admirals Way, South Quay Waterside, London E14 9XL

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Inspector

Jacqueline Graves, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 8 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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