Children's Home run by Laurel Leaf Homes Ltd in Newham

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 1 SC060545

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Laurel Leaf Homes Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately operated home provides care and accommodation for up to eight young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The service accepts emergency placements as well as providing long- term care.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home was judged declined in effectiveness at the last 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.

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This monitoring visit

Two young people have been admitted to the home since the last inspection. Both young people were admitted without robust impact risk assessments. The responsible individual has accepted young people on emergency referrals without properly evaluating whether the home has the capability to meet their complex needs. There was no impact analysis for one of the two young people admitted since the last inspection, on the basis that there were no other young people accommodated at the time. Young people who have an extensive offending history, or who are highly vulnerable to child sexual exploitation and substance misuse, have been admitted without proper assessments. This has resulted in ineffective planning to meet the young people‟s needs.

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This monitoring visit

Young people do not have individualised care plans that include their needs and strengths, as well as desired outcomes. A placement plan is in the process of being developed by the home for one of the two young people. Young people do not have individual behavioural support plans that include specific de-escalation strategies to help staff meet the challenging behaviours of young people. This results in a lack of effective support and, consequently, lack of progress by the young people.

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This monitoring visit

Since being admitted, one young person has been frequently missing from the Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 2 home. Although the home follows its procedures on missing persons, there is a lack of effective action taken to mitigate the persistent pattern of high-risk behaviour. Independent return home interviews are offered and staff try to engage the young person. However, there is limited effort to effectively utilise the aggregate learning from the multiple missing episodes to help the young person.

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This monitoring visit

Young people have updated risk assessments, but they are not accurate or robust. Risk assessments have been copied and pasted from other young people‟s assessments. Some young people‟s level of risk in a certain area is rated low even when there is evidence to suggest otherwise, and there is no analysis to justify the risk minimisation. A risk assessment of one young person‟s vulnerability around substance misuse is good. However, this is an exception. Overall, the quality of risk assessments is poor. Consequently, there is limited planning and ineffective action to help reduce risks for young people.

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This monitoring visit

A young person, who was discharged from the home since the last inspection, was not in education for several months. The young person‟s challenging behaviour was ineffectively managed, resulting in numerous police interventions over the course of her placement. This was the longest placement the young person has experienced since being in care, and the young person experienced some positive engagements with some of the staff. However, overall, the young person did not make good progress in the key areas of her life.

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This monitoring visit

There has been an improvement in the staff recording of incidents in the daily logs. However, handovers do not consistently take place, which has an impact on the continuity of care and supervision of the young people. The responsible individual has recruited additional staff to ensure adequate staffing levels. However, the staff sign-in/out log has gaps that suggest there is insufficient staff coverage.

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This monitoring visit

The home has had four different managers in place since April 2016. There was no registered manager in place between August 2016 and June 2017, and again from October 2017 to the present. A lack of consistent management and leadership within the home has had a substantial impact on the service delivery to the young people as well as on workforce development. This affects the home‟s ability to achieve its aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

The current manager was appointed in February of this year. The manager intends to register with Ofsted in the coming weeks. He has identified areas of improvement and has started to take steps to address the concerns. This includes, among others, arranging training for staff, hands-on monitoring, ensuring that independent visitor‟s reports are rigorous, and evaluating the effectiveness of the home‟s care of the young people. The home will not be accepting any new referrals until further improvements have been made.

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This monitoring visit

The home‟s decor has changed somewhat to be more child friendly. However, there is a sizeable hole in the wall in the lounge which has not been repaired . Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 3 Due to the lack of sufficient progress made since the last inspection, all the requirements and most of the recommendations remain in place. An additional requirement for the registered person to complete a review of the quality of care provided for the young people at least once every six months is made at this monitoring visit.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/10/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/04/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 4

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure: 2(a) that staff: (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; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies. 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure: (1) that children: (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home; (2)(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. 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must ensure: 30/04/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 5 (1) that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on: an understanding about acceptable behaviour; (2)(a) that staff:(2)(a) that staff: (i) meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans; (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; (iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; (vii) help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from damaging, exploitative or harmful relationships; (x) are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the

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Requirement Due date

behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; (xi) de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must: (1) enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children‟s home that: (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the registered person must: (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (e) ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must ensure that: (2)(c) the premises are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child and enable each child to participate in 30/04/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 6 the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once over 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

(a) the quality of care provided for children; (b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)) 30/04/2018

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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 works well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Emergency admissions should not be taken unless the home‟s statement of purpose and its capacity and support systems mean that it has the capability to care for children admitted at very short notice while continuing to offer high

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Recommendations

quality care to children already living in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.6)  The behavioural management policy should set out how staff are trained and supported to meet the child‟s needs. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.37)  The registered person should ensure that staff skills in safeguarding are gained, refreshed and recorded in the home‟s workforce plan. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 43, paragraph 9.12)  Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 7

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.  Ensure that policies setting out arrangements for safeguarding children include gangs, trafficking and female genital mutilation. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 44, paragraph 9.19)   The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role that they play in the training and development of staff in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.11)   The registered person should have a workforce development 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, the experience and qualifications of staff currently

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Information about this inspection

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; detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.8)   Ensure that the 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)  Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Laurel Leaf Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 42 Stavordale Road, London N5 1NE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Mohammad Baulackey

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Inspector

Linda Kim-Newby, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC060545 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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