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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 1 SC409851 Registered provider: Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited

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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 children‟s home is registered to care for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private provider owns and operates the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2017

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2017 Interim Not judged 22/08/2017 Full Inadequate 26/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/05/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 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

13. The leadership and management standard

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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—

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Requirement Due date

(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(a) 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; (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. (Regulation 13 (2)(a)(d)(e)) This relates to the high staff turnover, inaccurate staffing rota and consequent lack of consistency for young people. 02/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

32.—(1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety.

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Requirement Due date

(a) employ an individual to work at the children‟s home; or

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Requirement Due date

(b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, 02/09/2018 * Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 4 if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

(a) the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

(b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

(c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

(d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

(a) the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

(b) a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

(a) in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

(b) in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

(6) The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

(a) does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

(b) works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 5 (7) The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

(a) the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

(b) full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

(c) the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

(d) the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual‟s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

(8) The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual‟s duties. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)(7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(8))

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

(b) receive practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 02/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children‟s home if— (a) there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 02/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must ensure that all employees— (a) undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 02/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard 02/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 6 The protection of children standard is that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health. (Regulation 12 (2)(d)) In particular, ensure that children‟s bedrooms are fitted with window restrictors.

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Requirement Due date

(a) ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) 02/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

35. Behaviour management policies and records (3) The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

(a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

(ii) details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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(iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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(iv) a description of the measure and its duration;

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(v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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(vi) the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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(vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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(viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

(b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

(i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and 02/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 7 (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

(c) within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 11. The positive relationships standard

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

(i) meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (2)(a)(i)) In particular, ensure that all children‟s case files contain behaviour management plans. 02/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

Statement of purpose (3) The registered person must— (a) keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and (b) notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 02/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

* This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The extent to which children are helped and protected and the effectiveness of leaders and managers have both been judged inadequate at this inspection. Therefore, the overall inspection judgement is that this children‟s home is inadequate. Children are not kept safe and the leadership and management of the home do not function effectively. Although children make some progress while living at the home, this is in spite of inadequate leadership and management.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have good opportunities to share their views and opinions with the staff team, and some are assigned independent advocates. However, advocates are not appropriately vetted to confirm that they are suitable to work with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children enjoy very good relationships with the staff team. One child said, „I‟m extremely happy here. I feel everyone plays their part in making this one big family. There‟s not one thing I don‟t like about here.‟ No child has made any complaint since the last inspection, although staff are unclear about what to do with complaints, should they receive one. Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 8 Children make good progress in terms of their learning outcomes and living healthy lifestyles. Staff work diligently to support children to attend school and college. Since the last inspection, there has been a noticeable increase in school and college attendance and children‟s commitment to learning. Children benefit from taking part in a wide range of leisure activities such as swimming, day trips out and bike riding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children‟s case files do not consistently contain behaviour management plans. This means that staff are not provided with guidance about strategies to employ if children‟s behaviour is poor. Children are welcomed into the home appropriately and receive good information about the services offered and placement expectations of them. Case files highlight children‟s individual needs and how the service intends to meet them. Records also identify any risks posed and the impact of children already living in the home. The home‟s care planning process is thorough, ensuring that children‟s needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children‟s health outcomes are good. One child told the inspector how he previously was very overweight. He has lost a significant amount of weight and feels healthier and that his self-esteem has improved.

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

Children are at risk in the home as managers have not ensured that staff are safely recruited and trained. Recruitment practices are very weak and they are not in accordance with safe recruitment guidelines. For example, not all staff have Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks in place before they start work at the home. Some staff references are not relevant to their current role. In one case, a reference was written some two years before the candidate applied to work at the home, and the reference was in relation to a post at another service.

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

Managers were unable to produce any vetting information for staff who had recently worked with children at the home. This was the case for a staff member identified as a key-worker and another individual identified as an advocate. In another case, the home‟s interviewing process was ineffective in assessing the applicant‟s knowledge and skills. Managers are unable to evidence that in interviews applicants are asked about any convictions that they may have. These weaknesses in staff vetting procedures do not ensure that staff are suitable to work with vulnerable children, and place children at risk of harm.

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

Managers do not pay sufficient attention to the needs of the workforce. This places children at significant risk. Staff training opportunities are limited and not all staff have participated in a robust induction. This does not support staff to develop in their roles and provide children with safe care.

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

When staff do have training, it is not sufficiently effective. For example, most staff have recently received child protection training that was focused on managing allegations, but they are still unclear about what action they should take should an allegation be made. This places children at significant risk. Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 9 Managers were unable to produce the home‟s lone working policy but were clear that this practice was not permitted. However, the staffing rota confirmed, as did managers, that occasionally this did occur. For example, on the first day of the inspection, it was clear that one member of staff had worked the night shift alone. This is contrary to the level of support indicated on children‟s care plans. This does not help to keep children safe.

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

Children generally do not present with challenging behaviour, and their relationships with the staff team are very positive. However, staff receive no guidance about the use of de-escalation skills with children, and managers are yet to develop a log to record any instances of restraint. Staff do not receive training in physical intervention. This trainijng is important in order to protect children and others from harm if challenging situations arise.

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

The home‟s premises are generally safe and secure. Children benefit from closed-circuit televisionthat reviews the outside perimeter of the building and some internal communal areas. However, not all children‟s bedroom windows have restrictors to prevent children climbing out of windows and to prevent unauthorised entry to the home.

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

Children know how to complain but have not made any complaints in recent months. Ofsted recently received a complaint from a former employee of the home. Some of the issues raised in this complaint were substantiated during the inspection, including managers‟ poor vetting and recruitment practices. The designated officer had also raised a staff recruitment query. This was resolved during the inspection.

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

Staff and managers have an effective working relationship with external partners. This includes health and educational professionals, local authority representatives and community-based resources.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of the home are inadequate. This is primarily due to the poor relationship and communication difficulties between the director of the company and the responsible individual. There is no consistent strategy for the home‟s improvement, as the management team does not act cohesively. In addition, the home has been without a registered manager in excess of 26 weeks. The current management arrangements are muddled and confusing to staff and children. No progress has been made on the appointment of a new registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff team has changed significantly since the last inspection. Most of the home‟s current staff are newly appointed. Not all staff complete inductions and some staff said that their induction was inadequate in meeting their learning needs. Managers still make use of agency staff. However, managers are not always aware of which agency staff are working on which shift. This leads to confusion and poor care planning for the children. Care staff talk of „random‟ individuals working with children. This does not demonstrate efficient management or offer children safe care. Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 10 Staff training opportunities require improvement. Staff do not have good access to high- quality training to enhance their knowledge, skills and care practice. Much of the training since the last inspection has been provided via e-learning. This does not offer the new staff team the opportunity to share ideas and implement care strategies together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff said that they feel well supported by the responsible individual, who is in day-to- day management of the home, although she is no longer the registered manager. However, the review of staff personnel records shows that staff do not receive regular formal supervision. In addition, in four months, the responsible individual has received only one supervision session. Currently, there is no individual identified to conduct the responsible individual‟s formal supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home‟s monitoring systems are inadequate. For example, it is not clear who is managing and monitoring the home‟s staffing rota, and the rota is inaccurate. Staff use different methods of signing in, which means that managers have difficulty identifying which staff are working particular shifts. On occasion, this has resulted in some staff working alone. This is contrary to the home‟s staffing procedures and is not in line with children‟s required level of supervision as outlined in their care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An independent visitor conducts monthly monitoring visits. However, shortfalls identified during these visits are often not promptly resolved. Many of the leadership and management issues highlighted at the last inspection are also yet to be resolved and so are repeated at this inspection. This does not demonstrate effective and efficient leadership of the home and this shortfall has a negative impact on service improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers failed to produce a development plan to show how they intend to improve the quality of the service. Key documents, such as the statement of purpose, require revision, while some policy documents, for example the whistleblowing policy and the lone working policy, could not be located. The home‟s statement of purpose requires revision to include information about the home‟s current staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The service is financially viable. Children‟s case records are good and outline the work that staff are completing with children to help meet their needs. Managers and staff appropriately notify relevant bodies of key events, and risks to children are regularly reviewed. The home‟s physical environment is comfortable and meets children‟s accommodation needs.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 11 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: SC409851 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 137 Waters Drive, Staines-upon-Thames, TW18 4RP

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Inspector(s)

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC409851 13 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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