Children's home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Ealing

Inspection report children‘s home: SC059998 1 SC059998 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Limited 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 privately owned. It provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional, behavioural and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 21 to 22 November 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children‘s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‘s home: SC059998 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2018 Full Inadequate 17/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/05/2017 Full Good 02/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‘s home: SC059998 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

Engaging with the wider system to ensure children‘s needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‘s or a relevant person‘s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, they must challenge a placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‘s needs are met in accordance with the child‘s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 03/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child‘s well-being. (Regulation 10 (2)(1)(a)) 03/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(1)(a)(iii) and (d)) 03/01/2019

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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

Helps children aspire and fulfil their potential 03/01/2019 Inspection report children‘s home: SC059998 4 Promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children‘s home if, by the relevant date, they have attained the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) (―the Level 5 Diploma‖). (Regulation 28 (1)(c)(i)) 03/01/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home‘s staff; each child‘s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals etc. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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improvement to be good

At the last full inspection, this home was judged inadequate. Two compliance notices and a restriction notice were issued. The restriction and compliance notices were lifted following a monitoring visit. At this inspection, it is clear that an overall improvement has been made, but there is limited evidence to demonstrate that these improvements have been embedded. There are also further shortfalls in leadership and management identified at this inspection.

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improvement to be good

Young people have continued to put their health at risk because they smoke tobacco. Unfortunately, since coming to live at the home, young people have either started to smoke or increased their tobacco use. Efforts from staff to help young people reduce or stop smoking have been ineffective. Young people‘s individual healthcare plans and risk assessments lack detail about what actions staff will take to tackle this problem. Additionally, the manager did not seek medical advice regarding the impact of increased smoking for one young person who also uses a breathing inhaler for a medical condition.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not worked effectively with placing local authorities to ensure that Inspection report children‘s home: SC059998 5 information provided by the respective authority is accurate. This means that staff are working to information which is potentially out of date. This hampers staff in providing the very best care.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers have helped young people to make progress in education. For example, one young person has been helped to secure a place within a mainstream school. The other young person, who has struggled to attend school, now receives educational input at the home and is actively engaging in this work. Unfortunately, progress is not being maximised because staff have not received up-to-date personal education plans from the local authority. The manager has not vigorously pursued these plans.

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improvement to be good

The views, ideas and opinions of young people are important to the manager and staff. Young people now meet with staff regularly to provide their views by way of young people‘s meetings. The manager also meets weekly with each young person to answer their questions and to provide an opportunity to express any concerns or worries that they have.

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improvement to be good

Young people regularly see their families and those important to them. Family meetings are supported by staff, who ensure that young people are safe and happy when they see their families and friends. Staff understand the emotional impact of such visits on young people and provide any necessary reassurance.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not completed a risk assessment in relation to a set of metal stairs to the side of the building. Young people can easily access these steps which have the potential to be hazardous. Additionally, young people and staff are at increased risk because they have had cigarettes and lighters in their rooms.

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improvement to be good

The staff and manager are not undertaking or not completing identified work with young people aimed at providing guidance about safe use of the internet, social media and online gaming forums. In addition, young people have not received the education that they need to reduce the risk of exploitation.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the home is now calmer and has a more relaxed atmosphere. There has been a significant reduction in the number of concerning incidents. The manager ensures that there is now better and more detailed recording of any incidents. The manager is now ensuring that valuable lessons are learned through analysis of these records. The manager is also ensuring that debriefs take place with all those involved in incidents.

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improvement to be good

The behaviour of young people has improved. Young people say that they feel more settled and better able to regulate their behaviour. Young people are able to speak to staff when they become angry or frustrated. They feel that staff listen to them. Staff are actively implementing behaviour boundaries and do not give in to unreasonable demands Inspection report children‘s home: SC059998 6 from young people. This is leading to improved care routines and a staff team whose members are more confident in their approaches to caring for teenagers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager, who is registered with Ofsted, has led this home since November 2015. However, he has not yet attained the required qualification for registered managers. He is currently on the diploma programme but timescales for completion remain unclear. This training is crucial to ensure that the registered manager has the necessary skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not made sure that all staff are able to undertake physical interventions in a safe manner. A member of staff deemed to be unable to undertake physical intervention has been leading shifts with colleagues who are also unable to undertake physical intervention. This means that young people are at risk because they cannot be held safely if this is needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has acted on a requirement made at the last inspection for him to undertake quality of care reviews. It is positive that the manager is now actively reviewing the care provided. However, this requires further improvement. The views of partner agencies and young people need to be considered in the review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and leaders of the organisation have not robustly challenged other agencies that have not responded promptly to concerns. For example, a member of staff was suspended following an allegation made against them, then returned to work before being dismissed. This was largely due to a protracted investigation and delayed strategy meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff and manager have undertaken a great deal of work to make improvements following the last full inspection. They are more positive about the future and have implemented several new systems to improve the overall running of the home. However, there is more to do before this becomes a consistently good service.

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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 Inspection report children‘s home: SC059998 7 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: SC059998 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Manaktala & Co Limited, 17 Leeland Mansions, Leeland Road, West Ealing, London W13 9HE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspector(s)

Phillip Morris: social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC059998 9 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)

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

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