Children's Home run by London Borough of Hounslow in Hounslow

Inspection report children‟s home: SC062128 1 SC062128 Registered provider: London Borough of Hounslow

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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 provides care and accommodation for up to six young people. The home‟s statement of purpose states that it looks after young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and notes that the home provides individual care packages for young people who have faced significant loss and trauma in their lives.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2010.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 November 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 14 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC062128 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2017 Full Outstanding 30/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/10/2016 Full Good 15/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC062128 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe .

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home‟s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that risk assessments identify known risks for young people and confirm the procedures that are in place to minimise these. 28/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to the need to confirm the statutory provision (if any) under which the child is provided with accommodation. 28/02/2019

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Recommendations

 Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home‟s records as „living documents‟ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations Inspection report children‟s home: SC062128 4 including the quality standards‟, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that children are supported to contribute to and have a say in their support plans. Where any child expresses unhappiness with support plans, a record of the child‟s response must be recorded verbatim.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The nurturing, positive and happy atmosphere means that young people are very settled and contented in their home. Comments from young people included, „I am surprised at how quickly l settled and feel at home here‟ and „I wish the staff team did not care so much about me, but l like that.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Because young people feel so valued, they take full advantage of the support and opportunities made available to them. Young people enjoy their time with staff and the inspector observed appropriate humour and banter being shared between staff and young people. Such interactions occur alongside staff maintaining clear and appropriate boundaries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make sustained progress in all areas of their lives, due to the consistency, security and stability provided by a stable and committed staff team. Managers are strong advocates for young people, ensuring that their views are heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff implement effective guidance to help young people to maintain their day-to-day good health. Young people gain valuable insight into staying healthy through a healthy balanced diet, exercise and an understanding of the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The activities and recreational opportunities made available to young people are broad- ranging and stimulating. As a result, young people develop improved self-confidence and new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions cover what is important to young people. One young person stated that from these sessions her self-esteem has grown. Consequently, this young person‟s care plans reflected her views, thus enabling her to take control over decisions made about her life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The educational arrangements, including tutors and college courses, are tailored to suit the individual needs of young people. This means young people make good progress and, for some, exceed previous expectations. Examples include taking GCSE exams and securing suitable placements on training and education courses after previously not attending education. Inspection report children‟s home: SC062128 5 The staff team is particularly skilled at ensuring that each young person starts to develop their independent living skills. The home operates a programme of learning that each young person works through, aimed at preparing them for adulthood.

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

Young people live in a homely, safe environment. Consistent staff boundaries and the trusting relationships they have with the staff team helps to promote young people‟s sense of well-being and feelings of safety.

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

Well-planned and sensitive safeguarding practice means that young people, some of whom have placed themselves at significant risk of exploitation, are kept safe. Risk- taking reduces and young people become increasingly safe while living in the home. A strong, nurturing culture based on honesty and openness enables young people to relax, be themselves and explore alternative ways on how to stay safe.

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

Young people become significantly safer from the point of admission to the home. They say that the support they receive helps them to manage their emotions and become more responsible for their actions. For some young people, there has been a significant reduction in the number of missing incidents, which had previously led to them being criminally exploited, since moving to the home.

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

Young people gain real insight into their own challenging behaviours. Through external support and strong relationships with the staff team, they learn to understand why they sometimes find things difficult to cope with. This improved self-awareness increases young people‟s self-confidence and ability to manage difficult situations. One young person said, „Without the staff team helping me l don‟t know where l would be now.‟

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

Behaviour support plans and risk assessments are in place and provide the staff team with guidance on triggers to young people‟s behaviours and how these can be managed. However, not all risk assessments provide good enough guidance for staff on known risks or the procedures that should be taken to minimise them.

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

The registered manager has built strong and effective working relationships with safeguarding agencies such as the police and youth offending teams. When it comes to young people‟s safety and well-being, the staff do not hesitate to act. They understand their roles and responsibilities and ensure that safeguarding issues are responded to in line with local and national guidance.

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

The staff are well trained in all areas of safeguarding, including the risk of child sexual exploitation, risks from gangs and/or youth violence, and child criminal exploitation.

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

Safer recruitment and selection processes are robust and ensure that young people are looked after by adults who are deemed suitable to do so. Inspection report children‟s home: SC062128 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced, qualified management team is inspirational, confident and ambitious for young people. Effective leadership and management arrangements include regular team meetings and practice-based supervision. These forums provide support and direction to a stable staff team which is committed to meeting the individual needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the strengths and areas of improvement for the home. She sets high standards for staff and expects them to be instrumental in changing young people‟s lives for the better. The registered manager ensures that training and development opportunities are available for staff. As a result, staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows each young person well and understands their evolving care needs. Young people‟s care is well planned and kept under review to ensure the best possible outcomes. However, some records lack clarity and have not been appropriately reviewed. For example, some young people‟s records are unclear on what legal basis the young person is looked after by the local authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people contribute to and have an active voice in their care and safety plans. Despite this, young people‟s views on these plans are not sufficiently documented. For example, where a young person disagreed with a safer care plan, the reasons for his disagreement were not documented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working with professionals is good. Managers ensure that the home is working effectively with external partners to provide wide-ranging support systems for all young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An effective development plan is in place. The home is meeting its aims and objectives as outlined in the statement of purpose.

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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. Inspection report children‟s home: SC062128 7 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

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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: SC062128 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Hounslow

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Lampton Road, Hounslow, TW3 4DN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jacqui McShannon

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Inspector

Juanita Mayers, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC062128 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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