Children's home run by Holibrook House Limited in Waltham Forest

Inspection report children’s home: SC037248 1 SC037248 Registered provider: Holibrook House Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately operated home which provides care and accommodation for up to six children and young people. Staff use a therapeutic approach to care for children and young people who may have social, emotional and multiple complex needs.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 28 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC037248 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/09/2017 Full Good 29/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 19/08/2016 Full Good 11/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC037248 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32 (1)) With specific regard to ensuring that robust risk assessments are completed where necessary. 28/02/2019

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Recommendations

 Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11) Specifically, in relation to ensuring that questions raised during children’s meetings are answered by leaders and managers.  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Specifically, in relation to levels of supervision for new staff during their induction and probation periods.  Ensure that all staff in a care role, including bank staff, must have the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) within the relevant timescale listed in

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Recommendations

Regulation 32(5). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team works collaboratively to ensure that young people receive high-quality care and that their individual needs are met. Supporting young people through Inspection report children’s home: SC037248 4 understanding their experiences and reasons for challenging behaviours is a strength of this team. One young person who has lived in seven different care homes said, ‘They have a different vision of how they look at young people.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A psychologist supports the staff team members once a month to help them understand the relationship/care element of daily living routines. The aim is to strengthen and replace the missed parenting element where relationships have previously broken down. This approach has successfully enabled one young person to reinstate contact with their family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make significant progress from their starting points while living at this home. All young people are expected to engage with education. One young person has returned to tuition following a long absence from learning and other young people either attend school or have a clear educational plan in place. Guidance and emotional support are provided through regular one-to-one key-work sessions. Where further support is needed, prompt referrals are made to more specialist services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people say that they feel respected by staff at the home. They attend weekly meetings where they can voice their wishes and feelings about the running of the home. However, although their views are recorded, there is no apparent process for ensuring that young people receive a response to the issues raised at these meetings. Young people are aware of how to complain if they are not happy and complaints have been dealt with appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most young people liked the home, although some were less positive. One young person said it had a ‘settling’ environment. The home has a clear structure and routines and an expectation that young people will engage and make a positive contribution. Young people say that they like their rooms and that they are getting support from staff to plan their education and their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff at the home support young people to learn life skills to ensure that they are prepared for leaving care and to live independently. One young person has a weekly allowance to budget, buy and prepare meals on set days each week in preparation for leaving the home in the next year. All young people are expected to help with chores around the home, such as doing their laundry, helping with food preparation and keeping their rooms tidy.

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improvement to be good

Young people say that they feel safe at this home. Staff help them to understand potential risks within the community through key-work sessions and meetings. Incidents of concern are appropriately reported to placing authorities, parents and the regulator as required. When young people engage in risk-taking behaviour, assessments are updated and provide staff with clear strategies for intervention.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s approach to young people who go missing is proactive and is helping to reduce Inspection report children’s home: SC037248 5 the number of incidents of going missing and to keep young people safe. Staff have access to local policies about what to do if young people go missing. Clear risk assessments and safety plans support staff further about individual young people’s needs. Staff keep good records of episodes of going missing and seek to find out why young people were absent on their return by offering return home interviews.

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improvement to be good

The staff team works hard to offer a consistent approach to managing behaviour and maintaining boundaries within the home for the young people. The therapeutic approach to parenting enables staff to think, to understand and to reflect on how to work together and how to be more consistent in their practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment processes are generally good. However, when risk assessments on staff members are required, they have not always been detailed enough. Although no young people have been placed at risk, management of recruitment processes must ensure that everyone is protected from any potential risk of harm. Staff have received recent training in safeguarding, the risk of radicalisation and the risk of child sexual exploitation. Staff are confident about how to report any concerns that they have about young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced, knowledgeable and committed to improving outcomes for young people. She shows passion and enthusiasm in her work and is dedicated to the young people who use the service. She has a good rapport with young people and the staff team and holds clear expectations about the standard of care that the home provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is proactive in ensuring that young people’s plans progress as expected. There is strong leadership in promoting young people’s best interests and in ensuring that records reflect the progress made. Leaders and managers advocate strongly on behalf of young people when they feel that plans are not progressing as expected, for example in respect of securing appropriate educational provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are enthusiastic and committed and say that they feel well supported through supervision, appraisal and regular training. New staff receive a good induction, including having an opportunity to shadow and to be mentored by more experienced staff. Supervision for staff is regular. However, in the early stages of induction and probation, a higher level would benefit staff learning and development. Most staff members have the level 3 diploma or equivalent, although one staff member who is currently completing this qualification is outside the required timeframe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager completes a regular six-monthly audit of the quality of care provided at the home and has an action plan about how to continue to develop and improve the service. The organisation has two other homes and leaders and managers across the service regularly meet together to discuss common themes and to consider training and forward planning. An external independent visitor visits the home monthly and provides a report about how the home can improve its practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC037248 6 Leaders and managers share good working relationships with placing authorities and wider professionals. They are proactive in requesting meetings to discuss young people’s progress or concerns about their care, such as regular episodes of going missing or challenging behaviours. These meetings consider strategies to help keep young people as safe as possible and to agree consistent plans to support the stability of placements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is diverse in terms of gender, age, ethnicity and culture. The staff team members think carefully about young people’s needs and they provide good role models and examples of behaviour for young people. All differences are respected and individual needs arising from ethnicity or diversity are considered.

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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: SC037248 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Holibrook House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, 172 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London E17 4QH

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Inspector

Christine Kennet: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC037248 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 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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