Children's home run by The Qalb Short Break Services Ltd in Tower Hamlets

Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 1 SC420303 Registered provider: The Qalb Short Break Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A limited company owns and manages this service. The local authority funds the service for the exclusive use of families and children living in this inner-city borough. The home provides short breaks for up to five children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) . It specialises in providing a service to children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 December 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 30 November 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2017 Full Outstanding 13/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/08/2016 Full Outstanding 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 3

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In order to meet this standard, the provider must improve the presentation of the children and young people’s bedrooms in order to make them feel warm and welcoming. Some thought should be given to how bedrooms can provide sensory experiences for those children and young people who would benefit from and enjoy them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people benefit from excellent standards of care from staff who know them well and understand their needs. Staff are attentive and thoughtful about the way that they provide care. Because of this, children and young people make exceptional progress. They learn social and independence skills and participate in a wide range of activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A short-break coordinator from a placing authority described the service as ‘the best’. She described how staff consistently go ‘above and beyond’ to support vulnerable children and young people. She gave one example of the home providing a flexible service and supporting a young person through a very difficult period of his life. Staff supported him through a crisis and helped him to move successfully to a new foster placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Parents spoke highly of the service and gave many examples of how the support provided to them and their children had made a positive impact on their families. Several parents described how staff had offered additional support and advice to help them to develop positive strategies to manage behaviour. The provider also offers help to isolated parents to access community support and resources.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Many children and young people using the service have significant communication difficulties. The staff use a variety of methods to maximise the opportunities for children and young people to express choices and share their views. This creates a child-focused and inclusive culture, where the needs and experiences of children and young people shape and influence the care that they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff plan each shift carefully and provide a wide range of activities for children and young people to choose from. They frequently go out into the community and further afield on trips and events. Some parents commented that their children get the Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 4 opportunity to participate in activities that they would not be able to experience at home. One parent commented that their child is now much more able to cope on family outings and shopping trips as a result of the positive experiences that they have had at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Effective partnership work is a major strength of this service. Staff maintain close communication with parents and education providers to ensure that each child and young person has a consistent experience of care. Staff share information on how best to help children and young people make progress and how to encourage positive behaviours. Strong links with health services ensure that staff have all the information that they need to help children and young people to stay healthy and to keep safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is well equipped and maintained. There are a wide range of games, toys and activities on offer at the home. This includes an outdoor play area and an ‘omi projector’. This provides a fun, interactive experience for children and young people to enjoy and play with. The bedrooms for children and young people are clean and well maintained. However, they lack the colour and texture needed to provide a homely, stimulating environment.

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

High staffing levels ensure that children and young people receive high levels of supervision and support at all times. Each shift is carefully planned, taking into consideration the needs of each child and young person using the service. When possible, the children and young people’s key workers are on shift when they come for short breaks. This enhances their safety and well-being because the staff who know them best and have the strongest relationship with them are on hand to provide care.

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

Written records in relation to assessing individual risks to children and young people are detailed, clearly recorded and regularly updated. This information informs practice and enables staff to be aware of areas of vulnerability for each child and young person. Incidents of concern are extremely rare. Parents and professionals reported that they feel that children and young people are safe.

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

Staff are trained in behaviour management techniques that are specifically designed for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff have also undertaken training to better understand the needs of young people who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Staff talk in positive terms about children and young people and apply positive strategies to manage challenging behaviours. Sanctions are never used, and staff support young people without the need for physical intervention. Children and young people respond well to this approach and generally learn to reduce unhelpful behaviours. This enhances their ability to engage positively in the local community, in education and with their families.

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

Staff regularly receive training in key areas of child protection. This includes training in supporting young people with more complex health needs. All staff are fully aware of individual health needs and know how to respond to any health-related emergency. Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 5 There are effective systems in place to ensure that all young people who need them receive their medications as prescribed.

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

The registered manager has excellent systems in place to monitor safeguarding practice and to ensure that the physical environment is safe and secure. All staff are recruited and vetted in accordance with safe recruitment practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is very experienced and has a level 5 qualification in residential care leadership and management. She creates a culture of high expectations within the service. The manager balances her time effectively between keeping a close eye on practice and having a keen oversight of the recording and care planning for children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff spoke in glowing terms about the support and encouragement that they get from the registered manager. She regularly meets with staff as a group and as individuals. She listens to them and gives staff clear feedback on their strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The quality of the partnership work between the home, parents, schools and the professional networks is an exceptional strength of this service. The manager ensures excellent communication and an attention to detail. This provides consistency of care for children and young people. She advocates strongly for service users and provides a flexible service in order to help children and families when they most need it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Care is well organised, well planned and designed to ensure that young people get the most out of their short-break experience. Staff are deployed to make sure that there are always enough staff to keep young people safe and to help them to have fun. Key workers are usually on duty to make sure that children and young people have the opportunity to build and enjoy relationships with the staff that they know best.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager leads the service in a way that promotes a culture of positivity. This is evident from the way that staff talk about young people and the way that care plans are developed and delivered. Each individual child and young person is valued and cherished. Staff frame unhelpful behaviours in positive terms and use interventions that are subtle, skilful and thoughtful. This allows staff to manage behaviours without the need to use physical interventions or sanctions. Children and young people respond well to this and benefit from a calm, nurturing environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager uses feedback from parents, children, staff, the independent visitor to the home and other stakeholders, to continually improve and develop the service. Since the previous inspection she has updated the home’s statement of purpose to clarify the home’s approach to emergency placements. She has also worked with the staff team to raise its awareness of the children’s homes regulations and quality standards (2015). Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 6

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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: SC420303 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Qalb Short Break Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 35 Beaufort Court, Admirals Way, South Quay Waterside, London E14 9XL

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Inspector

Lee Kirwin, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC420303 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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