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

Inspection report children’s home: SC490364 1 SC490364 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

The home is privately owned, providing care and accommodation for up to four young people (female) aged between 10 and 17 years at point of admission. Young people will have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is led by an experienced manager who was registered with Ofsted in April 2015. The manager is suitably qualified.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC490364 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2017 Full Good 30/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC490364 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make considerable progress in all areas of their lives. They become safer. Family relationships improve, and young people engage in education. They are happy and settled and they are enjoying their lives. One young person said, ‘Staff have helped me to find who I am.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff help young people to realise their educational potential. Young people attend school or college. They complete formal qualifications, such as GCSE and AQA awards. Young people are making very good progress with their education. This signifies a remarkable improvement, as most young people have experienced considerable educational disruption. Staff complete homework with young people, and work effectively with education professionals. Consequently, strong educational attainment is fundamental to the culture and ethos of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people and staff have developed strong bonds. Staff help young people to express themselves. One young person said that staff help her to ‘open up’ about her feelings. This has enabled young people to confide in staff over matters that are very important to them. Young people listen to staff because they respect them. Staff encourage young people into education and help them to make better life decisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff have made considerable progress in improving the relationships between young people and their families. Young people now see family members and those important to them more regularly. Young people have progressed to now travelling to and from contact meetings. For some young people, on special occasions, they have had overnight stays. Staff monitor family meetings and relationships closely and remain vigilant to any changes that might have a detrimental impact on young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Some young people have made significant progress with their emotional and mental health. For some, when first moving to the home, they have presented as withdrawn and non-communicative. They are now confident, outward focused and celebrate their achievements. This progress has resulted from very good, nurturing care together with the right services from partner agencies to help young people to move forwards with their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people, to their credit, care about the needs of others. They have raised a significant amount of money for a children’s charity through fundraising activities. They have also supported the homeless. Staff have worked hard to help young people to develop a sense of empathy for others. This will help young people to contribute well to the community in which they live and to be conscious of the needs of others.

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

The manager and staff prioritise the safeguarding needs of young people. The home Inspection report children’s home: SC490364 4 environment, although very comfortable, is also designed to safeguard young people. The manager has completed a comprehensive location risk assessment, which includes the views of the police. This has helped staff to understand the local areas that young people should be discouraged from frequenting.

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

Staff are vigilant and understand the risks to vulnerable young people from the internet and social media use. A real strength at the home has been the work that staff have carried out with young people regarding safe internet use. Staff are realistic. They understand that young people will want to use social media and internet sites. Staff work alongside young people with regard to keeping safe online. Now young people will share their internet and social media usage with staff. Young people have undertaken qualifications and training courses on the dangers of social media and internet use, such as cyber bullying, online grooming and sexual exploitation. This work, and support from staff, helps to keep young people safe.

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

Young people have on occasion gone missing from the home without the authorisation of staff. Overall, these incidents have drastically decreased. But when this does occur, staff make every effort to locate the young person and to bring them home. Staff will search the local area, will constantly try to contact the young person and will inform relevant agencies immediately. Staff greet young people when they return home and ensure that they are safe and well. Staff carry out detailed individual work with the young person to ascertain the reasons why the young person left. Staff undertake this work in a timely way. Staff and managers seek to learn valuable lessons to avoid repetition of these incidents.

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

The behaviour of young people is greatly improved. Before arriving at this home, young people were involved in worrying behaviours and were sometimes at very high risk. This risk has decreased considerably. One young person said, ‘I am not getting into mishaps with people and I have come off the bad stuff [drugs].’

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

The manager places the welfare and safety of young people first. If young people raise any concerns regarding the behaviour of staff, the manager will undertake a thorough investigation. The manager ensures the safety of all young people by taking immediate and effective action, including liaising with all relevant authorities.

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

Staff possess an in-depth understanding of each young person. Staff understand young people’s individual risks and vulnerabilities but also their strengths and positive factors that mitigate against risk. Consequently, they take highly effective action to ensure that incidents of poor behaviour are rare. There is no damage to the home as young people are proud of their home. Arguments are rare and are replaced by discussion, negotiation and fun. The care, support and protection of young people is at the heart of the outstanding practice at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is suitably qualified. In addition to the level 5 diploma in leadership and management, she has also gained advanced safeguarding qualifications. Inspection report children’s home: SC490364 5 She is well respected by her team and she presents as inspirational. The manager is very well supported by dynamic deputy managers who have helped her to improve the overall care and protection provided to young people since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is enthusiastic and has a positive outlook. The staff team members enjoy their work and the good relationships that they have developed with young people. Staff receive regular, professional supervision. These sessions are in depth and pay a great deal of attention to the individual needs of young people. Supervision sessions have an effective structure and agenda, which means that no important matters are overlooked or missed. Supervision sessions hold staff to account and provide an effective balance between praise and challenge. This drives good care practice forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people are better protected and cared for because there is very good oversight by leaders at the home. The manager receives regular supervision and oversight of her practice from the care director in the organisation. The manager has a well-established relationship with the care director and they openly discuss and seek to resolve any problems or concerns in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager employs several highly effective strategies to ensure that she knows the strengths and any weaknesses in care practice. In addition to good, in-depth monthly independent visitor reports, the manager completes her own monthly monitoring. She uses a range of indicators to generate data that highlights trends and patterns. She also harnesses information from other professionals, complaints and compliments. This helps her to understand what is working well, or otherwise, and drives continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager respects the rights of young people and others to complain if they feel dissatisfied. The manager undertakes to investigate any complaint immediately and to resolve the complaint to the satisfaction of all concerned. If a young person complains, the manager spends time with them, trying to understand the reasons for the complaint and will ensure that the young person is content with the outcome.

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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: SC490364 6 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: SC490364 7

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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: 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: SC490364 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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