Children's Home run by Ravensbourne Project in Lewisham

Inspection report children’s home: 1257289 1 Registered provider: Ravensbourne Project Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is a short-breaks residential home and day service. It provides care for young people who have learning and/or physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments. The home can provide overnight short breaks for up to five young people (providing that two of the five young people are siblings of the same gender) aged between eight and 18 years of age. The home operates at weekends during term time only and all holiday periods. The registered manager has been registered since 2016.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness. Young people make good progress from their starting points during their stay in the home. Staff work in partnership with parents to set appropriate age and ability-based skills targets for the young people. Their successes include improved social skills, increased participation in structured activities and learning to make choices. Many of the young people who use the service are non-verbal. Staff have detailed knowledge of the young people’s needs. This, alongside good use of alternative communication styles, ensures that young people receive support that is responsive to their changing needs. In one case, a member of staff understood that a young person Inspection report children’s home: 1257289 2 leading him by the hand was signalling his wish to watch a DVD in his bedroom.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Skilful planning by the staff team ensures that young people enjoy their time at the home. Trips to the theatre, local parks and train journeys are combined with activities in the home such as baking, music making and arts and crafts. Young people have their own individually named ‘resource boxes’ containing their favourite games or sensory toys which help them to settle when they arrive at the home. New admissions to the home are carefully planned. Young people visit the home for teatime sessions before they have their first overnight stay. This means that young people become familiar with their new environment. The young people bring their favourite bedding and soft toys to personalise their bedrooms, which helps them to settle during their stay in the home. Young people’s ‘all about me’ booklets and positive behavior support plans help staff identify any complex or challenging behaviour needs. Sanctions and restraints are rarely

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

used in the home and there has not been any physical restraint since the last inspection. However, during the inspection a young person was ‘sanctioned’ for property damage and this is not outlined in the young people’s guide. The responsible individual provides regular advice and support both to young people who have moved on to adult services and to the young people’s families in the community. Parent coffee mornings, ‘parent training sessions’ and supporting young people at their health appointments enhance the home’s services. A parent said, ‘He (the responsible individual) is at the end of the phone for me anytime day or night.’ One requirement remains outstanding since the last inspection. Leaders and managers must ensure that records of all the staff employed in the home, including any agency staff, include evidence of their residential care qualifications, and a system is in place to ensure that staff’s disclosure and barring service checks are kept up to date.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/08/2018 Full Good 02/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1257289 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

Fitness of workers (1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (2) The requirements are that— (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; And (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(b)(d) In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that any agency staff that are employed in the home have the appropriate qualification and the home maintains a system to ensure that all staff’s enhanced criminal record certificates are up to date. 31/05/2019

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Recommendations

 The children’s home must produce a children’s guide. The children’s guide should help children understand: what the day to day routines of the home are (‘what happens in the home’). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraphs 4.21 and 4.22) In particular, the home must ensure that any consequences applied as part of the young people’s behaviour management plans are clearly identified.  Children’s homes should be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of the children. They will in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, the home must ensure that the garden room door and the dining room light are repaired. Inspection report children’s home: 1257289 4

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ravensbourne Project

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Inspector

Victoria Jones, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1257289 5 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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