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

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 2490938 1

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London Borough of Hillingdon

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

 The local authority owns and runs this home for up to five children.  In the home‟s statement of purpose, the provider states that it cares for children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The registered manager was in post from October 2017. He has since left the home but has not yet resigned his registration with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home was judged declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 12 March 2019.

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This monitoring visit

The registered managers of two other local authority homes have co-managed the service to provide effective leadership during the registered manager‟s absence.

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This monitoring visit

The home has experienced some positive changes since the last inspection. Managers have met five of the six requirements and three of the five recommendations made at the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Most significantly, the staff team has stabilised. Experienced staff have joined from other homes, most of the staff who were on sick leave have returned and there is ongoing recruitment. As a result, children benefit from being cared for by consistent staff who are starting to work more effectively as a team.

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This monitoring visit

Staff said morale is improving and noted that they better understand what is expected of them. Staff now benefit from planned supervision, furthermore, they said that they can approach the acting managers at any time and be sure of a response.

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This monitoring visit

A new independent visitor has greatly improved how the home is checked. The Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 2490938 2 visitor provides Ofsted with reports of her visits each month. She focuses on children‟s safety and well-being and has been instrumental in highlighting any issues. Her role as a „critical friend‟ has helped the home‟s development.

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This monitoring visit

Restraint is rarely used in the home. However, if such incidents do occur, any staff involved in restraining a child are no longer involved in the child‟s debrief. This improves children‟s safety.

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This monitoring visit

Managers now notify Ofsted of any significant event, providing effective information sharing.

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This monitoring visit

The living environment has improved. Repairs have been carried out so that the building provides a more comfortable home for children. However, the garden is overgrown and not attractive for children to use.

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This monitoring visit

Steps have been taken to encourage children‟s engagement in education. For example, television sets are gradually being removed from children‟s bedrooms. Despite this, educational outcomes and experiences are poor.

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This monitoring visit

Children who are out of full-time education are not engaged in learning during the school day. Some children have gone missing at night, then slept during the day, not engaging in their education. This affects their progress and attendance.

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This monitoring visit

The response to children going missing requires improvement. The police stated that they have no concerns about how staff report children who go missing from the home. However, in the last five months there has been an increase in the number of episodes when children go missing, which raises associated risks such as child sexual exploitation, gangs and criminal involvement.

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This monitoring visit

Despite staff requests, information gained from independent return home interviews is not readily shared with them to improve children‟s safety.

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This monitoring visit

The matching of new children to the existing residents has not always been successful. For example, one child influenced the decline of another child‟s progress and engagement in education, and a decline in their safety.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 03/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 2490938 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child‟s education and training targets, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child‟s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child‟s relevant plans; and 31/08/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 2490938 4 that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child‟s learning. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b)) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, reduce the recent increase in children going missing. 31/08/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should take account of information provided by return home interviews following episodes when a child has been missing. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person and staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. The focus should be on the provision of support to sustain or regain confidence in education and engagement in suitable structured activities. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 27, paragraph 5.5)

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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)

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Recommendations

Specifically, ensure that the garden is maintained to provide a safe and attractive place for children to enjoy.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child‟s assessed needs as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56, paragraph 11.4) Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 2490938 5

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children‟s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Hillingdon

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1UW

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Inspector

Jacqueline Graves, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 2490938 6 to 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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