Children's home run by Children Assisted in a Real Environment Ltd in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report children‟s home: SC466378 1 SC466378 Registered provider: Children Assisted in a Real Environment (care) Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A limited company runs this children‟s home for up to five disabled and autistic young people including those who have complex needs and/or challenging behaviours. The home provides short and long-term care and accommodation, as well as short breaks. The registered manager has been managing this home since its registration on 29 October 2013. She also manages another home provided by this company.

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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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: SC466378 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/05/2018 Full Good 27/07/2017 Full Good 09/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC466378 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 children‟s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child‟s arrival about— the children‟s guide; how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with; and what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision. (Regulation 7(2)(d)(i)(ii)(iii)(e)) 01/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 01/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers 01/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC466378 4 the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16(1) Schedule 1.3(b)) Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose includes information on the age range, number and sex of children for whom it is intended that accommodation is to be provided. The registered person must— ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation; and must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(1)(b)(4)(a)(c)) 01/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep under review and, as necessary, revise the home‟s child protection policies. (Regulation 34(6)) Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the policy is comprehensive and includes safeguarding children from a range of risks, such as radicalisation, criminal exploitation, female genital mutilation, forced marriages and so-called honour-based violence. 01/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(i)) 01/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children‟s home. The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date; and retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(a)(b)(c) Schedule 4.1) Specifically, the registered person must ensure that a register of children is maintained in the detail required. 01/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC466378 5 Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children. The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI‟s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made

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Requirement Due date

during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39(1)(3)(5)) 01/12/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment safeguards children and minimises potential risks. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Specifically, the registered person must make sure that explanations of any gaps in employment are recorded, that copies of photo-identity documents are kept on the staff files, and that it is clear who carried out the online Disclosure and Barring Services check and the outcome of this check.  The registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and

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Recommendations

conclusions. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home‟s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery in the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 65, paragraph 15.4) Specifically, the registered person should make clear the exact period that is under review. They should make the review reports more evidence-based, analytical and evaluative, and include feedback from young people, their parents, professionals and staff. Inspection report children‟s home: SC466378 6

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have positive experiences. They enjoy living in this home or using it for short breaks. They have formed close relationships with staff members. The physical environment is safe, spacious and maintained well. Young people‟s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their interests and backgrounds. A sensory room provides young people with a variety of interesting sensory experiences. Young people enjoy having a garden, where they can bounce on a large trampoline and grow herbs for use in their own cooking. Staff help young people with their homework and provide them with additional opportunities for learning. Young people also spend time relaxing with staff, playing games and delighting in their own arts-and-crafts creations. They enjoy having their favourite stories read to them by staff. Young people enjoy a wide range of leisure activities in the community. This has included going to restaurants, cinemas, museums, shopping centres, nature reserves

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and trips to the seaside. For some young people, this was the first time that they had the opportunity to access these activities and learn about social etiquette. Young people make good progress in many areas of their lives. The strongest area of their progress is in their much-improved behaviours. Young people become calmer and their ability to communicate improves significantly. Young people‟s parents and professionals who are involved in young people‟s lives talk highly about the standard of care that the home provides. Each of them gave examples of how staff managed young people‟s complex needs with great skill and care. Staff particularly promote the emotional well-being of young people. Young people attend their schools regularly and make good progress in their learning. Some young people have received special awards that celebrate their educational attainments. Staff support young people‟s further learning and development of their life

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

skills. A consistent staff team provides stability in young people‟s lives. Some young people transitioned smoothly from using this home for short breaks to long-term care, when their needs changed. Staff supported a young person, who recently moved to a residential special school, exceptionally well.

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

Trusting relationships between staff and young people underpin the effectiveness of the home‟s safeguarding practices. Staff empathise with young people and see what lies underneath their behaviours. Staff respond calmly and positively to young people when their anxieties begin to rise. Inspection report children‟s home: SC466378 7 Young people develop an increased sense of security. One young person said that he felt safer in this children‟s home than in his own family home. All parents spoken with said that they had full confidence in the staff‟s ability to keep their children safe. Young people receive highly individualised staff support to help them learn how to manage their feelings and behaviours. They have good opportunities to contribute to their behaviour management plans. Staff have created a positive environment with clear boundaries, routines and rules. One young person said that having firm boundaries helps him to feel less anxious and be

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

more able to control his own behaviours. The young people‟s ability to listen to staff and follow their instructions has continued to improve. Safeguarding young people is inherent in all staff‟s practices. The good management of risks is integrated in the general support that staff provide to young people. Staff ensure that risk assessments and management plans are kept up to date. Staff manage any incidents well to ensure everybody‟s safety. There has been only one physical intervention since the last inspection. This was an appropriate, low-level intervention in which two staff members guided the young person safely back to the home after he started displaying highly challenging behaviours in the community. While the actual safeguarding practices are good, the home‟s policy on child protection and safeguarding of young people is limited. It does not include any information on safeguarding young people from the risk of criminal exploitation, radicalisation, female

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

genital mutilation, so-called honour-based violence and forced marriages. The home has an appropriate procedure for ensuring that staff members are suitable to work with young people. However, two staff files did not have all required information. The gaps unnecessarily increase the risk of employing people who are not suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have created a culture in which young people come first. The staff team is dedicated to helping young people achieve good outcomes. The records on the young people‟s files evidence staff‟s effective practices and young people‟s good progress. However, record-keeping is inconsistent and the home is not always run in accordance with legislation or up-to-date guidance. Despite these shortfalls, there has been no negative impact on the outcomes for young people. The statement of purpose fails to include basic information, such as the number, age and gender of children that the home provides care and accommodation for. Furthermore, the home‟s register of admissions/discharges is not maintained appropriately. The young people‟s guide lacks information on advocacy services, while the home‟s policy on online safety gives the wrong name of the home. The registered manager did not keep clear and accurate records of how they dealt with

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

a complaint. The poor record-keeping has undermined the home‟s ability to demonstrate that the procedure for dealing with complaints is effective. Inspection report children‟s home: SC466378 8 Not all requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection have been met. The examples include the continued gaps in the content of the policy on safeguarding children, the reoccurring issues with staff recruitment information, and staff appraisals not always being carried out in a timely manner. Staff reported feeling supported by their colleagues and the managers. They receive regular supervision. However, the staff members who used a physical intervention to protect themselves from being repeatedly hit did not have the opportunity to talk about this incident in confidence with the registered person. Leaders and managers work in effective partnership with other professionals who are involved in young people‟s lives. The home‟s links with the mental health services are

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

particularly strong. The home‟s independent visitor provides robust monthly reports and makes a strong contribution to the improvement of the service. However, the lack of attention to detail from the home‟s leaders and managers undermines the quality assurance processes that are in place. Their six-monthly quality-of-care review and the workforce plan lack analysis and evaluation.

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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: SC466378 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children Assisted in a Real Environment (care) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 144 Old Oak Road, London W3 7HF

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Inspector

Seka Graovac, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC466378 10 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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